Stayed 3 nights at this resort during our stay in tranquil Huahine.

How can you not be extremely happy with the beautiful interiors of the Relais Mahana bungalows? First class! Also, the idyllic beach was everything they say it is... the nicest spot on Huahine.

Unfortunately, what keeps this resort from going from good-to-great is the lousy service and food. Most workers were a bit "frowny" and definitely not "there with a smile."

One anecdote: the wife and I took lunch back to our bungalow to eat on the porch (with prior permission from the waitress at the restaurant). Halfway through our meal another worker came tromping to our bungalow and hollered that we "aren't allowed to eat at our bungalows due to ants". Fine (although a little more tact would have been nice). What"s ironic is that they sell sodas, chips, candy, etc. from the mini-fridge!

The food in the restaurant is abysmal. We ate there the first night and had some variety of strange French fusion that was foo-foo and terrible. And paid handsomely for the experience.

Do yourself a huge favor and eat at nearby Pension Mauarii. Friendly staff and incredible fresh local food. We at here the remaining of our nights and loved it. They offer free pickup/dropoff from the Mahana.

My husband and I went to the Relais Mahana a few years ago as a couple and loved it. This time, we brought our 20-something daughters with us and stayed in one of the beach bungalows that can accommodate 4 people- a king sized bed and 2 twin beds. The room is right on the water on top of a sea wall and has a fantastic view. The room inside is quite dark though and not particularly attractive. I did not realize that the bungalows are duplexes and each bungalow shares a common wall with its neighbor. Fortunately for us, the bungalow next to us remained unoccupied during our visit, but if another family had been in there, it would have significantly detracted from the privacy of our bungalow. I shudder to think how it might have been if a crying baby were on the other side of the wall. The management has changed since our last visit and the hotel staff and its operation seemed a bit more lax. In some ways, this was nice. They have not done much in the last two years to improve the facility. The pool is really a joke- small, ugly, and no one uses it. The beach towels looked a bit shabby and in need of replacement. They have cut down on the bathroom amenities- no more lotion. The continental breakfast is reduced to bread and fruit. (The last time it also included meat and cheese and my favorite- po'e). They no longer serve po'e and the meat and cheese are extra $$. The only fruit on the continental breakfast that was served the entire week we were there was watermelon. I was surprised by this because we were looking forward to papaya, banana, mango, etc. Lunch and dinner there were better than we remembered and their vanilla sauce is superb. Poisson Cru was also excellent. The snorkeling in front of the resort is wonderful, the car rental clerk in the lobby is very helpful and convenient, the water is crystal clear and breathtaking, the beach is walkable for many miles. All in all, a wonderful location with a hotel that has all the basic amenities and makes for a comfortable, laid-back experience. Huahine is my favorite island ever, and I would go back every year if I could afford the airfare.

The hotel has a really nice beach with coral reef just few meters from the shore. Still there was no need for shoes to enter the ocean.
The swimming pool is small and in desperate need of renovation, I decided not to use it, as most of the guests actually.
Standard bungalows are clean and spacious, with comfortable bed and nice decor. There is no A/C but a ceiling fan. The problem is when it is hot or dark in the room, you need to open the terrace door which lets everyone passing bay on a common path to the lobby and restaurant to have a peak into your room. Standard bungalows are close to the street, fortunately the traffic is minimal. Some of them have a beach view, though placed in the second line.
The internet is quite expensive - you pay 1000 XPF each half an hour and you are allowed to use it on the hotel's comp only.
When it comes to the food it is ok, nothing more. The choice could have been bigger, specially when it comes to seafood.
What I dislike most is the staff full of oneself having problem with almost everything you ask for. Only the manager was helpful, but the lobby workers made me feel an intruder.

Huahine, while being a double island with the somewhat larger North part (Nui) connected to the South part (Iti) by a bridge, is still much smaller than the neighboring Raiatea. But it is a charming and very laid-back little gem. Most of the business life - if any – is concentrated on the Northern island including the “capital” Fare. The beaches and most of the nicer hotels are in the South. We have stayed at Relais Mahana, a hotel with about a dozen or so well-equipped bungalows. The reception was very friendly, the room clean and nicely decorated. There is not too much space, though. There is no kitchen, just a small fridge stocked with the usual minibar stuff. The nights can be unpleasantly hot, and you have the choice between melting away with the windows closed and the ceiling fan on, or getting some fresh air to-gether with lots of mosquitoes. It would have been a nice idea to equip the windows with an anti-mosquito-mesh!
A magasin is within walking distance if you like to walk 2 km one way. However, the room brochure tells you that you are not supposed to eat in the room or on the terrace. The reason given is to avoid attracting the wild dogs, but we think the aim is to have you eat in the hotel restaurant. The restaurant is reasonable. They offer the unavoidable poisson cru (raw fish salad) and fish with vanilla sauce (excellent). You can have snacks like pizza or casse-croute for lunch.
The most beautiful part of this hotel is the beach, which extends from the restaurant South. A huge mango tree offers plenty of shady places. There are sufficient beds available along the beach, also free kayaks, beach towels and snorkeling gear. The pool is hidden behind the reception. This is probably a good idea since it would need renovation. But there is no real need for it, either.
Altogether a nice island and a friendly place to stay for a couple of days.