#88218 - 01/04/11 07:27 PM
Loved Manihi! (with video)
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QT314
Junior Member
Registered: 04/28/10
Posts: 12
Loc: Kapahi, Hi
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Do you ever watch the TV show "Survivor" or "Man vs Wild" and think wow, looks like so much fun, but how can anyone eat those bugs or sleep under a leaky palm tree? Our family enjoys the cozy comforts of home but still wanted a tropical adventure. The Manihi Pearl Beach hotel gave us exactly what we were looking for.
Manihi is about 1.5 hrs from Papeete, and with each air mile comes a sense of falling away from all that is urban. The airport is barely a thatched hut and the local transportation is bicycle, boat or golf cart. We were met by Henri, the GM, bearing leis and cold drinks as he gave us the resort tour. Two OWB's for our family of five were beautifully set up with tropical flowers, and the kids immediately were entranced by the glass topped tables that opened into the lagoon. The resort amenities included a fresh-water infinity pool, many shaded hammocks, a good array of bicycles, bocce balls, mini golf, volleyball court, and a relaxing poolside bar. We snorkeled from our OWB's multiple times daily, getting to know the local huge trigger fishes, parrot fishes, nurse sharks and black tip reef sharks. The lagoon is windy, but even on the windiest day the snorkeling wasn't a problem. Set off from the reef are multiple sea stacks with shallower areas which afforded greater water clarity and better snorkeling - we either swam or kayaked out there to explore, often encountering sharks which were way more scared of us than we were of them.
Diving was one of the main reasons we chose Manihi. Rangiroa's hotels were closed for renovation, and Manihi's easy diving sites and shorter distance to the sites fit our needs over Rangi's more technical dives. Water clarity was easily 80-100 ft, and the water temp was a wonderful 85+. If you think of your best pet store aquarium and multiply it by a thousand you would see what diving is like in Manihi. The dropoff literally has hundreds and hundreds of brilliantly colored fish, a healthy coral reef, occasional sharks and large grouper. Current is easily managable and Marc, the divemaster, proficient and pleasant.
The hotel put together two spectacular trips for us. The first, a private motu picnic, began with native line fishing where we caught more than enough for lunch plus a shark or two (didn't keep those guys!) We anchored off a small sea stack and snorkeled, fished and swam for most of the morning. At the motu a nice picnic area was set up where we grilled fish, freshly caught octopus, chicken and steak, and drank champagne, Hinano, tropical juices, fresh coconut water, etc. Lots more snorkeling in crystal clear water followed by a very exciting afternoon of shark fishing and wrestling. Easily the favorite day for a number of the family. The second trip was put together for my daughter's 16th birthday. We went out to a small pearl farm where we free dived for oysters. After a very educational lesson on the culturing of the Tahitian pearl we were instructed on how to open the oyster and extract the pearls, and as a birthday treat we were allowed to keep them. Those pearls are more treasured than the ones we purchased in Papeete, as we remember the hospitality and bonhomie of the Corrion family each time we look at them.
To even out the review, there were a few points of mild discontent. I did agree with previous reviewers that the dinner entrees were repetitious and of dubious palatability. Both breakfast and lunch had more variety and quality than the dinner, and often we just ordered salad or pizza at dinner. The fish and lamb were the better choices, but the beef and veal poor at best, with unusual tasting sauces which they wouldn't omit despite multiple requests. As there were no other dining options we were rather hungry on occasion. To be fair, the secluded location of the resort undoubtedly made it difficult to obtain a variety of fresh items, but I still think the menu could be markedly improved. The second bone of contentment were the beds, which could use a mattress topper of some kind.
We ended the week with a wonderful New Year's Eve dinner show put on by the staff and their families. It was so fun to watch our new friends dance and sing with their families, exuding so much of their island warmth and joy at the celebration of the new year. To sum it up, Manihi is a place of unadulterated peace, natural beauty, and polynesian spirit. We left with a sense of loss and will try very hard to return.
http://vimeo.com/18441062
Enjoy the video!
Edited by QT314 (01/04/11 07:27 PM)
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#88219 - 01/04/11 08:55 PM
Re: Loved Manihi! (with video)
[Re: QT314]
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holte
Expert Advisor
Registered: 11/19/04
Posts: 2417
Loc: Duluth, Minnesota
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wow. Great report and the movie was way better than Couples Retreat!
