Tata Pension Mave Mai

Not a guesthouse but a building of rooms managed by… nobody. My big mistake was to listen to Pearl Resort: as I couldn’t go back to the Pearl Resort because they accept only a minimum of 3 nights and I was back only for two, I asked them for advice on where to stay and they recommended this place. I am upset with them, too. Apart from breakfast time, there is no one you can ask anything. And there is not even a number to call. No potable water is provided (for me, after visiting all the Marquesas, it was a first). When I tried to ask the owner, who lives across the building, for some information regarding a transfer to the airport, a woman, maybe his wife, started yelling at me from the window saying I was bothering them and I was making even cry the baby she was holding. The guy was trying to assist me but we couldn’t understand each other because of the woman’s constant loud rambling. Shockingly rude. Breakfast is coffee or tea and some thin slices of fruit. For the rest, they just drop bread in two baskets for everyone on a table and that’s about it. Internet works only in the living room. I should have listened to the taxi driver who took me there and who strongly recommended me to go somewhere else.

Considering the shortage of accommodation on the island it is likely that this pension is one of your only options in this price range. This makes it considerably harder to review cause you may not have any other choice. However, if you do... I would consider looking elsewhere. The pension is clearly ageing and there are numerous smaller and bigger issues that do not justify the room rate. This was the eight accommodation we stayed at during our trip through French Polynesia (FP) during which we visited seven islands. FP is not cheap and if you want to have your own room/bungalow with bathroom and at least a fan it will easily set you back about a hundred euros at the very least. However, in general we found all accommodation more than lived up to the expectations even if they did not have aircon like this pension does. So here's what's nice about this pension. It has a great location in the middle of town with easy access to some restaurants/snacks. The view of the bay from the balcony is lovely. You will even be able to spot the Aranui when it comes in. There's strong wifi in the lobby and in particular Mate (driver, son of the owner, who lives next door) is very friendly and helpful. Not so great is the following. The rooms are clearly seeing their age. The bathroom is bafflingly small. In our room you could basically sit on the toilet seat and brush your teeth. If you are on the taller side it might be more comfortable using the toilet in the hallway. The beds themselves are old with weirdly cheap pillows that no matter what you do refuse to be comfortable. The terrace outside has some reclining chairs but there's no shade and with the mosquitos around not very comfortable. As mentioned, there is only wifi in the lobby, none in the rooms (even our bungalow on a remote motu in Tikehau had acceptable wifi). The staff speaks virtually no English. My French is passable but it was still a struggle to communicate. The rooms do come with aircon but this is only switched at 18:00 (6pm). If you manage to find a staff member in theory they could be convinced to switch it on earlier but this depends on their mood. We were not always successful. The problem is not so much having no aircon but there is really no other way to cool the rooms. They do not come with a fan which would certainly help. In effect this means that in the afternoon you will not be able to comfortably use your room. The idea probably is that you will be on an excursion but even those often finish around three or four. As mentioned, if you can find a staff member you may be able to get them to switch on the aircon but unfortunately usually there is nobody around. The owners do no live at the property itself and are only around in the morning and briefly in the evening. This brings us to the final issue: if you have some problem with your room or otherwise there may not be anybody to help you resolve this until the staff decides to show up again. For roughly 110 euros per night this is