Ted Lewitt
Google
I stayed here for 5 days and had an amazing time surfing and exploring the south side of Moorea!
For surfers: Haapiti is a world class reef break over deep water and Mark’s Place rents kayaks that make it easy to get to the break. There is a rock attached to every kayak that works as an anchor, so you can park close to the break and get to surfing. The kayaks also come with wheeled platforms, which makes it so easy to get to the water from his place. It is a 5 minute walk from reception to the waters edge and a 15 minute kayak to the break.
For non surfers: The rooms are spacious and mine came with a nice kitchen and refrigerator, so I made stir fry most nights and breakfast in the mornings! Everyone there is very friendly and happy to help, I went on a muddy hike and asked to get some laundry done, and it was completed within 4 hours and returned folded neatly! There is a store about a 5 minute walk away with lots of selection. You can also rent a bike, which I used to explore Atiha, the town further south. There are great hikes around and Mark can get you a deal on a scooter or car if you want to explore more of the islands.
That is the good, here are my only complaints.
-Ants: There are lots of ants on Moorea, so you need to clean up quickly after making food. This is not only at Marks Place, I have had the same issue at other hotels and airbnbs on the island but good to know.
- Roosters: Like everywhere else in French Polynesia, roosters start crowing at 4am and this makes sleeping in a challenge.
- Mosquitoes: Each room comes with mosquito coils which you can burn to keep them away. Very useful! The windows are also covered with mesh, however there were a few holes in my mesh that were an issue.