Updated: August 20, 2018
Maison D’Hôtes Tutehau – The best budget-priced option in the city, but inconvenient.
For anyone wishing to avoid impersonal and overpriced hotels, this is the finest of the many family-run homestays around the capital. The heavy security gates (an indication of the insalubrious neighbourhood) open to an enchanting garden of palms and chairs. The affable hostess provides a handful of rooms clustered around the communal kitchen, dining room and lounge area. 2 rooms have shared bathrooms, which are clean, spacious and modern, while a couple feature private facilities as impressive as a 3-star hotel double the price. But it is inconvenient: about 1.5km from downtown via a suburban area that could become unsavoury at night (so take a bus or taxi after dark). Otherwise, value is guaranteed and the vibe is very agreeable.
Maison D’Hôtes Tutehau – The Basics
- Location: 186 Avenue du Chef Vaira’atoa in the Fari’ipiti suburb of Pape’ete, the Tahitian capital. About 1km from the ferry terminal for services to Moorea; 1.5km from downtown; and 8km from the airport.
- Guests: Ideal for anyone travelling on a budget and wishing to avoid overpriced hotels.
- Beach: No beach in downtown Pape’ete. The nearest is at Pīra’e, another suburb about 2km away. Ask reception about local buses, or organise a taxi (unmetered).
- Views: The cheaper rooms look straight into a wall, while the better ones feature views of the garden.
- Wi-Fi Internet: Free for all guests throughout the rooms and grounds.
- Parking: Enough free parking spots in a secured area behind the gates.
- Nice perks: Free rental of bicycles.
- Phone: (689) 40 82 65 56
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.faredhotestutehau.com/
- How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates. Use the website specific to your language, currency, and home-country for easiest use: UK • USA • Français • Deutsch • Nederlands.
Maison D’Hôtes Tutehau – Amenities
- Pool, Spa & Fitness Center: Not expected or provided at this type of budget-priced lodge.
- Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Not expected or provided.
Maison D’Hôtes Tutehau – Food and Drink
- Restaurant & Bar: A budget-priced lodge like this will not have a restaurant or bar.
- Breakfast: Unusually, breakfast is included in all rates. A communal kitchen is also available for guests.
- Room Service: Not expected or provided.
Maison D’Hôtes Tutehau – Rooms
- Room Types: 1 Double Room with private bathroom; 2 Double Rooms with shared facilities; and 1 Family Room for up to 5 people, with a private bathroom. Using the air-conditioning (rather than just the ceiling fan) costs extra.
- Smoking Rooms: Not permitted in the rooms, but guests can smoke away in the gardens.
- Best Room: The Family Room is the best position: spacious, lovingly decorated and a little distant from the shared bathroom and lounge area.
Maison D’Hôtes Tutehau – What’s Nearby?
Restaurants & Bars
A poor choice because of its suburban location, but from about 5pm every afternoon a few roulottes (food carts) are set up in nearby streets.
- Henriette Molinaro (40 42 36 56) – patisserie and bistro with fine-dining almost next to the lodge. 1-minute walk.
- Le Jasmin (40 82 42 42) – authentic and casual Chinese café. On a corner about 600m down the road. 8-minute walk.
- Tahiti Nui hotel – home to Le Velvet Restaurant, for fine-dining, silver service and French cuisine; and the Chocco Latte Lounge Bar, for imported beers and unique cocktails. On Avenue du Prince Hīnoi, about 850m towards the esplanade. 11-minute walk.
- Les 3 Brasseurs – microbrewery, street-side seating and pub-style meals. Very popular for sports on TV, tapas, burgers and pizzas. On other side of the roundabout from the Bora Bora. 3-minute drive.
- Bora Bora Lounge (40 45 03 00) – at the start of a delightful alley of Parisienne-style bistros and bars almost opposite the ferry terminal, about 1.2km away. Happy hours, daily specials and pleasingly affordable considering the perfect setting. 4-minute drive.
- Le Rétro (40 42 86 83) – likeable bistro midway along the esplanade, 1.5km from the lodge. Very French and très popular for coffee, shakes and light meals. Ideal for people-watching, and live music late into the night. 4-minute drive.
- Market or Grocery: 2 huge supermarkets are along Avenue du Prince Hīnoi, 1 block south of the lodge.
Local Transport
Ask the amiable hostess about buses to downtown. Don’t walk along the suburban streets near the lodge at night. Take a taxi or perhaps, try a rented bicycle from the lodge.
Maison D’Hôtes Tutehau – The Hotel
The lodge is hard to find, almost hidden behind secure gates in a suburban street of Pape’ete.
It’s along a quietish road that leads to the esplanade through an area that could become unsavoury at night.
The lovely gardens at the lodge are packed with palms and chairs, and guests can also use the barbeque area.
The gardens are immaculately maintained, with plenty of shade.
The communal lounge area is a congenial place to meet other guests.
The colourful lounge area is filled with contemporary local arts and crafts.
Attached to the lounge area is a dining room where guests can eat food cooked in the communal kitchen.
Each of the four rooms is different in layout and facilities, but all are colourful and spacious.
Even the private bathroom attached to two of the rooms feature colourful local art.
The private bathrooms are as nice as anything expected in a three-star resort.
Two rooms share a bathroom, which is spacious and spotless.
The more basic rooms with a shared bathroom are also comfortable, colorful and spacious.
The general area around the hotel is residential, but there are rows of shops within 100m.
Unmissable, and almost next to the lodge, Henriette Molinaro is a patisserie that also offers fine-dining.
One of the best places for people-watching and affordable meals is Bora Bora Lounge, along the esplanade about 1.2km from the lodge.
At the Tahiti Nui hotel, on Avenue du Prince Hīnoi about 850m towards the esplanade, Le Velvet Restaurant is classy.
Le Rétro is a likeable street-side bistro along the esplanade, about 1.5km away.
The streets just off the esplanade in downtown are packed with shops.
A shady pathway offering harbour views starts from the ferry terminal, about 1km from the lodge, and extends south through the city centre.
Much of the coastline through the centre of Pape’ete is lined with boats and marinas.
The city centre is dotted with shady gardens.
One must-see is the massive daily market in downtown, which sells an extraordinary range of fresh produce, food and souvenirs.
One of several attractive colonial-era buildings in the city centre is the Notre-Dame Cathedral.
One attraction of staying at the hotel is the proximity (about 1km) to the ferry terminal for services to Moorea Island.
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