#15 in Top 20 Bora Bora for A Honeymoon · ★★★★
Hotel Maitai Lapita Village Huahine
Thatched garden and lake bungalows on quiet Huahine, the affordable, authentic Society Islands add-on.
Thatched garden and lake bungalows on quiet Huahine, the affordable, authentic Society Islands add-on.
"A laid-back, value-priced bungalow village on quiet Huahine, if you'll trade overwater luxury for authentic, low-key Polynesia."
Hotel Maitai Lapita Village sits on the western shore of Huahine, one of the quietest and least-developed of the Society Islands, built on an ancient site once home to the Lapita, the islands' ancestors. Its 32 thatched bungalows are styled after traditional Polynesian canoe houses and arranged around a manmade freshwater lake strewn with lily pads, with a restaurant, bar and pool facing a white-sand beach and the lagoon beyond. Fare, the island's main village, is a seven-minute walk away and the airport a five-minute drive. The honest caveat matters most here: this is a relaxed, value-priced resort, not an overwater-villa honeymoon, so there are no overwater bungalows and the style is simple rather than five-star. And despite the list name, it is on Huahine, a separate flight from Bora Bora. It is the right pick for couples building a multi-island trip who want an authentic, low-key Polynesian stay to balance a splurge elsewhere.
Ask for a Lake Bungalow over the lily-pad lake for the most atmospheric setting, or a Garden Bungalow with a pool if you would rather have your own plunge pool steps from the beach.
Pair Huahine with a few nights on Bora Bora or Moorea for the contrast, and set aside a day to explore the island's marae, the ancient stone temples that make Huahine one of French Polynesia's richest archaeological sites.
Hotel Maitai Lapita Village sits at #15 within our Top 20 Hotels in Bora Bora for a Honeymoon. It scored an aggregate 9.2/10 across the three editorial criteria, strong on value, character and service, held below the leaders because it is a simple bungalow resort rather than an overwater-villa property. For the overwater honeymoon icons, the contenders below are the closest comparisons on this list.
The lake bungalows and the pool-equipped garden bungalows are the ones to want, and they go first in the dry season. Book several weeks ahead, request your bungalow type by name, and arrange the inter-island flight to Huahine at the same time.
A ranked shortlist, a special offer worth booking, and the overpriced stay to skip. Straight from the editors.