On a budget? Find Cheap Hotels in Raiatea, French Polynesia

"Overall, the "Pension Les 3 Cascades" was a good choice for my stay in Raiatea. Patrice, the owner / manager, was extremely helpful in terms of arranging activities, making phone calls to his local contacts. Without him, I would never had been able to organise the bicycle tour or the day-trip on Motu. I highly appreciated him walking the extra mile. The property itself is also very nice!"

"Arsenne and Marie-Claude run a beautiful small hotel in the Opoa area. The hotel is a collection of individual bungalows - with most right on the beach, just a few steps to the Raiatea lagoon. The beach bungalows each have great views of Huahine, the Raiatea lagoon and reef, and a motu on the reef. Located on the windward side of the island, a strong, refreshing and cooling breeze is almost always coming directly into the beach bungalows, which are comfortable and private. Breakfasts and lunches are available in the dining room or on the covered dining patio. Dinners are ordered and delivered to your bungalow exactly at an agreed time. Meals are VERY good - while we were there, local Raiatea residents came to the hotel just for the meals, and we thoroughly enjoyed all of our meals there. Definitely try the fresh fish prepared in the local Opoa vanilla sauce! I also loved the tagliatelle with bacon - rich with flavor and loaded with plenty of bacon. Watch out for their "fruit cocktails avec alcool" (with alcohol) - they are very smooth and tasty, but after a second one, you might be staggering back to your bungalow. I would book a beach bungalow - I would be concerned that the ones inland might not have that refreshing breeze to keep you cool. Also - immediately adjacent to the hotel is one of the most important maraes in French Polynesia - Marae Taputapuatea. This is worth a visit by itself, but if you stay at the hotel, it is only yards from your bungalow. There are several large "temple" and "courtyard" structures of lava/basalt, with good informational signs in Tahitian, French, and English. Arsenne doesn't speak much English, but Marie does well, and we had no trouble with communications. Please note that this is a very French hotel - not what you might expect of a hotel that caters to a lot of Americans. Relax and take it easy and you will have a great time here."