Activities and Relaxation at the Intercontinental Tahiti

~ Chris Wada

The Intercontinental Tahiti has a few activities available for guests, some of which remind us of the St. Regis Bora Bora we just came from.

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Let’s walk through the various activities and resort features awaiting you at the Intercontinental Tahiti.

Lagoonarium

We’ll start with the Lagoonarium, which is somewhat reminiscent of what the St. Regis Bora Bora has. How does the Intercontinental Tahiti version compare? Well, there is certainly a lot of information on placards scattered around the pool.

As with the St. Regis version, you can enter the water to swim with the fish. There are stairs leading into the water on one end.

Just be mindful of the stonefish that could live in these waters. There is a warning that you should wear water shoes when swimming here.

However, while the St. Regis offers winding paths that encourage jumping in the water to explore, and a variety of fish and natural life that make us want to swim inside it daily, we can’t say the same about the Intercontinental Tahiti version. Here, the design is just a large semi-circle, so it’s easy to just see everything from on land. The number and variety of fish also seemed lacking. And even if you jumped in, there is no towel to use here (neither is one provided in your room). Instead, you need to head over to the pool first and then come back here.

There are some overwater bungalows here around the Lagoonarium that face out towards Moorea.

Part of the Lagoonarium is actually off-limits, with swimming not allowed.

You might ask why, but it’s actually because they’re rehabbing sea turtles here. If you love turtles, that alone might be worth a stop to come visit. The hotel does offer a tour on these turtles, but it does cost money. If the paid tour doesn’t entice you, you can come visit them on your own for free.

The large sea turtles are free to roam about this roped-off section of the Lagoonarium. Baby sea turtles hang out inside smaller compartments until they’re big enough.

The kids loved coming over here to check out the turtles, especially the babies.

The Lotus swimming pool

As you might guess, the Lotus swimming pool is next to Le Lotus, the hotel’s fancy restaurant. If you’re interested in something similar to a calm beach, this might be the place for you. It’s a fairly small pool, but we stayed here for quite a long time. Char even made friends with a French-speaking girl somehow despite them not knowing the same language. That surely added to the length of time we would end up here.

Thankfully, there is free sunscreen and a water dispenser at the towel hut, should you need it.

Speaking of towels, can I just say that I don’t like the process of getting towels? You have to turn in your pool towel cards to get one towel each. These cards are provided to you at check-in. We received two towels per room (thankfully, we had two rooms). On top of turning in the cards, you have to also sign in and out on a sheet of paper, providing your name and details. If you have the card, isn’t that enough to get a towel?

I’m guessing there was some towel theft on the property before, and they wanted to combat it. But the process isn’t all that nice for guests, especially if you want more than one towel per person (not possible).

Anyways, the pool does have an infinity edge, making pictures almost look like you’re in the ocean.

Some parts of the pool are walkable even for those not yet four feet tall like Char. Deeper sections are indicated with floaties.

There’s also a small island that you can access if you want by walking over a wooden bridge. There isn’t much out here but I’m guessing it’s more for the people who don’t want to get wet but suffer from FOMO.

If you hand out on the loungers by the pool, be prepared for just how steep the beach is around the water. Chairs were slowly sinking into the water. It’s an odd layout.

Also, in the corner of the pool is a small area surrounded by rocks and plants.

You’d be forgiven if you thought this was a hot tub. I mean, with all the jets, it certainly looks like it should be a hot tub. But the water isn’t heated–it’s the same temperature as the rest of the pool. Perhaps the heat just wasn’t functional when we were there?

The closed Tiare pool (but should now be open)

Sadly, when we were there, the Tiare swimming pool, located near the Te Tiare restaurant, was closed. There was signage all around that it had to close for repairs and to reduce water consumption. It was scheduled to reopen October 1, 2025, which means it should now be open.

From what we saw of the pool, it looks much larger than the Lotus swimming pool. Hopefully, that also means it’s easier to get a towel if you want to visit the Lagoonarium next door.

Activities desk

Want to go on a tour or excursion around the island? Just around the corner from the front desk (next to the lobby bar) is the Marama Tours desk. We didn’t take advantage of the desk, but good to know there is a desk if needed.

Activiseas Diving Center

Rather explore by boat or jetski? Head on over to the Activitiseas Diving Center, which we could see from our room. We didn’t have a chance to stop by on our short stay and can’t speak to the pricing. But they do maintain a website where you can see all the options.

There are tennis courts nearby. Again, we didn’t get a chance to stop by and check them out, but we wanted to point out that they exist.

Algotherm (fitness center and spa)

Located in the center of the Intercontinental Tahiti resort, Algotherm is where the hotel’s fitness center and spa are located. There seemed to always be someone inside the gym, so I don’t have better pictures out of respect for their privacy. There did seem to be a good variety of machines and weights though views of the ocean are partially obstructed by the plants.

We didn’t end up taking advantage of any spa services, but there is a menu online if you want to see what’s available.

The gift shop

Up on the lobby level near the front desk is the gift shop. We stepped inside assuming that the prices would be inflated. We’re pleased to report back that pricing actually didn’t seem out of line with what you would find at the market in town. This isn’t a bad place to pick up any souvenirs, which we did.

Miscellaneous

A few other quick notes for things around the resort. First, there is a small section hidden away in a corner that shows off some vanilla plants. French Polynesia produces a good amount of vanilla and it used to be a major export from the country. Some islands produce more vanilla than others, and it seems like the hotel has a few stalks behind a caged area.

All around the property, you’ll find little ponds that offer a peaceful respite along the path. We found fish and turtles hanging out in these ponds, so the kids liked stopping by to check it out as we walked by.

There are fewer amenities here than other island resorts, but enough to make it work for a short stay.

Would you consider staying at the Intercontinental Tahiti?

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