Maison Taina

At our arrival, we were welcomed by our host, Laurent, at the airport. The maison is about 20 minutes drive. We got upgraded to a better room with a wonderful view and the location is pretty quiet. The only noise we hear was from the rooster which is typical in Tahiti. The breakfast was great, fresh tropical fruits, coffee, tea, juice, french croissants/ pain au chocolat accompanied with local fruits jam. Visitors will start a good day with this type of meal. Valérie was also very helpful and she gave us some good tips for the area. Tom, the chef, treated us with a gourmet dinner, very delicious.

Charming small guest house away from the traffic, tourists & noise in Papeete. Hosts Valerie & Lohan are friendly and make you feel at home, doing your laundry, lending snorkel gear, beach towels & sharing the best places to go for your interest. Great healthy breakfasts & option for gourmet dinner cooked by Chef Tom, Valerie’s son. Rent a car & stay here, for the best experiences in Tahiti, plus info & recommendations for other Islands. Relaxing pool and hot tub, too. We would definitely stay here again!

This lovely guesthouse is run by the adorable Valérie, together with husband Laurent and son Tom, a talented cook (although I think that reviewers comparing his dishes to Michelin-starred quality are slightly exaggerating). The three of them are always available to give you great advice to make the most out of your trip to Tahiti. We stayed for two nights prior to a cruise and enjoyed the place so much that, after the cruise, we came back for a day-room as we had a very late flight. A smallish pool and a few deckchairs come in handy if you just want to relax after a long flight. The very nicely furnished rooms come with an efficient air conditioning, something most visitors will need as the weather in Tahiti is not only hot, but also very humid. The beds are excellent (isn’t that almost the most important thing in a hotel?) . The location in a somewhat remote, but fairly quiet neighbourhood (notwithstanding some night-active roosters used in Tahiti to get rid of the millipedes!) implies that you will either have to rent a car or to rely on a taxi. The latter is not a bad option. Especially if you want to do some sightseeing, Valérie will certainly recommend a guy who can tell more about Polynesia as many professional guides could!

Wonderful property and host with well executed personal service including breakfast and dinner options. Two thumbs up!

We have traveled to 120 countries and stayed at hundreds of hotels, guest houses, and Airbnbs, and this was easily one of the best. The place is beautiful and just 15 minutes north of downtown Papeete, just far enough to be away from the morning traffic. Laurent and Valerie are amazing hosts, getting everyone to tell their wonderful stories. And the meal prepared by Tom, which costs about $50, is truly Michelin-star quality. The place has a beautiful view, and you should get one of the rooms that has a balcony if you can afford it. It's a little hard to find: When Google Maps says, "You have Arrived", back up a bit, and you'll see three driveways to the right. The middle driveway goes up to Maison Taina. Be sure to get a bit of a running start. I almost burned out the clutch of our Peugeot 108 trying to get up the last few feet of the driveway. The home has a beautiful pool and hot tub (which we never used as Valerie gave us many great suggestions on things to do during our 3-day stay). The room was beautiful, with a large bathroom, a strong shower, and great AC. Valerie and Laurent moved from France four years ago and finished remodeling their spotless guest house only a year ago, so everything is new. Breakfast has eggs cooked to order, and bread is as good as any patisserie in France. There is covered parking on-site, and a rental car (not expensive - we paid about $60/day, including gas and miles from Hertz right at the airport) is a good idea. Great AC was a plus as it was 84 degrees and 100% humidity every day in summer, but three are cool breezes, as you are 1/3 the way up the mountain at this place. There are almost no negatives. It would have been nice to have shampoo and conditioner, more hooks, more drawers, a desk, and some towel bars, but these are minor quibbles in this otherwise perfect hotel. 10/10. Not to be missed.

Our 2 day stay at Maison Taina was the last stop on a 2 and a half week trip to French Polynesia. It is well located, beyond the traffic of Papeete but still nearby. Our room was large, beautiful and clean. Valérie, Laurent and Tom were very accommodating hosts. We enjoyed visiting with them over dinner and wine. We always prefer authentic travel experiences over staying in resorts, so this was a perfect place for us. We were grateful to find that some English was spoken. Despite my attempt to learn some basic French it didn't buy us much on this trip. We enjoyed one of Tom's meals and would highly recommend dining in at least once. Heads up: if you're not much of a meat eater, let them know in advance. Highly recommended. You will like this place.

Maison Taina is the best. I cannot imagine a better place to stay on Tahiti. Valerie and Laurent are the best hosts and they're son Tom the best chef I have ever come across, truly Michelin standard. It is a small guest house with 3 or 4 suites and one is immediately invited to be one of the family. A car is necessary but Valerie was gracious enough to drive me into Papeete 5 miles away when I needed stuff. (but my advice is to rent a car - Valerie has contacts). The location is Arue, a chic residential area up in the hills. The James Norman Hall Museum is nearby and definitely worth a visit. I cannot thank Valerie enough. I was sad to leave.

Great place to stay. Don’t miss the meals. Will need a car. Great end to Tahiti trip.

I made an incredibly good choice when I selected to stay at this wonderful guesthouse. The room had all the amenities I could ask for and the owners were incredibly helpful. The dinner with the owners and other guests was an absolute treat. Their chef Tom has incredible talent. I highly recommend Maison Taina as a great way to experience Tahiti from a local’s viewpoint. The stay surpassed any of my expectations and I’ll be staying there again soon!