Review: Hilton Diamond Upgrades and Benefits at Hilton Hotel Tahiti Resort in French Polynesia

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I saw this kind of question a lot, and the good news is YES, there’s a newly renovated Hilton Hotel Tahiti Resort in French Polynesia. 

While there are no picturesque overwater bungalow rooms, the Hilton Hotel Tahiti Resort has gone through major renovations and looks beautiful. 

The Hilton Tahiti Resort was closed and has gone through major renovations and finally reopened and started accepting reservations in November 2021. Everything there felt so new and refreshed, and it’s arguably one of the best hotels and resorts in Tahiti. 

A little bit of the property’s background. The Hilton Tahiti Resort owner is the same Chinese guy that owns the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa. Nearby the Hilton Tahiti Resort, he also developed an indoor covered plaza mall that connects to the Hilton Tahiti property via a sky bridge. 

Hilton Hotel Tahiti is located between the Faa’a International Airport (PPT) and the waterfront, where you take the ferry from Papeete to Moorea. However, it’s not within walking distance, and it takes roughly 30 minutes to walk from the property to the waterfront promenade. 

There are also a few shops, a grocery store, a pharmacy, and dining venues in the indoor covered plaza mall accessible via the sky bridge from the Hilton property. So if you do not want to eat and drink at the property, you can always go there. 

I redeemed the Hilton Free Weekend Night Reward for the standard award room type, the Garden Guestroom. However, because of my Hilton Honors Diamond Elite status, the room was upgraded to the Ocean View Room with a balcony, free of charge. There’s a minor issue about the balcony, though. See below. 

Don’t get me wrong. I truly appreciated the Diamond upgrade to the Ocean View room with a balcony from the standard garden view room. There’s a slight discontent that I had was the balcony is actually not see-through, but rather a cement-built balcony. So when seated, it’s impossible to enjoy the water view. Therefore, I suggest that if you receive an upgrade to an ocean view room, keep that in mind and request a see-through balcony. The view, though, is incredible and to die for. 

The guestroom itself is beautiful. Everything there smelled new and refreshed, and the boutique-style decoration was simply wonderful. 

The king-size bed is huge, more like a California King. Pillows and sheets are soft and comfortable for a restful night’s sleep. Overall, I am impressed with the Hilton Tahiti Resort room. 

It’s worth noting that the Hilton Hotel Tahiti does not have overwater bungalow room types. Therefore, don’t expect any elite upgrades to that type of room because there are none. 🙂 

Most of the rooms face panoramic ocean views and the resort’s pool. The only semi-overwater is the restaurant there. More below. 

Welcome Drinks

We were offered complimentary juice drinks and cold towels upon arrival at the Hilton Hotel Tahiti. 

Hilton Hotel Tahiti Resort does not have an executive lounge for Hilton Honors Diamond members. However, they have a Transit Lounge. 

A transit lounge is available at the Hilton Hotel Tahiti Resort. The lounge features seats and a view of the swimming pool and ocean. Here is a picture of what the inside looks like in the Transit Lounge. 

The receptionist at the check-in also provided us a voucher worth 2,000 XPF (~$20) for food and drinks at the onsite bars and restaurant for being a Hilton Honors Diamond elite member. 

To our surprise, when we redeemed the voucher at the swim-up bar, the bartender told us that the $20 voucher was available for each person. There were two of us, so that’s like getting $40 food and beverage credits. 

Moevai Semi-Overwater Restaurant

Hilton Honors Diamond elite members receive complimentary breakfast plus 1 guest every morning. The breakfast is served buffet-style at the onsite restaurant Moevai, a semi-overwater restaurant that offers amazing views of the South Pacific ocean. 

The breakfast buffet for Diamond members is abundant! There are lots of items to choose from that range from Tahitian, Asian, and European to American breakfast options, including coffee, juices, and non-alcoholic beverages. You don’t have to pay extra to get hot items like the Hilton Moorea breakfast for Diamond members. 

Hilton Hotel Tahiti Restaurants

These are the onsite restaurants available at Hilton Hotel Tahiti Resort. 

• Heiva Lounge Bar is located at the heart of the hotel. 
• Moevai, an all-day restaurant. 
• Taitea Brasserie, a fish and steakhouse located near the pool. 
• Vaipuna Pool Bar, a poolside bar and lounge services. 
• Direct Link to Hilton Hotel Tahiti Restaurants

As I mentioned above, a sky bridge connects Hilton Hotel Tahiti to an indoor plaza mall with a few shops and restaurants. The mall is developed by the same person who owns the Hilton Hotel Tahiti. So if you want to try something different from the resort food, it’s an easy walk to the plaza mall via the sky bridge from the property. 

While the Hilton Hotel Tahiti is a waterfront property, it does not have a beach. The property is on a small cliff, and a pier area leads to the ocean. You can swim in the ocean, but the water can be rough. I recommend you enjoy the property’s large swimming pool and swim-up bar instead.

Hilton Tahiti Resort features the largest swimming pool on the island of Tahiti. It’s beautifully designed with tiles and comes with a nice swim-up bar. The pool is gigantic and one of the best-used areas on the property. The pool is nice to swim in because it’s shallow and is heated from the sunny Tahiti island throughout the day. 

More Ocean View

Poolside Cabanas

Internet/Wi-Fi

Complimentary Internet/Wi-Fi is available to all guests. 

Late check-out is available upon request and availability. We had to leave early for flights home, so we did not request the late check-out. The benefit, however, is available for Hilton Honors Diamond elite members. 

The Hilton Hotel Tahiti is close to the Faa’a International Airport (PPT). I recommend that you arrange any airport transportation after you arrive at the property. When I was trying to pre-arrange the transportation to the airport directly with the Hilton, they quoted me a hefty private transfer price and told me there were no other options that were not private even though there were only two of us. They quoted me 7,800 XPF (~$78) one-way for up to 4 people. No thanks! 

• If you are going to the property from the ferry terminal or the airport, simply grab a nearby taxi. 
• It’s not that expensive because the Hilton property is not far from the airport or the ferry dock. It costs us around $15-$20, depending on the day’s traffic to the resort. 
• Arrange airport transfer to the airport with the property after you arrive or 1 day before your departure date. 
• Stop by the concierge desk and ask them to arrange a taxi pick up for you to go to the airport. You’ll pay directly to the driver using the taxi meter. The cost again is approximately $15-$20. Our flight left early AM, it cost us $14, and we paid with US dollars and gave the driver $20 for the taxi fare and tips. 

Hilton Tahiti Resort Email Address & Contact

How to Stay at Hilton Hotel Tahiti Free

Sunset by the Pool