7 Things To Do At Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine, French Polynesia

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Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

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1) Just enjoy your bungalow and the view
Hotel Le Mahana near the village of Parea doesn't have over water bungalows, but we stayed in a premium beach bungalow with a small walled garden. The name of our bungalow was Tiare Vanira or Vanilla Flower.The view over the lagoon was spectacular at any time of day, and we could just sit on the deck and read or chat or just step off the deck onto the gorgeous white sand. The shower was indoor/outdoor, so we could just walk through the garden gate into the garden and enter the shower from outside without having to traipse sand through our bungalow. luckily no one ever dropped by to visit while we were showering, as all there was between the inside and outside was a clear glass shower door!

Beach Bungalow at Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

The bungalow shower, looking out, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

The bungalow shower, looking in, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

One of the bungalow front doors, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

Sculpture of coconut shells in the bungalow garden, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

View from the bungalow, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

View from the bungalow, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

View from the beach, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

View from the beach as rains storm approaches, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

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2)Snorkel right from the beach
It was such a treat to be able to walk right into the lagoon to snorkel! I don't like to be out of my depth in sea water, so it suited me just fine. There was a small coral garden just offshore where I could snorkel with ease. The resort provides all the gear, but we brought our own snorkels and masks, using only the fins the resort provided.

Jim ready to snorkel, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

Fish and coral, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

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3)Take a spin in the small glass bottom motor boat
There really was not much to see from the glass at the bottom of the boat as it was just a tiny patch of glass, but it was quite interesting to ride out into the lagoon and see things from another perspective. Jim had never used a motor boat before, but it turned out not to be too difficult for him after he got instructions before we set out. Apart from a little bump into the dock upon our return, he did a grand job!

Glass bottom boat without motor attached, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

Jim getting operation instructions, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

View of the resort from the boat, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

View of the lagoon from the boat, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

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4)Go paddle boarding
I had intended to have a go at paddle boarding just close to shore, but I kept waiting for the water to get a completely calm, which it never really did! The paddle boards were provided at no extra charge.

Paddle boards on the beach, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

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5)Go kayaking
Kayaks were also provided at the resort at no extra charge. We didn't kayak this time, but enjoyed watching those who did! Jim was not too keen on it, and the only single kayak always seemed to be in use when I was ready to take a turn!

Kayaks on the beach by a tree, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

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6)Swim in or laze by the pool
There was no infinity pool at this tiny resort, just a cozy swimming pool tucked away between the garden bungalows. As we had our own deck and beach front to enjoy, we never did spend time at the pool. But I guess for those in the garden bungalows it was a bit more of an interesting prospect. In any case, we have a swimming pool in our community here in Florida, so lazing by a pool is something I can do any day.

Signpost for the swimming pool, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

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7)Enjoy your meals outdoors on the beach
Because it was often so windy during our stay, the outdoors part of the restaurant was sometimes closed. In fact we were scheduled for a beach dinner to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, but instead we enjoyed it in an intimate corner of the restaurant by a window overlooking the beach. I was provided with a beautiful hei (a head garland or crown) of flowers to wear, and we sat in big chairs like thrones! We felt like royalty!
Dining tables on the beach, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

Imagine our surprise a couple of days later though, when one of the staff members led us out to the beach and provided me with yet another flower hei! We got to celebrate our anniversary twice, as well as celebrating it again privately on our actual anniversary! We were also given (as we were every evening) a tiare flower bud each to wear. Wearing it behind the left ear is a sign that the person wearing it is married or otherwise spoken for!
Anniversary dinner on the beach, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

All the meals were gourmet. We ate only breakfast and dinner there, as we were usually somewhere else on the island at lunchtime. Besides, the buffet breakfast provided enough food to keep us going until dinner time! The only thing I didn't like for dinner was the wahoo, but that was not the fault of the chef! I'm not fond of many types of fish anyway, but I do like to try new things in case I might enjoy them! The sauce which came with it, a sweet pepper sauce, was absolutely delicious, so it made the fish more palatable. And the desserts...... !! Enough said!
Wahoo meal, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

Dessert on one evening when I could not choose, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

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Sometimes I just took my camera and macro lens and went for a walk around the property to photograph the flowers. In fact, I was so impressed by all the tropical flowers I encountered in French Polynesia, I will be writing a post dedicated to just the flowers, so be looking out for it!

I coudn't resist this delicately colored hibiscus flower, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

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Staying at Hotel Le Mahana, Huahine then was a great suggestion by our travel agent at _Tahiti Legends-, as the memories we made there are priceless! The friendly agents at Tahiti Legends really know the places they recommend, and Joe (our travel agent) has visited the islands of Tahiti many times. So a big shout-out to Tahiti Legends is in order!

If you would love to visit Huahine, but think you can't afford to stay at a resort there (resort stays are quite pricey) don't worry! You can still do it on a budget! In order to enjoy Huahine, you don't have to stay at one of the four expensive island resorts. There are many pensions (B&Bs) which give good value for your money!

And if you enjoy camping, you could camp at Hiva Plage which is next door to the resort where we stayed. So I can vouch for the location, although I didn't see the camp site. If the camp site is full, I heard that some pensions will also allow you to camp on their property if you contact them and make arrangements! What a great way that would be to experience real Tahitian hospitality!

Signpost to Hiva Plage campsite, Hotel Le Mahana, Parea, Huahine - © Diane Macdonald - All Rights Reserved

There are not too many restaurants on Huahine-Iti (small Huahine) the southern less populated island where Hotel Le Mahana is located, although there is one on the opposite side of the resort which is very popular with the the locals. The main restaurants are on the northern island of Huahine-Nui (big Huahine) near the village of Fare, so there are more pensions around that area to choose from, but Hiva Plage appears to be the only official campsite.

Whatever you can afford though, if it's on your bucket list do it soon! Huahine is still pretty unspoiled and natural, but who knows what changes could come twenty years from now!

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If you have enjoyed reading about our stay at Hotel Le Mahana, Huahine on Huahine, you may want to check out my other posts in this series:

1. French Polynesia – A State Of mind
2. Moorea French Polynesia – First Impressions And The Resort
3. Moorea - French Polynesia – Bali Hai
4. French Polynesia – Next Stop Huahine