Review the Radisson Day Room please

[kclav]

We are scheduled for a very late flight and will have the Radisson Day Room available to us. What is it like and is there anything that you would suggest other than "hanging out" in a "day room". Any swimming/snorkling near the hotel, is there a beach, any shops, day trips etc. I am too wiggly to just sit and watch tv etc.

[FlightMedic555]

We had a day room coming off the Paul Gauguin. We got to the hotel at about 3:00 pm and they told us we had to vacate the room by 6:00 pm for a 7:30 bus to the airport. Quite useless in the overall scheme of things.

 

The beach and the pool looked great but we made the mistake of not having a bathing suit readily accessible. I would plan to hang out by the pool/beach for most of the time. The food is very, very pricey at the hotel and it did not look like anything other options were close by. Probably about $35-$45 US for a softdrink and entree such as a burger including a tip.

 

The room itself was very nice but they put us in the building furthest from the pool which actually required going down a flight of outdoor stairs, then a walk to the building, then a really slow elevator ride back up.

[egret]

We usually hang at the pool or walk on the beach. It being the weekend there are usually alot of kids etc. on the beach so it is not serene, but the black sand is different. The food and drink is expensive as is the case everywhere in French Polynesia. They usually take you to the airport 7 or 8 I think, just after dark.

The hotel rooms a fairly nice but as you say it isn't much fun to sit there and twiddle your thumbs. The hotel is quite a ways out of town so if you want to go to town a taxi is probably your best bet.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

It's a nice place to chill and relax. The view is nice, and the sunset is stunning. The rooms are very nice.

 

You can walk on the beach, and I've heard there's a little bar along the beach off to the right of the hotel. I've also heard that if you don't take the guided bus tour, thus arriving at the hotel earlier, you may get your room a bit earlier, but even if you don't there's the pool.

 

It is a short time, but the pool is very nice, and for sure, bring your bathing suit and relax and have a pina colada. Then you can have a shower and dress before leaving for the airport. If you don't mind spending the money on a cab, take a cab to the airport instead of the bus, a little less stressful.

 

Nothing compensates for the fact that you're about to leave paradise. But it's much more pleasant than the alternatives.

[MightyQuinn]

... Nothing compensates for the fact that you're about to leave paradise...

Wendy, I got a little pang of sadness when I read this. I was fast-forwarded to the reality of leaving paradise and we haven't been there yet! How stressful is taking the PG bus to the airport? And what time would you suggest we take a cab instead?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Oh, it's not terrible or anything. It's just that you have to check out at 6 p.m., and everybody congregates in the lobby, and it's a forest of suitcases and people waiting to be loaded on the buses. The ride itself is routine. It's just the waiting and the crowd, with the usual organization stupidities--let's just say tourism isn't the Tahitians' strong suit.

[kclav]

I have had great luck with this Cruise Critic site!!! Thank you so much for the suggestions and keep them coming. Would a cab to town and eating there instead of the hotel be a good solution to the Very Expensive food at the hotel? About how much would the cab be? How far out of "town" is the hotel?

:)

[Emdee]

I think the cost of the cab to town is 40$ or so. Airport was at least $45.

If I were you I would either stock up on something from the market to tide you over and then eat a light snack at the airport quite cheaply or just eat at the hotel. Take a bottle of water from the ship!

[Emdee]

Mighty,

I have never yet taken the PG bus - we just have a cab come and slip away before the crowds. Not that there isnt a lot of waiting around because there always is some waiting.

OK I lie. My very first trip in 2004 the PG transport didnt show up at the TIC and the flight was almost closed when we got there. After that I have always taken a taxi in advance. I think we usually leave at 6 or so. Get something to eat at a cafeteria in the airport and then check in. There used to be a nice AC oasis on the first floor but that has been closed down.

Last time we came back from Fiji and there too took a cab.

 

This year will be different as we are in a group of friends so we will do what the group wants. Not sure yet. You will have to make notes and give me all the scoop on this and other things. Its payback time Mighty!

[MightyQuinn]

No worries Emdee! I intend to do a CC Members Review when we return and I'll also post comments here.

