Undisturbed Relaxation at Tahiti Pearl Beach Resort

by Scott Laird
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Mon December 25, 2017

The arrival experience at Tahiti Pearl Beach Resort is an easy suggestion of what awaits guests during their stay-secluded, undisturbed languor.Unlike large chain resorts in <a href="https://www.travelpulse.com/destinations/north-america/united-states/hawaii.html" target="_self">Hawai'i</a> or other more cosmopolitan parts of the Pacific where resorts work to manufacture sensual assault for arriving guests, the only sound at this property (once the rental car or shuttle bus motor has been turned off) is the rustle of trade winds through palm trees, and perhaps clucking and crowing of some of the resort's resident fowl.Plumeria, rain-weathered thatched rattan roof, fountain water and ocean breezes are the immediate fragrances. Unless one happens upon a group arrival bus or another guest, an otherwise unoccupied front desk agent will greet arrivals with a warm "ia orana."The open-air lobby promises a middling sort of comfort that lacks ostentatious art touches. It feels very much like a resort in these parts might have several decades ago-simply crafted out of the landscape using local materials and enough western concrete and modern conveniences for comfort. Otherwise, it's unassumingly, charmingly part of the local landscape right before the environs of Papeete give way to coastline periodically dotted by small settlements.

<a href="https://www.travelpulse.com/destinations/north-america/united-states/hawaii/waikiki.html" target="_self">Waikiki</a> this certainly is not. A morning spent on my lanai trying to catch a Wi-Fi signal belied the secluded silence of the place. There were almost no vessels in the water, nobody about the grounds except perhaps for the odd hotel employee out power washing structures-spraying off salt water to prevent corrosion is the primary maintenance concern in Polynesia.Sometimes an hour or two passed before a single beach walker came into view.Time spent at the graded-entry pool might have been shared with perhaps one other pool-goer. Otherwise, I was free to wade through the refreshing piscine all by myself, lazing against the infinity edge to watch the ocean or lounging underneath a large plumeria tree that kept dropping blossoms into the water.For the serious pearl buyer, there's an outlet of a relatively prolific pearl store on property, with a variety of set and unset pearls-which buyers can have set or strung in the store. It will provide the tax-free paperwork for visitors returning to destinations outside French Polynesia.For those into local arts and crafts, there's an open-air shop carrying everything from pearl jewelry to hats, bags, shirts and many sundries.The languor doesn't stop at any time of day, except for perhaps weekend nights when the dance floor is a packed with locals wanting a night out on the town. (If you speak French, it's fun to sit near the bar and eavesdrop on local gossip.)Other times during the day, the open-air dining space has a pace matched by the surrounding beauty-unhurried, unbothered and just waiting to be savored.Lavish breakfast buffets feature a faithful Poisson cru-the local raw fish salad made with coconut milk, cucumber and tomatoes-along with of-course-they're-good-they're-French pastries plus locally made jams of guava, banana and coconut, crusty breads, fresh fruit, and a selection of American-style hot items.Lunches and dinners, while expensive, are expertly prepared with care and sophistication-as could be expected of a resort primarily designed with French tastes in mind. American ones are considered as something of a necessary (and well executed) afterthought.Guest rooms are spacious and welcoming with unexpected lovely flourishes, like the local greeting 'Ia Orana' spelled out in leaves on the bed for first-night arrivals, along with welcome gifts of scented soaps.Good to KnowNorth American outlets are available only in guest bathrooms. For other electronics, the standard in French Polynesia is the same as in France, so bring a converter if you need one.Take your passport or a copy with you when pearl shopping-Tahiti Pearl Market can sell your purchases tax-free with proof of residency outside French Polynesia.French is the language of French Polynesia, and English is not widely spoken outside resorts. But Tahitians will often go out of their way to provide assistance in spite of a language barrier-as in any country, attempts to speak the local language are generally appreciated.The bar offers daily happy hour in the evenings from 5:30 to 6:30.