Our 2nd Honeymoon in Paradise – Eating in the InterContinental Thalasso, Bora Bora

November 28, 2012 By Million Mile Secrets

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InterContinental Thalasso Dining — View From Le Sands – InterContinental Thalasso, Bora Bora

The InterContinental Thalasso is on a motu so you really can’t nip out for a quick (& cheaper) meal. You could take the free boat to the InterContinental La Moana on the main island and then go out to eat, but that’s a 20 minute boat ride each way.

Here’s a review of the food and prices at the InterContinental Thalasso and the free boat schedule when we were there for 3 nights in September 2012. We’ll review dining options on the main island and the supermarkets in a more detailed post later on.

Link: Room Service Menu (Courtesy of Bart Lapers)

Link: Le Sands Menu (Courtesy of Bart Lapers)

Link: Le Reef Menu (Courtesy of Bart Lapers)

Breakfast

We shared a room service breakfast, ate the buffet breakfast in the restaurant, and ate the complimentary fruits as breakfast one day to save money. Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to get free breakfast like you can with Hilton Gold elite status at Hilton hotels.

Complimentary Fruits. Emily: I’m not sure if we got the fruits because Daraius is an InterContinental Ambassador member or if all guests get them. We ate them with chips which we had brought from the US for breakfast one day. I also had a Powerbar!

Room Service Breakfast. We ordered 1 American breakfast for 3,834 XPF (~$42) + 1,000 XPF (~$11) service fee.

Link: Room Service Menu (Courtesy of Bart Lapers)

We found this was a good way to save money because we ordered one breakfast, but it came with enough food for us to share, and we even had food left over for lunch. We got eggs, bacon, sausage, and potatoes, cold meats and cheeses, yogurt, a large selection of bread, vegetables, and jams.

We also got juice and tea. This was more than enough food for both of us and we also saved some bread, cheese, yogurt and meats in the minibar for an afternoon snack!

Breakfast Buffet. Breakfast is served at the “Le Reef” restaurant and costs 3,127 XPF(~$34) per person. We each had the Continental breakfast buffet at the hotel, though I know Daraius missed his eggs and meat. But he’s gained some pounds in the last 6 months, so he could do without them!

I liked trying the jams, but probably my favorite was eating a chocolate croissant with Nutella and peanut butter. Yum! The fresh watermelon juice was also good.

There were eggs (not included in the Continental breakfast)…

and cheese…

Daraius said that the Poisson Cru, a traditional Tahitian fish dish, was not as good as the one at the Hilton in Moorea.

There was lots of bread…

…juices…

…cereal…

…and jams.

Lunch

Link: Le Sands Menu (Courtesy of Bart Lapers)

Daraius: The Le Sands Restaurant serves lunch and dinner. The food was better than the food at the Hilton in Moorea or Bora Bora, but still not very tasty or worth the price. But it did have a nice view!

The hotel staff took Emily’s fish allergy very seriously so we didn’t mind paying the higher prices to eat in the hotel because a medical evacuation would have been more expensive.

Emily Jablon: Our lunch was very good. I ordered a ham and cheese Panini with French fries and Daraius had breaded shrimp and a meat salad. However, I could have shared my lunch with Daraius. I could only finish half of the panini. To drink, we had coconut water.

We did not mind staying in the hotel because of the care and attention the staff gave my fish allergy. The extra piece of mind was worth it!

A cocktail was 2,180 XPF (~$24).

A hamburger was about 1,990 XPF (~$22)

and a steak was about 3,100 XPF(~$34).

Pizzas were around 2,300 XPF (~$25).

Salads were about 2,100 XPF (~$23)

Soups were about 1,600 XPF (~$17)

Dinner

We had dinner one night at the Le Sands restaurant. For dinner, we had pizza and Carpaccio, neither of which were spectacular. We tried the vanilla panna cotta but it was much different than the creamy panna cotta I’m used to. It was frozen rock solid and Daraius and I had a difficult time breaking even a small bite!

Le Reef Dinner

Link: Le Reef Menu (Courtesy of Bart Lapers)

Daraius: We ate dinner here one night to see if it was worth the price for the buffet and the dance show. It was 8,117 XPF (~$88) per person, without drinks. The foie gras was among the best I’ve had, but I wouldn’t pay the buffet price again. Emily Jablon: On our first night we went for dinner in the hotel restaurant and watched a Polynesian show. I’d recommend making a reservation ahead of time. We were almost seated in a separate dining area with no view of the show, but luckily a table opened up last minute, but the restaurant was still full.

There was a French buffet for dinner at the restaurant. The executive chef took my allergy seriously and told me which foods I could and couldn’t have. I still insisted using separate tongs to serve my food since my allergy is so severe and there is no hospital nearby.

The food was good, but I usually do not like buffets because I like to eat healthy portions. My favorite foods were the lamb chops fresh from the grill and the strawberry tart for dessert.

The restaurant was modern and had nice ambiance.

The Polynesian dance show was very fun to watch while we enjoyed dinner. The women can dance so well and shake their hips so much! It must be a good work out for them.

Daraius: I didn’t think much of the show. It was they typical crowd pleasing show, which was labeled as a “cultural” show. I guess I wouldn’t have minded if they had just labeled the show as “evening entertainment” instead of suggesting it was a “cultural” experience. Emily Jablon: He’s such a Debbie downer sometimes!

Daraius: The buffet was quite extensive, though not as vast as buffets in Asian countries. I tried the rabbit…

…the fish…

…the oysters & prawns.

There was pasta…

…and about 8 other hot items including rabbit, veal, fish, duck & chicken.

…sea bass too!

The foie gras was my favorite and there was a chef standing by the foie gras who would cut off only a tiny sliver and place it on your plate. I had no hesitation being Oliver!

Eating Outside The Hotel

You can also take the free shuttle boat from the InterContinental Thalasso to the InterContinental La Moana and then go out to eat. There are few restaurants within walking distance from the InterContinental La Moana or you can take a taxi or have some restaurants pick you up for free (probably included in the price of your meal). I’ll write about the restaurants on the island in a separate post.

Here are the shuttle boat timings.

MAKING FOOD IN THE HOTEL

You can also use the electric kettle in the room to make your own food. We boiled some water in our kettle and made soup for a meal. You can also ask to clear out the mini fridge in your room and stock it with supplies from the supermarket (meats, cheese, yogurt etc.) on the main island.

Bottom Line

It is expensive to eat the InterContinental Thalasso so sharing a meal, going out or stocking up on provisions from the super market could save money.