About

  The stark landscape, solitude, and infinite horizons refocus your universe inward. Relax and reflect whilst you unwind in one of their our private beachfront day beds or float in the... read more lagoon in an acquatic landscape.
Surrounded by pink sand beaches, abundant marine life, impeccable waves and prevailing trade winds, this secluded retreat is the ultimate paradise for every type of water sports enthusiast. It caters to divers, surfers, fishermen, stand up paddlers and kite boarders. In fact,Chris the owner told us that the name Ninamu, which means 'blue' in Tahitian, was inspired by the surrounding sapphire lagoon.There are only eight unique bungalows at the Ninamu Resort, all handcrafted from natural, locally sourced materials.

Ninamu owner, Chris O'Callaghan, is a man with a back story. Variously a tradie, air steward, yachtie, surf competition founder (not just any surf comp, but Teahupo'o)
Chris is a very sociable and accommodating Australian native who will keep you entertained and pours a stiff drink at the bar.Ninam is just the place to live out your fantasy of a remote island escape. More

  My expectations of Ninamu were very high, and yet they were still exceeded. My husband and I stayed there in early November for 4 nights and the whole experience... read more was seamless, exhilarating, and relaxing. We loved the feel of the resort and enjoyed getting to...More

  We had a lovely time at the Ninamu resort in Tikehau. The staff were so nice. The food was incredible and we loved our bungalow! Happy hour was a lot... read more of fun. Wish we could of stayed longer, but such good memories. We will be...More

  We throughly enjoyed our 8 day stay at Ninamu, the daily excursions were exactly why I chose Ninamu Resort. The snorkeling on the reef outside the passage way contained the... read more highest concentration of tropical fish I have ever seen in a lifetime of freediving. All the meals prepared by Cheffy were excellent!! Breakfast consisted of fresh baked bread, tropical fruit and juice plus eggs cooked to order. Lunch and dinner was excellent tasting local fish plus a French dessert and espresso and Cheffy would come out of the kitchen and converse with us about his life and the dishes he prepared. Where else could you ever experience this type of interaction. Our Miki Miki room was an awesome open air benchfront treefort style room built with island wood and coral. The owner Chris was the most down to earth, interersting, entertaining, one of a kind personalities that we couldn't get enough of. His stories and comments were hilarious. I appreciated he was always in the dining room each evening to talk with guests and joined us for dinner at our table one night. If you are looking for a St. Regis/Four Seasons style resort Ninamu is not for you. But if you want the freedom to explore the surrounding reefs on your own and create adventures and unforgettable memories then this island is spot on. Note to self: be sure not to bring sand onto the captain's boat unless I... We throughly enjoyed our 8 day stay at Ninamu, the daily excursions were exactly why I chose Ninamu Resort. The snorkeling on the reef outside the passage way contained the highest concentration of tropical fish I have ever seen in a lifetime of freediving.
All the meals prepared by Cheffy were excellent!! Breakfast consisted of fresh baked bread, tropical fruit and juice plus eggs cooked to order. Lunch and dinner was excellent tasting local fish plus a French dessert and espresso and Cheffy would come out of the kitchen and converse with us about his life and the dishes he prepared. Where else could you ever experience this type of interaction. Our Miki Miki room was an awesome open air benchfront treefort style room built with island wood and coral.
The owner Chris was the most down to earth, interersting, entertaining, one of a kind personalities that we couldn't get enough of. His stories and comments were hilarious. I appreciated he was always in the dining room each evening to talk with guests and joined us for dinner at our table one night. If you are looking for a St. Regis/Four Seasons style resort Ninamu is not for you. But if you want the freedom to explore the surrounding reefs on your own and create adventures and unforgettable memories then this island is spot on. Note to self: be sure not to bring sand onto the captain's boat unless I want to swab the decks. In closing the staff became as close as family members with their interesting and fun conversations and we learned some French, "Vola". We actually shed tears and exerienced emotion separation when we departed. Can't wait to return to the most special place on Earth. Chris and Colleen Machado
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  We have just returned from a two-week trip to French Polynesia (Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Tikehau) and the four nights in Ninamu were undoubtedly the highlight. With three kids age... read more 10, 8 and 5 the motu was perfect as they had the freedom to run...More

  My expectations of Ninamu were very high, and yet they were still exceeded. My husband and I stayed there in early November for 4 nights and the whole experience... read more was seamless, exhilarating, and relaxing. We loved the feel of the resort and enjoyed getting to know the other guests on the excursions and in the time leading up to meals in the dining room. I highly recommend Ninamu if you are up for a little bit of an adventure and you really want to get away from it all. ARRIVAL: Upon arrival at the tiny airport of Tikehau, we were greeted with flower leis (note: sit on the left side of the plane flying in and you'll see Ninamu as you come in to land), transferred in a vehicle to the marina, and then taken by boat to the island. Black-tip reef sharks followed us to the dock in our wake. THE RESORT: Our bungalow was fantastic! Each one is unique and I don't think you can go wrong. The mosquitoes were quite active while we were there, but staff will put mosquito coils in your room if you ask and that helps a lot (bring bug spray!). For being open air, the bungalow was very clean and the view of the water from the porch was perfection. We found the bed to be very comfortable, and between the breeze and the fans, the temperature was also comfortable at night.... My expectations of Ninamu were very high, and yet they were still exceeded. My husband and I stayed there in early November for 4 nights and the whole experience was seamless, exhilarating, and relaxing. We loved the feel of the resort and enjoyed getting to know the other guests on the excursions and in the time leading up to meals in the dining room. I highly recommend Ninamu if you are up for a little bit of an adventure and you really want to get away from it all.

