Happy hour in Mo'orea & Tahiti
A few of my faves!
When I was 20 and backpacking around Europe with my mates, we stayed at a budget hostel in Amsterdam called Hans Brinker. The whole selling point of this place was that it was cheap; you’re going to be having such a good time partying it up that it’s unlikely you’ll even make it back at the end of the night. Why pay for a bed you’re not even going to use?
And they were not underselling themselves as the cheapest hostel around. With an aesthetic that could only be described as ‘mental asylum chic’ (think cold grey surfaces, a lack of windows, the occasional ominous cackle of laughter echoing down empty corridors), our expectations were low and our wallets were happy.
My favourite part about staying there? At precisely 5pm every day, the loudspeaker would crackle and the most unintentionally creepy voice would drone “happy… happy… HAPPEEE HOUR”.
The point of this story is really just to tell you how much I love a happy hour special wherever I am in the world.
Here are a few notable ones in Mo’orea and Tahiti- if you have a favourite, I’d be keen to hear about it! These are the ones I’ve visited, there are a few more that I’m keen to try that will be covered in a future post. And if you’ve got a hot tip for a happy hour, let me know in the comments!
Reeftop, Papeete
You build the tallest building in Papeete, of course you gotta put a bar on the roof. The best part? Cocktails here are as good as the 8-storey view.
For a non-drinker (as I was for 9 months last year), finding nice mocktails can be an endless struggle. Most of the time it feels like paying $12-15 dollars for a juice with a garnish. I can safely say that Reeftop has some of the best mocktails I’ve ever tasted.
The view out towards Mo’orea is spectacular and you can look back at the twinkling lights of the city climbing up the mountains behind. I’d recommend booking here as it can get super packed (although we’ve miraculously always managed to bag a table at the right time).
When: 4-5pm every day of the week.
Cocktail prices: -50% cocktails, mules and mocktails
Try: Fishboard (non-alc), Teahupoo Mule (alc)
Sunset hour view: 🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙
Tastiness: 🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙
Value for $: 🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙
The Manava Hotel, Maharepa
If you like piña coladas… this is the place for you!
…and now that song is stuck in my head.
Unlike some of the big hotels on the island, the Manava feels more Tahitian, with lots of dark wood and pandanus roofing. It has a relaxing vibe, often with live music, and the staff are super friendly.
Seating is comfortable, with lots of low couches available. The view is out over the pool so there’s not much to see come sunset unless you walk a little further to the patch of beach.
There’s a limited list of happy hour cocktails but I think (with the exception of Reeftop) they are the best (and possibly the strongest!).
When: 5-7pm every day of the week.
Cocktail prices: 1,100XPF for alcoholic, 800XPF for virgin
Try: The piña colada, the mai tai, or the Mooz Passion
Sunset hour view: 🤙🤙
Tastiness: 🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙
Value for $: 🤙🤙🤙🤙
Cook’s Hotel, Pao Pao
This is the kind of place where you try to take a photo of the sunset and then curse your phone camera because it’s never as beautiful as what you’re looking at in person.
The freshly renovated hotel is a bit on the boring side interior-design wise. With the exception of a few tiki-esque motifs, the bar could be anywhere in the world; Sydney, LA, Bali. However, we’re not here to admire the furnishings; it’s the sunset across the bay of Pao Pao that keeps us captivated.
The cocktails are delicious, the mocktails are ok (expensive juice). I’ve yet to try the restaurant.
When: 5-6:30pm every day of the week.
Cocktail prices: 1,000xpf for alcoholic
Try: Gin Therapy (so pretty!)
Sunset hour view: 🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙
Tastiness: 🤙🤙🤙
Value for $: 🤙🤙🤙🤙
The Kia Ora (Sofitel), Temae
Temae beach is on the wrong side of Mo’orea for happy hour. That being said, the view out towards Tahiti over a white sand beach is still pretty spectacular, even if you don’t get the same showy colours as you’d get in Ha’apiti.
I’d say that this is the spot to go if you wanted to have a late afternoon dip and a snorkel before finishing up with a drink. If you catch the current just right, you could even drift from the public beach over to the Sofitel, walk out of the water, shake yourself off and order a drink.
When: 5:30pm-6:30pm every day of the week.
Cocktail prices: 1,200xpf for alcoholic, 900xpf for virgin
Try: Passion amaretto sour
Sunset hour view: 🤙🤙🤙
Tastiness: 🤙🤙🤙
Value for $: 🤙🤙🤙
Ones I haven’t been to and a few notable exceptions
Moorea Beach Cafe (MBC) - I’ve had an insider tip that while the sunset view is to die for, the cocktails here are half strength. Do with that information what you will.
A l'Heure du Sud - This place is perfectly positioned for a good view and is on the list to try.
Restaurant le Sunset - A place that’s literally called ‘the Sunset Restaurant’ has gotta have a great view, right?! I’ve eaten here before at non-sunset hour, the food was fine. Haven’t tried the cocktails though.
Les Tipaniers - beautiful beach, beautiful view, a bar, but unfortunately (for me) no happy hour.
The rest of Tahiti - yes, I know I’ve only got one Tahiti happy hour on the list, because honestly I’m not on Tahiti at night time very often and we keep going back to Reeftop when we are.
Have a hot tip on a happy hour in the islands? Let me know where I should check out next in the comments below!
Reading, watching, thinking about…
I haven’t read the book but I loved her last novel, The Glad Shout. I even made some art about it!
“In a moment in which our world has never felt so fast-changing and bewildering, our stories are getting simpler, less nuanced and less able to engage with the realities through which we’re living.”
More excellent Hans Brinker ad campaigns