Tetamanu Village

We had a great time at Tetamanu Village. The staff was really good, accommodating and friendly. It good to be aware this is island is in the middle of nowhere and to expect resort like luxury one will be disappointed. The island is idyllic the accommodation was basic but clean and we noticed they are updating the accommodation. Stay at the Sauvage its beautiful quiet and extremely windy, Bungalow 6 has a beautiful panaroma. We did two dives and Miti was great in guiding us through the dives. The dive sites splendid, we saw over 200 grey reef sharks.

Loved everything about this place, the people that live and work there are amazing and make you feel like at home. The views are fantastic, and the diving is amazing. Thank you everyone in the village that made me feel at home.- Octavio lopez

Fantastic place in an ideal location! Tetamanu village offers a peaceful escape from the chaos of the world! Set on a remote motu on the atoll of Fakarava, this place is pure gold! The staff is very friendly, the diving is world class, and the property is so charming! The bungalows are spacious and comfortable, the food was good, and the atmosphere was 10/10. Sure, the beds and showers could use some updating, but no one markets this place as a five star resort. I would highly recommend a stay here.

South of Fakarava is a jewel of nature, but it's a shame to have Tetamanu village here, 400USD per night for a very basic bungalow without hot water, door lock and door for toilet. We paid for 2 nights, but overall we only stay for one morning and one afternoon, as they are so petty and stingy, they only do one transfer per day, which means if you have flight in the morning, you might need to wait until afternoon for the pickup to the south, or if your flight leaves at 3pm, you might be asked to get up at 5am to take the 7am transfer and stuck in the airport with your huge suitcases without knowing what to do. For our case, I sent email and called to inform them about our change of pick up place, but they just totally forgot us; same one day before they can promise you that you can do the excursion etc, but next day they can change totally the organization and asked you to leave at 7am, without telling us where and when to leave our luggage for the pick up at all! The whole organization is sooo messy and 0 communication. I saw people booked 5 discovery dives and the dive center was not even aware. We all came here for the wall of sharks, but i must say I dont think the dive guide is experienced enough. We went into the water at the right place and swim against the current for 10min at the start, then we only saw the wall of sharks for like 10min, then they drag us always and swiming above the sand for the rest of 30min. Anyway, i hope this place can change an owner, then things might get better, before that, i will recommend staying in the north comfortably and sigh up for day trip with top dive for example.

Moreover the expensive it is for the status they have (no maintenace), you choose your bungalows location and they give you simply what they have available when you arrive, no matter what you have reserved. This dive center is by far the worst I have ever dived with, no matter if you have booked your night dives, they have permissions for only 10 people and if there are more divers than this your holidays depends on their "criteria" which means you can maybe not to have any of them, this is something they tell you once you arrive and never along the booking process and emails. Almost all the staff is rude and this dive center is a temerity, managed by a acouple which the man used to get out of the water when there are still people in the water or safety stop, he does not care about the safety, he left a girl flow away with the current in a night dive in some point he said because she went ahead of him, so he went out of the water saying she had to get by herself. Some members of the gruop had to help her because she couldn't beat the current and was holding a buoy very scared. Definetly suitable for clousure and possibly some accident happens some day

You have to expect a very basic “camping” experience. When we came in, not sure our individual bathroom nor sink had been cleaned since probably the last 4-5 months. There were black smears and foul odour coming out of them both. It was gross. Understandably no AC, but no fans even though it is very hot and minimal wind. Could be very much better with just a little investments from owner. Food was average at best, with rice/pasta and mashed potatoes each meal. Not even fresh fish every meal even though we’re on a deserted island with millions of them around, for free. No vegetables nor fruits at all. Decent service from locals who operate, but you seemed to annoy them each time you would go ask for something or information. On the plus side, diver instructors were amazing and diving experience was 1000% worth it. P.S.: Boat ride to Tetamanu village is a solid 2 hours, not 1 hour advertised. Also, very important to know that your flight has to arrive at the latest at 4PM if you want a lift to the village, otherwise it is next day pick up...They told us 2 days prior to pick up so we had to arrange ourselves under rush, while we had booked 1 month ago.

We stayed for three nights. Arriving at night, we thought ohhh maybe that’s too long. The pickup was smooth from our accommodation in Fakarava North, the boat ride (a bit bumpy) took around 2 hrs. (A bit longer than expected) And in the end we could have stayed several days longer! Why? Yes the rooms are basic (but huge), no ac, mosquitos but there is too much on the plus side to not love this place (not for luxury or only comfy travellers!) The hosts are funny and enjoy their life, the diving is the most awesome that I have ever experienced if you are just a bit curious into sharks. Also as a sole snorkler or person that does not want to get wet, you will have the opportunity to spot sharks during the day and and night around the accommodation and main area at the arrival dock and restaurant. There is an amazing Sunset/Nightdive, you can go fishing with the captain, to the pink beach or walk a bit around the small island. There is a small beautiful church, a woman selling artesian jewellery close by, you can rent kayaks next door or simply read a book and hang on your terrace until the sun burns 😎 Mauruuru for a great stay, we come back for sure, Marc and Luana!

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.