Hotel Kia Ora Rangiroa
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Rangiroa, the second largest atoll in the world is about an hour away by air from Tahiti and at the heart of the Tuamotu archipelago. This atoll is known throughout the world for the beauty of its lagoon and its richly abundant underwater flora and fauna.
About 5 minutes from the airport, the Hotel Kia Ora is set on the a beautiful beach on the atoll's northern portion, amid a secluded and vast coconut plantation.It is the only hotel on this island, and in spite of not having any local competition, it has kept high standards at all levels, and is on par with any of the best resorts in French Polynesia. The snorkeling from these bungalows is excellent and only rivaled by the snorkeling at the Pearl Beach in Manihi.
If you are intending to scuba dive, the hotel is ideally located between the 2 lagoon passes. There is a dive operators on the property. Most of the dives are drift dives into the pass, where you may see more fish and sharks that you ever though existed. Very exhilarating!
The property has been recently renovated, with a new lobby, new bungalows and a pool. It has a very pleasant layout and Polynesian decor, with open restaurant and bar overlooking the lagoon.
If you are looking for the ultimate island fantasy, we recommend the Kia Ora Sauvage, an hour away across the lagoon.
The accommodation:All the bungalows ring the lagoon
and are built completely in Polynesian style with precious wood and tasteful decor.
There are:
- 19 Beach Bungalows, all comfortably furnished, with lounge, shower, ceiling fan,
A/C, mini bar/fridge and coffee and tea facilities;
They have now all have been upgraded and also feature a "beach" jacuzzi
on the front deck.
- 3 Beach Prestige bungalows, with bedroom on the first floor, Jacuzzi, with lounge, shower, ceiling fan, A/C, mini bar/fridge and coffee and tea facilities.
- 10 Prestige Overwater bungalows with private terrace, a lounge and separate bedroom, shower, refrigerator, A/C and ceiling fan, coffee and tea facilities, safety box. They feature a glass coffee table where the lagoon becomes your private aquarium.
- 5 Garden Suites with separate bedroom, A/C, bathroom with shower lounge, refrigerator and terrace- 23 garden bungalows with refrigerator, A/C, shower and terrace.
The enticing restaurant, also built in Polynesian style, borders the pool and the lagoon. There are French, international and Polynesian specialties on the menu - Worth noting: the food at Kia Ora is excellent and so is the service.
The bar on stilts sits over the lagoon with a large terrace where you can enjoy the dazzling sunsets.
In-hotel services: foreign exchange desk, safe deposit boxes, TV room, boutique and shops selling local handicrafts and pearls.
The Activities
Complimentary activities:
visits to the village of Tiputa, visits of motus (the tiny uninhabited islets), bicycles,
snorkeling (masks, fins and snorkels), volley ball, petanque and social games.
Discovery of Polynesian traditions which include demonstrations of pareo wearing,
exhibitions of Tahitian dances and musical evenings.
Available at additional cost:
All-day picnics at the Blue Lagoon, the reef island or at Pink Sands; Deep-sea fishing;
Boat rentals; sunset cocktail cruises; glass-bottom boats; and shark feeding; a visit
to a black pearl farm.
Scuba diving, as well as PADI instruction.
Meals Rates (P.P.)
Tax, Service & Tip Included
Meal Plan (Brkfst./Dinner) $122
American Breakfast: $28
High Season: none
1 Child under 12 free when sharing room with parents
Children under 12, 50% of meal plans
Published Room Rates: $500 to $980 per night for 2 people.
When you book through TahitiTravel,
you always pay less than the published rate
(by TahitiTravel clients)
Rangiroa - Great! Stayed at
the Kia Ora. The staff was wonderful and the food was excellent (and a lot
cheaper than BB). Stayed in an overwater (#45). Snorkeling from the bungalow was
great. Never left the resort. Met a lot of nice people. The shark feeding frenzy
after dusk off the boat dock was fun to watch.
J.KIA ORA, RANGIROA: We
preferred Rangi to Bora Bora! This resort was a real Polynesian treat. Within one
day, the staff knew us by name! The lagoon is huge with no central island, so you
see only water, with ALL the same gorgeous colors as Bora Bora. The overwater bar
is friendly and cozy, tropically furnished, with glass floors and a roomy wooden
deck from which to watch the sunsets. At 6:00, the ukulele band begins to play. The
beach at the Village, unfortunately, is very narrow and uneven - not good for sunbathing
unless you're in a beach bungalow, which has a deck with chairs. There is a wooden
sunbathing deck.
