Apatoa Beach & Garden Village

Shell-curved roofs mark the villas at Apatoa, echoing the local shells the hotel was designed around. The lagoon sits close enough to hear from the terraces, its water running clear over an eight-metre drop-off and coral reef just offshore. The property takes its name from the Tahitian word for south, marking its position at the southern tip of Raiatea, among the Leeward Islands between Bora Bora, Taha'a, and Huahine. Ten Troca villas sit garden-side, each with a covered terrace and its own patch of planted ground. Five Luxe villas face the lagoon directly, shell-shaped and fitted with a private pool, built for watching the sunset from a wide terrace. A single Prestige villa stands apart on a hill above the grounds, sea-facing, with over a hectare of ground to itself. You can snorkel or paddle a kayak straight off the beach, both included, or arrange a boat trip to the sacred marae at Taputapuatea, a UNESCO World Heritage site nearby. A spa faces the marae grounds across a stretch of garden, built for quiet rather than spectacle. Check-in runs from 3pm.