Saricie_Q
Google
In my two months' travel in South Pacific, I stayed in at least a dozen different accommodations. Most are good (I did read reviews carefully before I made booking) but this is the only place give me a feeling like "home away from home," even I was only there for 3 nights.||||It is a small guesthouse and family-owned. Aside from one luxurious resort at the western end of Taiohae, all accommodation on Nuku Hiva are small guesthouses. Most are not listed on online booking websites. Have Mai are also not listed on booking.com (yet) and just started to cooperate and list on agoda.com. Actually, the owner told me that I was the first of their guest booking through agoda :)||||Location:||It is at the eastern part of Taiohae. It is near a small harbor, on the hill (yes, you do need to walk uphills a bit from the main road, along the waterfront). Just next to the harbor, there is a craft market and a small restaurant, which opens for both lunch and dinner. It is also near supermarkets and some government offices, including post office.||||Facilities:||The room is actually quite basic. There is no TV and the bedsheets are thin. However, they do have air-condition and all rooms on 2nd floor do have a small balcony. All rooms (I think there are only 8 or 10 rooms) face Taiohae Bay, which is really beautiful, on both sunny and rainy days.||||The breakfast is included and usually is only served between 7am and 8am. You sit with other guests in a huge rectangular table at the terrace on ground floor. Usually there are fresh tropical fruits, like papaya, mangoes, guavas, and banana. The main course changes, sometimes it is pancake and sometimes it is crepes. I think breakfast is especially a good time to meet other guests and exchange what to see and do in French Polynesia. Most guests here are from metropolitan France (or other parts of French Polynesia), so it is good chance to practice and polish your French!||||They do offer free Wi Fi here at Mave Mai, though it generally is only available in public area, mainly at the ground floor terrace. The speed is okay but not super-fast (so it is better not watching YouTube videos here). I tried to make Skype phone calls and it was all right.||||However, I think the best asset of this place is the husband and wife owners - Jean-Claude and Regina! They treat you just like a guest, not just a customer. Though both say their English is not that good, they actually speak English quite fluently (Of course, they do speak French, Tahitian, and Marquesan fluently). Both of them take turns picking up guests at the Airport. Jean-Claude also takes guests to do excursion around the island of Nuku Hiva. I found both of them well traveled and enjoyed sharing tip about traveling in Europe, Japan and Canada! ||||Excursion and Airport Pick-up:||Airport pickup is 4000 Pacific Francs per person. Though it seems not cheap, it is comparable to taxi fare on the island. The Airport is on the opposite side of the island and it takes about one hour to travel from the guesthouse to the Airport. On my trip from the Airport, Regina even made quite a few stops to take pictures at different viewing points. The road trip between the Airport and the town of Taiohae is a unique experience into itself.||||The excursion that Jean-Claude offers is about 5000 Pacific Francs (We have 3 people). It is all day trip that we visited northeastern side and eastern coast of Nuku Hiva. We also visited several impressive archaeological sites. Jean-Claude even took us on a trail to a view point for majestic Anaho Bay.||||Overall, it is a very memorable stay for me. I really wish that I have had chosen to stay here for at least 5 days and did more excursion offered by Jean-Claude. Anyway, I do hope I will have a return visit, someday!