The OW's are to die for! They have huge beautiful decks with comfortable teak lounge
chairs. You'll get the sun for at least half the day (many people prefer the shade!).
They are very roomy, with a sitting room, sliding doors into the bedroom, and a spacious
and beautiful bathroom with palm plants and an open shower (water pressure not so
good though). Snorkeling beneath the OW is FAR superior to Le Meridien because there
are corals. There is a more rustic feel to this hotel, and it isn't perfectly kept
up (little things like the towel racks being loose), but we didn't mind this because
we liked the atmosphere of the place. If you leave your doors and windows open at
night it can get noisy with dogs barking and cocks crowing. Bungalows #40 - 44 face
the bar and boat dock across a large expanse of water, and they get sun all afternoon
and the gorgeous sunset view. #45-47 face out to the lagoon and get some sun most
of the day, 45 & 46 will get partial sunsets. #48-49 have lagoon/motu views,
sun in the morning, and face the lovely sunrise. You can't go wrong!
ACTIVITIES: Glass Bottom Boat 2500cfp; Day trip to Blue Lagoon 9900; Day trip to
Pink Sands 11,900; Drift snorkeling in the pass 4200; Dolphin Watch 4200.
FOOD: We didn't buy the meal plan, which costs 7200 cfp per person per day. Dinner
appetizers ran 1200-2000, main course was 2500-2900. In the bar you can buy cheap,
large sandwiches which are quite big enough for 2 for lunch. Breakfast was about
1800 for continental. On Wed. and Sun. there is a barbecue and a Polynesian show.
Mary Wells
I got back yesterday from a visit
to Moorea and Rangiroa - man, it's tough to be home! I thought I'd weigh in with
my thoughts about the bungalows at Kia Ora Village. My husband and I stayed in a
garden bungalow, so I can't really speak to how the interiors of the beach and over-water
units compare. But we're already talking about our next trip there (loved it that
much!), and have decided that we would get either a garden bungalow or an over-water,
but NOT a beach unit.
We spent much of our time lolling on the beach, hanging out at the bar, snorkeling,
diving (see below), going to the Blue Lagoon. For that reason, we really
didn't miss having a bungalow right on the beach. The beach bungalows do have hot
tubs on their decks, which the garden units lack. Frankly, though, I thought the
decks were a bit exposed (to anyone on the beach); I guess I like the idea of a hot
tub that offers a bit more privacy. We loved the look of the overwater bungalows,
though! Very nicely done, and I think well worth the upgrade.
We dove with the operation that's right on the Kia Ora property, Blue Dolphins. What
can I say, but "WOW!" The shop is well run, by personable folks. They are
French, but I felt comfortable despite not being a fluent speaker. They run 2 regular
dives a day, with "re-adjustment" dives (for those divers like myself who
haven't dived in a year or more) offered after the morning dive. I think most of
the shops (of which there are only a few) run on this type of schedule.
The diving is phenomenal! We were there for less time than anticipated, but still
managed to get in 3 dives, all of which were amazing. Sharks galore, of course, including
a hammerhead!! A couple of beautiful eagle rays, Napoleon wrasse, big morays. The
best came in the last 15 minutes of the last dive. Our divemaster took us out into
blue water, where we spent some time swimming along, looking for something (we didn't
know what). Then I spotted a dolphin, up at the surface, the first wild dolphin I've
seen diving. I thought that'd be it, that the experience would be just that fleeting,
but all of a sudden, there were 4 dolphins surrounding us, playing with us, squeaking
and whistling all the while! It was like a dream, as we swam with them for 10 minutes.
But it wasn't a dream- I replayed it at home last night on the videotape captured
by one of the Blue Dolphins divers! Of course it couldn't match the real experience,
but what a souvenir it was!
