Tetamanu Village

I read reviews before I booked Tetamanu Village for my husband and I so I new what to expect. The 1 1/2 hour boat ride to the Resort was pretty rough. It was dark no lights that I saw guiding us. The water was pretty rough with a lot of rocking due to high waves. I actually was a little nervous and relaxed at the same time. Dinner was waiting for us on our arrival and direction about our stay was given. Many reviews I read stated no toilet seat in their bungaloo (we didn't have one) torn mosquito nets (true). My rags at home were better than the towels that we received. I knew this going in so I was ok with all of this. We loved it here. Loved sleeping at night with the fresh air blowing through the windows and front door. The food was plentiful and very good. Drinks were beer, punch and wine if you wanted alcohol. Not much of a variety and not always available. Again this is not a Resort that people are waiting on you and trying to please you at all times. You are not always greeted with a big smile but as long as you are respectful and don't expect a lot you will be pleased with your accommodations. The fish, the views, diving and snorkeling are so wonderful. I loved the black tip sharks and couldn't wait to see them as much as I could. The variety of and amount of fish you see as you snorkel just off of the decks of your room and especially the docks where you eat are amazing. We stayed four nights. Two of which we met pretty amazing people from different areas of the world. The next two nights we were the only guests (we were called the the VIP guest of these two days). We visited the pink sand beach a few times. I didn't see much pink but the area was beautiful and took many pictures. Sylvie spent a lot of time with both my husband and I. She explained detailed information on Tahiti, diving and her background. She took a lot of time getting my husband certified for diving and explained all we needed to know for safe diving. She was always pleasant and helpful and went out of her way to help us with anything we needed. She made this visit even more special. We were very happy with our stay and would love to return one day. Recommendations would be to have a toilet seat, no holes in the mosquito net and a little nicer towels.

Location perfect, you do not only feel at the end of the world, you really are. The boat transfers, airport pick up etc were perfect, we were well welcomed. Our bungalow was in the Village, on a small motu, beautiful, Yes, all the bungalows are basic, there is no warm water in the shower, during the night if it rains it might drop a bit on you, but all this experience is authentic. Due to their location and not much competition, prices are quite high.. The foods is good but almost every evening the same choice in the buffet and still don't expect much abundancy, it might be that some courses are over fast and never replenished. Alcohol, juices, sweets, fruits I would have even purchased more, but unfortunately they did not have good supplies at the time. We are not divers and did not dive just snorkeled in front of the bungalows, from the village village beach till after the restaurant.. and on repeat for 5/6 days.. its just breathtaking, the fishes, the shards and I hope the octopus I met there on the way to the restaurant.. is still around, maybe someone can reply me? :) recommend to go ore than once to the pink sand beach, is just soooo more than perfect, ideal Polynesian paradise. I hope that all the corals will look similar in the waters of other Polynesian islands Mako was the dog that kept us much company during our stay, belonging to someone in the village..

OK, so I must admit that I had so much hesitancy staying here due to the recent reviews that I asked Top Dive (unaffiliated and their competitor dive company) and they were actually shocked to hear any negative reviews. Done. So we went and we are SO HAPPY we did! Tetamanu Village was our favorite experience (and we dived 5 islands on our honeymoon and stayed in some 5 star resorts). There were absolutely no problems whatsoever and the management felt like family! We were the only guests who were non-native French speakers and had no difficulty making friends and feeling like a part of the Tetamanu family. This place is such a gem that we even met non-divers there who were referred by other non-divers! Jaw drop! This location is listed as one of the top 10 dive spots in THE WORLD. Yes. And we sent a girl we met in Bora Bora over who doesn't dive! It really was that good... We stayed for three nights in an ocean view bungalow with a direct view of the Pass. We were picked up at the airport and drove south as far as the road could take you (?15-20 minutes) then boarded a 1.5 hour boat ride to ultimately arrive in the charming and very remote village of Tetamanu. We literally felt like we were on the edge of the Earth. Exhilarating! Our bungalow was rustic but reasonable; certainly not uncomfortable by any means. We slept well and without complaint. We did not expect hot water but most of the time it wasn't even needed. We didn't expect wifi either but they had it, and I even had good signal in our bungalow!?!!?! But if I had to do it over again, I would have never asked for wifi just so I could feel as off the grid as we were! The food was good, plentiful and we never felt like we needed to be aggressive AT ALL despite being "busy" per staff. There were plenty of leftovers after every meal and tons of variety (even for vegetarians). You will not go hungry (or unhappy). The reef below our bungalow was spectacular- we feel like "unofficial" fish behavioral science experts now! It's fascinating to watch all the wildlife interact...and sunset is the main event! Not only do you have spectacular sunsets, the entertainment is in the water! Tons of fish and insane biodiversity- just below your feet... You will not be bored if you spend all your time on your balcony! Most people who stay here dive with Tetamanu; which is as safe as any (just to negate previous reviews). Scientists come here from all over the world and dive with Tetamanu (they were there when we were) so that should dispel that rumor. In fact, we were the ONLY ones diving with Top Dive. We were on a 10 dive pass otherwise we would have dived with Tetamanu. You like sharks? You can't miss them, above or below the water...they're everywhere! We not only feel fortunate for getting to experience Tetamanu Village, we are honored to have had the opportunity. Our trip to French Polynesia would not have been the same without our memories here and for that we would recommend this once in