#8370 - 01/15/03 11:07 PM
Advice For Confirming Reservations
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sdnative
Junior Member
Registered: 01/15/03
Posts: 27
Loc: San Diego, California
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My fiance and I have decided to spend our September 2003 honeymoon in FP (6 nights in Bora Bora at the Sofitel Motu in a OWB, followed by 4 nights in Moorea at the Sofitel Ia Ora in a Deluxe Beach Bungalow). I have been an avid fan/reader of this forum for quite some time and have read many a post describing overbooking policies at various resorts. Specifically, I have read stories of honeymooning couples and others being "bumped" from their original reservations and having to settle for lesser accomadations without adequate explanations from hotel staff. The prevelance of these reports has made me very nervous, despite the fact that my travel agent has assured me that she has made our reservations and that my deposit will secure the reservations for September. Making me even more nervous is the fact that several of these stories have involved the two resorts that I will be staying at (Sofiel Motu and Sofitel Ia Ora), and the "bumped" individuals involved were given similar assurances about reservations from their travel agents. As such, my questions are:
1) What can I do to ensure that my reservations at each of these resorts are confirmed, and that those confirmations are subsequently honored upon arrival??? (I have asked my travel agent whether pre-paying the entire balance for the trip now would "lock our reservations in", and I am completely willing to do that, but she was not sure if that would make a difference and is getting back to me. I have read far too many stories about dilligent travelers who have obtained numerous fax confirmations, e-mail confirmations, and even personal assurances from hotel staff prior to arrival, only to find that their requested accomodations were unavailable for some unexplained reason!!!) What can I do to avoid any unforeseen disappointments like this on my honeymoon?
2) Is there any information or recommendations on specific bungalow #'s that anyone can provide with respect to the Sofitel Motu and the Sofitel Ia Ora? (We will be staying in OWB at the Motu and a Deluxe Beach Bunglaow at the Ia Ora.)
Sorry for the long post, but any information would be greatly appreciated.
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#8371 - 01/16/03 08:18 AM
Re: Advice For Confirming Reservations
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Pacific Andy
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 10/16/01
Posts: 4278
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
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First of all you can not guarantee that when you arrive they will or will not honor your reservation. Second, the problems you state are very rare and happen very seldom. The most notable to date is the Sheraton Moorea. Beyond that it does not happen too often so I would not worry about that at all. September is a slower month and you should have no problems. It does happen but not too often. Third, requesting rooms is just that a request. Sometimes your luck sometimes you are not. Its the luck of the draw. I have noticed a lot on this and other forums people asking which room is the best and sending emails to the hotel requesting them. It has gotten to the point that many of the reservations agents in Tahiti ignore the requests. It has become overwhelming. If everyone request OW 109 at the Sheraton the odds are you will not get it. Just relax and have fun. If the screw up just go with the flow and make the best of it. You will have much more fun.
_________________________
Once You Go You Get It
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#8372 - 01/16/03 10:20 AM
Re: Advice For Confirming Reservations
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bsinutah
Member
Registered: 08/07/02
Posts: 255
Loc: Utah
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To somewhat answer your question, I would take the phone number of your travel agent in the US and obtain the number of the handler in Tahiti so if you run into any problems you can handle them with a quick phone call. We used an agency in Seattle and our handler in Tahiti was Tahiti Nui Travel. Once you arrive in Tahiti, you are greeted at the airport by a representative and are given a phone number to call in case you have any problems.
As far as requests go for OWB at the Sofitel Motu, I stand behind #129. It has a sunrise and sunset view and becuase you are at the end of the decking, you have more privacy than most of the other OWBs. If you check out the following map, you can see where the specific bungalows sit starting with OWB 111 and going down to 131. All of the OWB from 111 to 128 are strictly sunrise views, 129, like I said has sunrise and sunset views and 130 & 131 have only sunset views. 130 & 131 are over water but the depth is only about knee deep. 129's water level is about 5 feet, 128's water level is about 10-15 feet and I am not sure about the other OWB's. Whichever bungalow you get, know that you will be so incredibly happy with it. Tahiti is such a treat for vacationing, I hope you have a great time.
This is the link for the Sofitel Motu map:
http://www.jamiedoris.com/travels/fp/album/41/
I hope I've been helpful. 
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#8373 - 01/16/03 11:08 AM
Re: Advice For Confirming Reservations
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sdnative
Junior Member
Registered: 01/15/03
Posts: 27
Loc: San Diego, California
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Thank you so very much to "Pacific Andy" and "bsinutah" for their helpful info and insight regarding reservations and specific bungalow numbers. I very much agree with Pacific Andy's comment about just going with the flow and hoping for the best with respect to reservations. I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to prevent any major booking/reservation problems before I got to the resort. Maybe it's comforting to know that there isn't much that I can do aside from relax and enjoy, regardless of any unforeseen problems. Also, I want to thank bsinutah for the info on bungalow numbers and the map of the resort!!! I really appreciate it. Please don't hesitate to give me more info if you have the time. Thanks again!
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