The last day of our trip, we fully decompressed by not diving, and going to the Blue
Lagoon instead. This trip runs from about 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It takes over an hour
by boat to get out there; those who tend to motion sickness should be forewarned
that sometimes the lagoon gets rough. It's a trip well worth it, though! It's an
amazing place. At first I was a little disappointed that the snorkeling wasn't all
that great- little coral and few fish. Other than all the baby sharks that is! I
became more and more fascinated by their black-tipped fins cruising the lagoon- it's
really something. And the water- it's rather amazingly warm, even hot in places.
Perfect for just wallowing in.
KarinRangiroa's Kia Ora Village
was a bit of a let-down at first after The Meridien - the bungalows seem older and
dark by comparison and the resort doesn't have the views, beach, or toys (canoes,
windsurfers, jet skis, etc.).
Our opinion changed 100% after our first dive. We had the best dives of our lives
through the Blue Dolphin Dive Center located right at the resort. The drift dive
is not to be missed. The abundance of sea life was amazing - diving with dozens of
black-tip reef sharks, 12' manta rays, and schools of barracuda was intense.
The food at Kia Ora Village was fantastic - comparable to any top-end restaurant
in San Francisco (still a little expensive - but well worth it). We will definitely
go back.
Mark
...Rangiroa was outstanding. We liked the o/w bungalows at the Kia Ora Village the best.
Lots of windows to open up to enjoy the breeze and views. Nicely decorated. Clean.
Staff was very good. The resort is small enough to get to know some of them...If
I had it to do over, we would have stayed at the Kia Ora a day or two longer. This
was our favorite island. Do the "Blue Lagoon" day trip, wow! A meal plan
makes sense here since there practically no restaurants. This island is remote. It's
a great place to do the motor scooters since there are very few cars. You will also
want to go to the "Aquarium" for snorkeling. It gets its name from all
the fish that are there.
K.H.
....Stayed at Kia Ora Village. Staff was very nice. There is only little
choice in accommodation on the atoll. I believe Kia Ora is the only
major resort. There are pensions and smaller places but I couldn't contact
them easily or know what to expect so we went with the Kia Ora.
You're on a small strip of land with the airport on it. Airport isn't a problem
due to very low flight volume.
Land:
Not very much to do at all on island itself. Quite small and flat. Small
town is bicycle distance away, with a few roadside snack bars. Very few. Roadside
black pearl stands for pearl farms. We got our best deal there for a beautiful
pearl. Open ocean side beach is walking distance and hearing distance away.
Can ride a short distance down to the pass and look out and see big ocean
waves and rush through pass. Pass looks quite foreboding from land with swirling
water and waves.
Dining:
No real choice except hotel. VERY few restaurants. Meal plan a must and
reasonable. Good food at restaurant. Meal plan gives you drink and 2-3
course meal. Breakfast is Tahiti/Europe buffet style. Fruit, yogurt,
bread, juice, etc. Bacon and eggs available. Bacon and most meat is undercooked
as we found common in Tahiti. I think they're used to cooking fish quickly.
Dinner was good with different fish every night. Sometimes a Polynesian
band during dinner with buffet food. Good quality food.
Diving:
Incredible. I am a novice but it was fantastic. Water clarity great.
LARGE fish, etc. Lots of sharks. No problem with them. They
drift dive through the pass. Pass moves very fast. Snorkel trip in glass
bottom boat was great. $25 a person. Then shot the pass snorkeling. Entered
water with trepidation but incredible once we were there. Wasn't scared to
jump in once the boat driver did. :-) In a couple minutes went from pass
to far into lagoon interior. Glass bottom boat was real cool cause you could
see where you were going. Then you could join them.
Weather was fantastic with incredible sunsets and views of lagoon with no other life
visible besides some sailboats.
Activities:
Blue Lagoon trip was great. Lagoon itself has little fish but is interesting
and has lots of little sharks in shallow areas. All these little shark fins
in ankle deep water. No problem with them. Excellent fresh fish barbeque.
Shark feed afterwards. Hundreds, literally hundreds of sharks. A
swirling mass 3 feet away. Excellent snorkeling and life. Boat trip back
was not nice in afternoon due to headwind driving waves.
Very quiet place. No nightlife. Snorkeling off bungalow was great with
lots of coral heads. Moray living behind the next bungalow over. Fish
immediately surround you on entering water. Snorkeled next to eagle ray rooting
in ocean floor underneath our bungalow. He didn't mind. Beautiful creatures.
I'd go back in a heartbeat.
Jay
