experience • lodging

Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa

Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa is everything you’ve ever dreamed of in an overwater bungalow destination. Pros: elegant, eye-poppingly beautiful, heartwarming and kind staff. The resort itself is perched on one of the most pristine strips of sand on the entire island, with a range of towering green peaks as the backdrop. With only 106 rooms spread across 10 acres, it never felt crowded. Each of its overwater bungalows deliver the eye-popping, you’ll-never-believe-this type of adrenaline rush that can somehow ease the sting of dropping nearly a grand per night for a bed. The room also had and a glass section of the floor that allowed you to watch sea life below. Yes, really. There was a lot invested in the tiny touches: The air conditioning’s external attachment was unnoticeably tucked behind a wooden divider; the rungs of the sea ladder were wood, not plastic; and there was US-friendly power port in the bathroom. Many activities, restuarants, thoughtful amenities, and oustanding service. My wife summed it up: “Everything is just effortless here.”