Edited by holte (01/04/11 08:55 PM)
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#88220 - 01/04/11 11:05 PM
Re: Loved Manihi! (with video)
[Re: holte]
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Suki (689)
Senior Advisor
Registered: 10/29/07
Posts: 920
Loc: ELA US of A
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Mahalo brudda great video awesome music and you r right holte Hinanos im buying 4 all of us ^^^^^^^^FP4LIFE^^^^^^^^
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#88221 - 01/04/11 11:05 PM
Re: Loved Manihi! (with video)
[Re: holte]
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Suki (689)
Senior Advisor
Registered: 10/29/07
Posts: 920
Loc: ELA US of A
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Mahalo brudda great video awesome music and you r right holte Hinanos im buying 4 all of us ^^^^^^^^FP4LIFE^^^^^^^^
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#88228 - 01/05/11 08:49 PM
Re: Loved Manihi! (with video)
[Re: Suki (689)]
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byronhiker
Junior Member
Registered: 09/30/10
Posts: 22
Loc: colorado
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OH YEAH!!! Outstanding!
Looks like you definitely had a good time. What was wrong with the food? Looks damn good to me! But then again, I'm a dirtbag backpacker. I must admit though, sketchy meat with unknown sauce is rarely tastebud joy. I was considering visiting that island. Considering all that food that was laid out I assume it was somewhat busy? I'll be roaming the Tuamotos next month.
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#88229 - 01/05/11 10:04 PM
Re: Loved Manihi! (with video)
[Re: byronhiker]
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QT314
Junior Member
Registered: 04/28/10
Posts: 12
Loc: Kapahi, Hi
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Byron, lucky you. Manihi and the Tuamotus would be an excellent place to lounge around for a few days. The people are like one big happy family and welcome visitors without hesitation. The food was fine overall; much better than you'd find at an average atoll eatery. The spread you saw was the Mandatory new year's dinner that cost 30,000 pf per person, making it the most expensive meal our family has ever had.
The hotel was reportedly full but we saw almost nobody. While editing my video clips I was amazed that we never filmed one other visitor except for at the new year's dinner dance. You will find that almost nobody speaks English, so bone up on your french.
Good luck on your roaming - hopefully you have an air pass. You will want to sleep indoors as the winds are upwards of 40 mph some evenings, along with sideways rain. We woke every morning covered with pieces of thatch and the occasional gecko; just part of the tropical experience!
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#88231 - 01/05/11 11:41 PM
Re: Loved Manihi! (with video)
[Re: QT314]
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vaitape
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/09/02
Posts: 1387
Loc: socal
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Great video! Glad you enjoyed Manihi and what a thrill for your daughter to celebrate her 16th birthday there. Terrific memory maker for all of you.
We're hoping to get back to Manihi in March. Good to see that the hospitality at the Pearl remains fabulous. The atoll experience is something, isn't it?
Thanks for sharing.
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#88232 - 01/06/11 02:40 AM
Re: Loved Manihi! (with video)
[Re: vaitape]
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Gary & Cath
Expert Advisor
Registered: 04/01/06
Posts: 1284
Loc: Wollongong, Australia
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Thanks for sharing your atoll experience, QT314. We've stayed there too and loved it! The staff are all family, including their management. We're going back FOR SURE! We're a bit puzzled by the food remark!? We thought the food was great!? Maybe people's taste varies? Thanks for sharing.
_________________________
Is there anything better than a sipping a Tahitian Mai Tai on an Overwater Bungalow in FP?
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#88236 - 01/06/11 01:24 PM
Re: Loved Manihi! (with video)
[Re: Gary & Cath]
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DenverJoe
Expert Advisor
Registered: 09/10/02
Posts: 1878
Loc: Denver, Co.
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Great video. The food when we were there was great. At one point Bev and I were the only guests at the resort. Was a very quiet dinner. Just the 2 of us.
_________________________
Nothing better than a Hinano in hand and toes in the sand.
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#88239 - 01/06/11 04:08 PM
Re: Loved Manihi! (with video)
[Re: DenverJoe]
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byronhiker
Junior Member
Registered: 09/30/10
Posts: 22
Loc: colorado
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If I go there I would'nt stay at that resort. There are a few pensions that charge around $150 US a night, including food.
Lonely Planet info...
$300 for the party dinner? YIKES!!!! You mentioned it was "mandatory", I hope that does'nt mean you had to pay it or go hungry?
That's a lot of money for a belly full of "regular" food. Did they at least roast a pig?
Jeez, I take my girlfriend up to Alpenglow Stube, a fancy restaurant on top of a ski resort mountain. You have to take a chairlift to get to it. It's an annual Valentines Day thing. It costs $300 for two, not including wine.
It is a culinary experience, 5 courses of sheer decadence.
I think I'll pack some tupperware, just in case!
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