#61072 - 03/15/07 01:11 PM
Re: Le Tahaa on cover of February Islands magazine!
[Re: Zoe]
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Travcarib
Member
Registered: 03/13/07
Posts: 119
Loc: Washington DC
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Maybe we will pass each other at some point! We'll be there July 8-10 in the Taha'a View. I am really excited about the trip. I wish we could have stayed a little longer but we are going to Bora Bora for 5 nights before and didn't want to take any time off from that there. It looked like the difference was almost $250/300 for that upgrade so we decided not to try for it and stick with the Taha'a view. Hopefully we will get a nice suite. I did email the hotel and they said they didn't have anything but Taha'a views open right now for those days.
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#61115 - 03/16/07 07:51 PM
Re: Le Tahaa on cover of February Islands magazine!
[Re: Travcarib]
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Zoe
Senior Advisor
Registered: 12/14/03
Posts: 801
Loc: Walnut Creek, CA
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Truly the only thing different we've been able to identify is a) what you look at and b) a very few special perks for the Sunset/Bora Bora suites (champagne, petit fours-- all of which I'm quite sure you could order on your own). It all sounds lovely, though, particularly when I'm at work ;)
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#61270 - 03/19/07 08:02 PM
Re: Le Tahaa on cover of February Islands magazine!
[Re: Zoe]
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jchip
Member
Registered: 12/20/06
Posts: 98
Loc: Michigan
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Zoe - Still committed to your July days at Le Taha'a, even after all the bad press here lately (i.e. NYCChic)? I'm wavering badly.. really bummed about poor water/bottom quality in lagoon, afraid it won't get much better by our mid-April visit.
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#61298 - 03/20/07 09:03 AM
Re: Le Tahaa on cover of February Islands magazine!
[Re: jchip]
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Travcarib
Member
Registered: 03/13/07
Posts: 119
Loc: Washington DC
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zoe- I am wondering what you are thinking too since our trips are around the same time. I am on the fence right now. I think that the water clarity etc might have been bad because of the rains possibly and maybe since July is the dry season we wouldn't have to experience the same problem... I know that the island seems to get more winds too so I wonder if the water is going to be more kicked up in general vs Bora bora???
I have seen many traveler's pics online and they seem to have nice clear water so I am confused. I can't wait to see NYCC pics from the resort.
jchip I am sure you are nervous about your plans. Let us know what you decide!
We need to decide what we are doing soon so I don't stress about this anymore.
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#61323 - 03/20/07 01:42 PM
Re: Le Tahaa on cover of February Islands magazine!
[Re: Travcarib]
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Zoe
Senior Advisor
Registered: 12/14/03
Posts: 801
Loc: Walnut Creek, CA
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Travcarib: right now, I have no intention of not going. The resort is also pretty much fully-booked, so if you change your mind, you probably won't be able to change it back (and rates have risen significantly since we booked in December).
Six trips to French Polynesia have certainly taught me that, after a big rain, the waters can be temporarily (2-6 hours) nasty. We arrived at the Moorea Pearl once right after a big storm and the waters looked like mud sludge; a day later and they were crystal-clear and perfect. We've been to Manihi where there are winds and whitecaps and didn't feel that the clarity of the water was substantially effected (amazing snorkelling). Everything I've heard for the past four years says that the water there is great, crystal clear, etc. AND the Pearl chain usually does routing maintenance/housekeeping this time of year... I am surprised that it is extending as long as it is and had attributed that to their desire to keep up with the Joneses and all those new uber-luxury resorts in Bora Bora like the St Regis and the Thalasso (before those, Tahaa was claiming-- with very good grounds-- to be the most luxurious resort in FP). Perhaps I'l'l try emailing them and ask what they're doing. They're generally very good about responding.
Unless they're actually dredging sand, building new bungalows, or have construction barges there, I don't see how anything now affects water clarity in July (could be wrong, but that's my take). Black slimy things all over the ground? Dunno. I suppose there could be some weird, new thing that washed in; I have seen sea cucumbers before (there are lots in the shallow beach in front of the premium beach bungalows at the Manihi Pearl) and they are certainly blacky, slimy and squishy if you step on them). I hadn't heard that they were omnipresent at Le Tahaa, tho.