Make a list and I'll try to get the scoop. :):)

[Semolina]

I just want to add that recently we had no trouble with taking the bus, no hassles at all and I really don't think it is worth taking a taxi and spending more money. There are no restaurants nearby except for a McDonalds which I would never use and there is a Chinese restaurant which you would need to take a taxi to. We decided to eat in the bar restaurant of the hotel and we split orders of hamburgers which made it a bit less costly.

Also we didn't have to vacate our room early and we left after most people because our flight was later.

The pool is fine if you keep your suits handy but I have mentioned this before, you need to keep your mosquito repellant nearby. I was covered in bites and so was a friend of mine. It was the end of January and it may have been the time of year. But be prepared. I wasn't even really aware of them but later on I felt them alright.

Jennifer

[Wendy The Wanderer]

There is (or was) one nice restaurant in the Royal Tahitien Hotel, which is closer to Papeete from the Radisson. Right beside the water, casual but very pleasant. It's probably a mile or two from the Radisson. But I wouldn't try going outside of the hotel if you're just there for the dayroom, there's just not much time. BTW, everything in Tahiti is expensive, not just the Radisson. Food prices are quite shocking.

[Emdee]

Wendy,

That is what I always thought about Tahiti food prices. However, in the last few years with travels around the world I have found food prices equally expensive so I am no longer shocked by a $30 Burger as that seems the price in resorts and 5 star hotels. The problem in Tahiti is that is a paucity of mid priced places for meals. Les Tip on Moorea is very reasonable.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Right, you do have to put these things into perspective. I'm sure that the Royal Tahitien restaurant is reasonable as these things go. I loved this place, and the hotel wasn't bad either, very reasonably-priced, but can't vouch for it now; I was there 8 years ago. Great to eat sitting right by the seawall overlooking black sand. I have some lovely shots that I took walking that gorgeous beach, with Moorea in the background. Sigh, now I'm making myself want to go back!

[FlightMedic555]

One reason to consider a cab is if you are considering paying for an upgrade to business class. You never know if the upgrade is available, you of course do not know how many may be available, and you do not know how many other travelers would like to purchase the upgrade.

 

We wanted an upgrade but we did take the bus. We sort of managed to get on the first bus from the hotel as it appeared that there would be 3 buses in total. We got off the bus quickly and while my wife retrieved the luggage I found the proper line to get on. I was about 5th on line and the counter did not open for about 1 hour. The line got really, really long.

[gailellen12]

What is the guided bus tour available the day you leave the ship? Is is a general tour of the island? What is the price, and length? Recommended or not? Whew...that was a lot of questions! Thanks! Gail :rolleyes:

[Wendy The Wanderer]

It's okay, not great. If you have the dayroom package (i.e., the cruiseline sells you air), it's included if you like. Or, you can just go straight to the dayroom hotel. You won't necessarily get your room early that way, but you can just hang around the hotel, go for a walk on the beach or a swim.

 

The content of the bus tour varies. There's a small marae (ancient site), the Gauguin museum (nothing), and the Museum of Tahiti and the Islands, which is a great anthropological museum. That's really the only highlight, in my mind. It's too bad cruisers can't go there *before* the trip, because there'd be more appreciation of the history and culture. But if you're not into that kind of thing, give it a pass.

[Silver Sweethearts]

We took the post-cruise bus tour on January 29th before going to the Radisson, and at that time it included a visit to an old lighthouse; a tour of a full-size replica of the James Norman Hall home (he the co-author of "Mutiny on the Bounty", etc.) and a short but somewhat challenging walk/hike to a beautiful waterfall (take your mosquito spray). The guide was a fountain of information about the island. The tour lasted about 2-1/2 hours and, while hardly exciting, was something different to do rather than just hang around the hotel.

[Emdee]

Wendy,

I think your tour was the old one which we too did. Now people seem to enjoy the new version more including the waterfall and garden.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We did a waterfall once, not sure it was the same one. Each of the three times I've gone it's been different. So sounds like the latest incarnation may be an improvement.