#8617 - 02/21/03 08:34 PM
Just returned from Sofitel Motu!
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Anonymous
Anonymous
Unregistered
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We just returned from our 5 day trip @ the Motu. We stayed at an OWB (#129) It had a beautiful and effortless view of BB. The pictures from our room look like we were just 50 yds. away from the Mountain.
The service was great, as it seemed that there was only 3 other couples staying at the resort so the employee/guest ratio was very good. The Motu truly felt like a private "fantasy" island as we were able to walk around the motu without seeing anybody else, except for an occassional caretaker that always greeted with "la orana". The people were very friendly as were the fish. Lots of coral was found underneath the OWB's. We even saw Manta Rays and a 3 ft colorfull fish
liesurly swimming by. The Ow decks were awesome. I liked the fact that it had a covered patio and a sun deck making the whole OW experience more of an "open air" one. Feel free to ask any questions as this board made my choice on picking the hotel a lot easier and thankfully made me choose the right one for me.
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#8618 - 02/21/03 09:43 PM
Re: Just returned from Sofitel Motu!
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jeanine
Junior Member
Registered: 07/18/04
Posts: 5
Loc: Carmel, CA
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Welcome home! We will be at the Motu in May of this year. Can you give me some information regarding the excursions desk at the hotel? I do not want to book anything in advance so that our days will be flexible, and so that we can take weather into consideration. I am really interested in doing a lagoon catamaran tour - I hear it is wonderful.
Thanks for the information!
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#8619 - 02/22/03 09:08 AM
Re: Just returned from Sofitel Motu!
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Anonymous
Anonymous
Unregistered
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Hi Jeanine, as far as the activities desk, I was suprised to see that there was no official "activities desk" like you see at other hotels and destinations. I believe that since the Motu has such a small occupancy they do everything at the reception desk. They have books with pictures to look at and you book whatever you want to do through them. There might be other options as how to go about booking an excursion but we found the receptionist very helpful in trying to get us the times and days we wanted basing in it in the weather. We did not do the catarman but we did do the 4x4 jeep safari and shark feeding. Have fun!
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#8620 - 02/22/03 05:14 PM
Re: Just returned from Sofitel Motu!
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Anonymous
Anonymous
Unregistered
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Hi Croft!
I'm glad you had a very nice time. I will be honeymooning there in May and have reservations at the Motu. Needless to say we are VERY excited. Just a couple of questions. Are there Stereo/CD players in the room or should we bring a small one? And also can you empty out the mini-bar fridge to store store bought food and such? Last question....Did you eat at any restaurants worth going to and was it hard to make reservations through the hotel. Was the food at the Motu good? Thank you.
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#8621 - 02/23/03 09:39 AM
Re: Just returned from Sofitel Motu!
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Anonymous
Anonymous
Unregistered
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Hello Bear Down, I'm sure you'll have lots of fun in your honeymoon. As far as the Stereo/Cd player, you might want to bring one. The Tv had some sort of radio station with a variety of local music wish we heard only while we were getting ready to go out. Otherwise, you realize that the sounds of the lagoon, the wind blowing against the straw roof, and occasional jumping fish make the best music while in "paradise". Also, the resort seemed so quite that sometimes when we had the tv on, we would turn it down because we felt that the whole Motu could here us at 6:00 am  Emptying the fridge does not seem to be a problem. We usally only stored water bottles bought from the market and we had enough room. I would think it wouldn't be a problem since they seemed to be very accomodating in tying to make your stay a comfortable one. We did not eat out, except once at the Sofitel Marara when they had a very good BBQ buffet and show. We never attempted to make reservations through the hotel staff but from what I heard you could arrange the restaurants to pick you up from the Marara. We didn't get to eat out as we were always busy snorkeling, exploring the motu or out on an excursion. By the end of the night, it was nice to stroll up to the Motu restaurant and look out at the view. The service was great and the restaurant was never busy. The menu was limited but I found that anything you will order was good and plentiful. The lobster night was one of the favorites. Breakfast was always good as was the cheeseburger and fries. Don't forget the room service. It was always prompt and fun to eat out in the balcony in your bathrobe.
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#8622 - 02/23/03 10:07 AM
Re: Just returned from Sofitel Motu!
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Kristy
Advisor
Registered: 10/12/01
Posts: 568
Loc: Windsor, CA USA
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You can also use the activities desk at the Sofitel Marara to book your activities. We did that many times including dinner reservations. You can walk down the road to your left to La Bounty which had very good, reasonable, food. I felt that the Motu was a little too pricey for the quality and quantity but that is just my opinion.
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#8623 - 02/23/03 04:24 PM
Re: Just returned from Sofitel Motu!
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Anonymous
Anonymous
Unregistered
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Croft...Sounds great, can't wait to go on my honeymoon to the Motu this September. How was the snorkeling? Did you go around to the coral gardens? Any chance you have your pics in digital format? Would love if you would share them Let me know if they are posted anywhere (shutterfly, ofoto, etc.) or if you want to e-mail them that would be cool.
aborak@yahoo.com
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#8624 - 02/24/03 08:09 AM
Re: Just returned from Sofitel Motu!
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bsinutah
Member
Registered: 08/07/02
Posts: 255
Loc: Utah
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I love coming to this board and reliving the memories from our trip. Thanks for posting about yours.
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#8625 - 02/24/03 08:38 AM
Re: Just returned from Sofitel Motu!
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Anonymous
Anonymous
Unregistered
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Hi there Rack, I did not snorkel the coral gardens which are just a few meters around the Motu. We did most of our snorkeling around the overwater bungalows. There is enough coral to see different species of fish and an occasional sting ray. I heard there has been sightings of sharks but We didn't see any around the bungalows. A tip will be to snorkel in the early mornings between 6-10 am as most of the rare fish come out at that time. I haven't posted any of my pictures yet. I am hoping that I will be able to post them by the end of the week. I'll let you know
Bsinutah, I know what you mean about reliving memories on this board. It's nice to talk about our trip to friends and family too.
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#8626 - 02/24/03 09:20 PM
Re: Just returned from Sofitel Motu!
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jeanine
Junior Member
Registered: 07/18/04
Posts: 5
Loc: Carmel, CA
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Hi Croft,
Thanks for the information regarding the activities desk. I have less than 3 months to go!
Thanks, again.
-J
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