Service... well, we're pretty-laidback. Our triggerpoint is when folks are rude (haven't encountered too much of that in FP); overall, we've been very, very pleased with service in FP. There is a different rhythm to it there (can't think of a better way to put it), there is no emphasis on speed, and you may need to ask a question several ways to get a satsifactory (to you) answer. We've always found hotel staff willing and eager to answer our questions, but sometimes they answer the literal question rather than the implied question, if that makes sense, so you have to keep circling around until you've got the info you need. It's not Western hotel service, but it makes us laugh and we enjoy the laidback standard (we don't feel like we're being checked out by the hotel staff for our profession, income bracket, tips, etc.). I think you can only solve that one by going there and seeing if it is to your taste. I've been places in Vegas where I raved about the customer service and places where I was not impressed and I suspect it's all a matter of taste. Some places just do things the way you like and some don't; it's really very nebulous and hard to pin down. Granted, there are some place that do things to no one's taste, but I don't think that Le Tahaa is one of those :)
Prices: yes, they are awful. Really, really bad. And we have had $400 meals in Vegas and do dine around the Bay Area. Dessert at the Tikehau Pearl for lunch ran $14-17 for ice cream sundaes-- but they were amazing. I console myself with that ;) You do need to either prepare yourself for the sticker shock or pre-pay the meal plan. And it is a shock. I'm torn between pre-paying the meal plan and paying as we go-- it generally ends up being slightly cheaper for us to pay as we go, but, oh, the horror of that checkout bill!
TripAdvisor reports tend to be not so accurate for French Polynesia IMHO (or, rather, you get alot more of the folks who were expecting a different experience for their $$$$ and who compare unfavorably to Hawaii). They're not really a factor for me in choosing where I go in FP. If Jells or Thomas Marshall or PAcific Andy come back tho and have issues with Le Tahaa... I'll be listening and re-booking. I've found that their reactions to properties are a good gauge for how much I'll like a property.
Lots of rambling.. sorry... but it is LOTS of money (we could almost go to Tahiti again for what our four nights and helicopter transfer will cost us) and I understand your concern. If it helps you any, we're doing our first two nights at the Sheraton Moorea just to check out the snorkelling, and the reviews for that place are all over the map!
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#61324 - 03/20/07 01:55 PM
Re: Le Tahaa on cover of February Islands magazine!
[Re: Zoe]
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Travcarib
Member
Registered: 03/13/07
Posts: 119
Loc: Washington DC
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Thanks for your input Zoe. We are planning on leaving things the way they are as well. We talked about things so much but for now we have decided to just go in with a positive attitude and hope for the best. Besides we do want to experience another island while there and build on our FP experiences. I know you can't compare places so we are just going to go in there with the best intentions of seeing the island (vanilla plantations, snorkeling, pearl farms etc) possibly doing dinner at Chez Louise and just enjoying the unspoiled beauty of this island that is less developed than the other ones we have been to.
I hope things work out for the best. I will be watching reviews and hoping there are more positives on Taha'a.
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#61325 - 03/20/07 02:04 PM
Re: Le Tahaa on cover of February Islands magazine!
[Re: Travcarib]
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Zoe
Senior Advisor
Registered: 12/14/03
Posts: 801
Loc: Walnut Creek, CA
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I just checked my original email from Le Tahaa and, in January, they were planning a two month closure (obivously longer now), for routine maintenance as well as a new gym and dive shop/facility. I still think we should be good.
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#61336 - 03/20/07 08:06 PM
Re: Le Tahaa on cover of February Islands magazine!
[Re: Zoe]
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jchip
Member
Registered: 12/20/06
Posts: 98
Loc: Michigan
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Zoe and all - Check my reply under the "Worried" thread here.. I believe they are building new uber-OWB's at LeT right now, and have hit major delays.. perhaps by summer all will be normal. I am not a travel or service snob (i.e., I HATE being rushed through dinner), but worried more about the physical environment being out-of-balance during our visit. We've decided against doing all 6 days at LeT, opting instead to split time on Bora.. hope we don't regret it.
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#61409 - 03/21/07 08:04 PM
Re: Le Tahaa on cover of February Islands magazine!
[Re: jchip]
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Zoe
Senior Advisor
Registered: 12/14/03
Posts: 801
Loc: Walnut Creek, CA
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I just saw your post on the other thread and Travcarib's post of the email from the resort. Nothing seems to jibe-- but it does seem kind of worrisome. I'd rather wait a year to go Tahaa and I don't really want to go to an uber-resort. Hmm. Guess it's time to torture my travel agent and see what they tell her is going on.
Travcarib's email mentioned two new uber Royal Beach Villas (and please tell me why you need three televisions?), but said nothing about overwaters. The concept of uber-OWBs would explain the staggered room availability we've seen in other threads... yikes! Now my head is swimming and Tikehau looks better and cheaper already!
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#61410 - 03/21/07 08:18 PM
Re: Le Tahaa on cover of February Islands magazine!
[Re: Zoe]
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Zoe
Senior Advisor
Registered: 12/14/03
Posts: 801
Loc: Walnut Creek, CA
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When I look at the 2007 fact sheet for Tahaa, they have Royal Beach Villas listed now, but there are no new overwaters (these may tho be right on the water somehow since they advertise direct lagoon access):
http://www.pearlresorts.com/pro/data/_info/pdf/2007%20Le%20Taha'a%20Private%20Island%20&%20Spa.pdf
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