ARRIVAL: Upon arrival at the tiny airport of Tikehau, we were greeted with flower leis (note: sit on the left side of the plane flying in and you'll see Ninamu as you come in to land), transferred in a vehicle to the marina, and then taken by boat to the island. Black-tip reef sharks followed us to the dock in our wake.

THE RESORT: Our bungalow was fantastic! Each one is unique and I don't think you can go wrong. The mosquitoes were quite active while we were there, but staff will put mosquito coils in your room if you ask and that helps a lot (bring bug spray!). For being open air, the bungalow was very clean and the view of the water from the porch was perfection. We found the bed to be very comfortable, and between the breeze and the fans, the temperature was also comfortable at night. The beach is a beautiful orangey-pink, you can walk out to the break from the island (bring sturdy water shoes!), and you can walk around the whole island in about 30 minutes. The staff were very helpful and cheerful, but not in your face at every turn, which I really appreciated (don't come here if you want to be waited on hand and foot). Cedric cracked us up with his dry humor, Cheffy checked in on us daily, and Marco answered questions for us about the rest of French Polynesia. We also loved having the two dogs around (Coleman and Poi) as it made us feel more at home.

FOOD: Wonderfully delicious! Meal times are set at 7:30am, 12:30pm and 7pm. The breakfast buffet consisted of meats, cheeses, lots of fruit, homemade breads, pancakes, and eggs made to order. Lunch was always a hearty meal that hit the spot after active mornings in the water. Dinner included an appetizer, entree and dessert. Upon booking, you will be asked if you have any dietary restrictions. I don't like the taste of fish (lame, I know!), but it wasn't an issue for the kitchen and my meals of chicken and beef were amazing. We brought a bunch of snacks with us on the trip because we always worry we'll be hungry, but we didn't eat any of them!

EXCURSIONS: The fact that a daily excursion was included in the price is one of the main reasons we chose Ninamu (that and the food reviews). The excursions did not disappoint and the boat captains/snorkeling guides were awesome. They are quiet guys (Mana and Noha), who know their stuff, but they are quick to laugh and just added to the chill vibe of the whole experience. We went out every morning and in our 4 days we were able to snorkel with the manta rays twice (dream come true!) and also saw three other snorkel spots. Noha found an octopus, a moray eel, a Napoleon fish and so many other cool fish for us to see. One of the days we had snorkeled in two places already and Mana stopped for us to snorkel in a third spot. Everyone was a bit tired at that point, so Mana and Noha suggested we fish from the boat instead, which was a great suggestion and we had a lot of fun. My husband got together with some of the other resort guests to go deep sea fishing one afternoon and he said it was awesome. We snorkeled in the lagoon right off the beach of Ninamu every afternoon and found something new each time. We saw black-tip reef sharks, sting rays, eels, flounder and even another octopus!

The only disappointment suffered was that Chris and Greta were traveling elsewhere during our visit. I would have loved to meet the people who dreamed Ninamu into reality. We went into this trip thinking it was a once in a lifetime experience, but now we can't stop talking about wanting to come back some day. More

  Ninamu is on a lovely little island and we stayed in a cool treehouse style room. It is great if you are trying to get away from the modern world.... read more However, if you need modern conveniences like air con, then Ninamu is not for you....More

  Ninamu Resort was the first stop on our honeymoon in French Polynesia and we absolutely loved the experience. We booked our trip through Tahiti Legends- Noy was our travel agent... read more and planned our stay absolutely perfectly. If you're interested in visiting Ninamu, we HIGHLY recommend working with Noy and Tahiti Legends because we didn't have to worry about a thing and they handle all the logistics for you.

Ninamu is a beautiful, rustic, gem of an island where you're able to relax, do water activities (snorkeling, fishing, swimming, boating), and enjoy all the magic the island has to offer, and the resort staff is excellent all-around.

  We recently returned from a trip to Ninamu and had the best time! Chris, Greta, and their staff were incredibly gracious and kind. They always asked if we needed anything.... read more The food was delicious and always 5 star. We felt like we were part of their family, living their adventurous life. We saw huge Mantas, sharks, and even went fishing where we caught a giant tuna! Taking Chris’ trimaran to a private BBQ lunch was a particular highlight. Our bungalow was beautiful and clean; the island, with it’s pink sand, is simply paradise. We weren’t sure what this adventure would be like, traveling in the middle of the pandemic, but we would go again in a heartbeat. They handled the situation very professionally yet we felt completely comfortable and far removed from the hectic covid-19 stress of everyday life. We cannot wait to return! More

  Seriously this place could be renamed Eden!!! Unbelievably beautiful from all perspectives: the sea, the coral, the pink beach, the small houses made with so much taste, but that's not... read more it. It is not a typical western hotel in Polynesia, it is a truly Polynesian experience, extremely authentic. You are in the middle of nowhere with only 20 people around you, you eat all together, become friends with the staff and with the other tourists. The kitchen is divine based on the catch of the day and the creations of an amazing French Chef who could be a star on his own. All of this without mentioning the amazing excursions you can do every day. The warmest hello to the whole Motu by Dalia & Alex, thanks again. More