A World Of Possibilities

This home’s location is nothing short of spectacular. The Bora Bora sunsets, sunrise views and everything in between are postcard perfect. It’s close to town and a number of good restaurants. In its day it was also a high end luxury home with a lot of interesting design elements. Now it’s a very well used Airbnb with a fair amount of deferred maintenance and a lack of amenities that would be reasonably expected in the 5 star luxury home promised by Third Home. Any five or six missing elements could easily be overlooked and cultural differences could also be anticipated. There is no soap, shampoo, tissues, trash receptacles, hair dryer, or extra towels in any of the bathrooms. We were provided one white towel per person and no beach towels at all. Sinks are not grouted to the counters so they move. The only bathtub was inoperative and leaks. There is no dryer in a very damp island environment so it takes days for clothes to dry and there are only a few clothespins anyway. No microwave, few utensils, and no water sized glasses. There’s no blender and only a single dish towel (we bought them more). The fridge and dishwasher are mounted sideways and still make it difficult to open cabinets and drawers. There is a water heater but somehow the house is plumbed so that hot water shuts off entirely when combinations of fixtures are used. The majority of the doors to a beautiful lanai are broken and don’t open. Worn and stained woodwork is badly in need of refinishing. The entry gate is in need of repair and is very difficult to use. Thankfully, the housekeeper was able to let us in. The front door lock is broken. Trash and compost bins in the house were also overflowing. There’s more but you get the idea that a lot of TLC and deferred maintenance work is needed. On the other hand if the owner did some work it could be a fantastic luxury home again. Our situation was further complicated because many of the amenities listed with Third Home simply do not exist. It appears that Third Home’s AI generated listing was a little overzealous and the owner didn’t double check their listing to make sure it was correct. We were told there were four bedrooms, four bathrooms, chef’s kitchen, full air conditioning, washer/dryer, and a swimming pool among other missing promises. There are three bathrooms, no dryer, no air conditioning in one of the bedrooms, no door on that bedroom either, an inadequate kitchen, and no swimming pool at all. The owner seemed genuinely concerned and Third Home did their best to respond but on the other hand we still had two couples sharing one bathroom with water issues along with all the previous concerns. Many of our concerns could be resolved if Third Home provided owners with a list of the type of amenities that might be expected in a five- star, luxury home. It would also be helpful for owners to give some real thought to what they expect when they visit a five-star hotel, or other luxury accommodation. While in its current condition, we cannot recommend this home we still had an absolutely fantastic time on Raiatea and wholeheartedly recommend a visit to the island. The people are friendly and hospitable. The physical beauty is unsurpassed. We appreciate the owner’s hospitality and really hope that our comments are taken as the well-meaning suggestions that they are intended.”