We visited Papette (the capital of Tahiti) in May 2000. We arrived on a Tuesday night after travelling there on Lan Chile from Auckland. It's worth waiting till you get to Papette airport before changing money as the rate there was better than we got in Auckland.
At 11pm on a Tuesday there is NOTHING to do in Papette. The bars & restaurants are closed and the quayside food vans have all gone home.
We found Papette surprisingly busy. The main road around the island runs parallel with the shore and runs past the main shopping/restaurant areas. This road has constant traffic from 8.00am till around 8.00pm so it is worth avoiding hotels on this road as they are a bit noisy.
French Polynesia is (surprise surprise) French. It is well worth learning a bit of French before you visit. You can easily get by in English but you will get better service and a better attitude from waiters & barstaff if you can speak a bit of their language.
One golden rule in Tahiti is NEVER get into a taxi unless you have agreed the fare in advance. If you are booking a taxi by telephone agree the price over the phone. We took a taxi around 300 metres from our hotel to the Moorea ferry and were charged approx 30USD.
One feature of Papette night life is the food vans that congregate around the quayside area opposite the main shopping area. These vans usually have a theme (Chineese, Italian etc) and are a "must visit". One of the enduring memories I have from my trip is sitting on a bench in Papette harbour eating some of the best Italian food I have ever tasted that had just been prepared in the back of a tiny van.
Papette isn't a particularly clean city and I wouldn't recommend anyone to spend their vacation there, there are fantastic places (such as Moorea) only short journey away.
Overall, if you are visiting Tahiti independantly, it is worth booking your first night in Papette. You will then have the whole of the next day to decide where to spend the remainder of tour trip.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
helpful by (50%):
somewhat helpful by (50%):
