Summary:
Fare Taina, a 35 m² fare for four steps from the lagoon at Haapiti, Moorea. Twin of Fare Tiare, next door. Free breakfast, kayaks, check-in from midday.
A bedroom you sleep in and a living room you do not, which is rare at this size: queen bed, sofa bed for two more, your own kitchen, and a bay window on the water.
Fare Oaoa Haapiti is a small beachfront pension of six fare at PK 23,9 in Haapiti, on the quiet west coast of Moorea, 25 minutes from the Vaiare ferry port and 30 from the airport. Breakfast and kayaks are included for every guest, and the pool and the beachfront jacuzzi are open to all six.
The Space:
The calmest of the three four-person fare. The bedroom holds a queen bed on a memory-foam mattress; the living room next to it has a sofa bed that opens for two more, so a couple can have a room to sleep in and a room to sit in rather than one room doing both. A large bay window frames the lagoon.
The kitchen is fully equipped: gas hob and extractor, microwave, coffee maker, rice cooker, blender. The bathroom has a walk-in shower. Air conditioning throughout, and mosquito screens on the windows.
Outside, a wooden deck with a table, and then the sand.
The evening is what this fare is for. The jacuzzi sits on the beach a short walk away, heated and open to guests, and the sun goes down over the water in front of it. Eight sun loungers are set out along the beach, and the light on the reef at that hour is the reason people come back.
Fare Taina and Fare Tiare are identical and adjacent. Booked together they sleep eight across two separate fare.
Guest Access:
Yours alone: the fare, its bedroom and living room, the kitchen, the bathroom and your own deck.
Shared with the five other fare: the beachfront jacuzzi, the pool, the outdoor kitchen, the garden, the beach and its sun loungers, the washing machine, and parking inside the property. Kayaks are free to use once we have shown you how.
Check-in from 12:00, check-out by 10:00.
The Neighborhood:
The grocery store is directly across the road and opens early. A smoothie stand and a pizza truck are two minutes away, and the pizza truck delivers. Every fare has its own kitchen, so cooking is easy if that is the evening you want. Kathy also cooks: Tahitian home cooking, ordered by 4pm, served at a table on the sand or brought to your fare. And there are very good restaurants a short drive away, fifteen minutes north at Hauru, which we will book for you and tell you how to find.
Straight in front of the property, the Haapiti pass breaks all year and draws surfers from across the world. Dolphins are usually out in the lagoon in the morning. Tiahura beach is about fifteen minutes away by car, and humpback whales pass between August and October.
Getting Around:
Rent a car. It is the honest answer for Moorea: the beaches, the restaurants and the viewpoints are spread right around the island, and there is free parking for you inside the property. Rental desks are at the airport and beside the ferry terminal. A scooter costs less and works well if you are travelling light.
If you would rather not drive, a tour operator can plan each day and collect you here. Tell us and we will put you in touch. We do not recommend relying on the local bus: it runs, but not to a timetable you can build a day around.
We are about 25 minutes from the Vaiare ferry port and 30 minutes from Moorea airport. If you land in Tahiti after the last ferry you will need a night in Papeete before crossing, and we are happy to recommend somewhere.
Other Things to Note:
Shoes come off at the door. Smoking is outdoors only. If you are planning a wedding or a celebration, talk to us first and we will help you organise it; please do not book for an event without arranging it with us in advance.
We live surrounded by nature, so you will meet some of it. One island dog lives here with us. Roosters and chickens are not ours and do not live on the property, though you will hear them now and then, as you will anywhere on Moorea. The lizard is a sacred symbol of the island, and is what its name means, so we watch them rather than chase them away. Being close to the forest, an insect finds its way in from time to time despite regular treatment. Please do not feed the animals.
Interaction with Guests:
We run the property ourselves, so there is always someone to ask. Breakfast in the morning, a briefing before you take a kayak out, a restaurant table booked, a tour or a taxi arranged, the ferry sorted.
Beyond that we stay out of your way. If you would like to talk on the terrace in the evening we are glad to, and if you would rather not see anyone, that is just as easy.