Cook's Bay Beach
Best for. Families and couples who want calm, clear lagoon water and one of the great mountain backdrops in the Pacific, and who care more about snorkelling and scenery than a wide sandy beach.
Best spot. The small public beach and sandbars near the north eastern mouth of the bay, where the water is clearest and gentle enough for children to snorkel over the coral.
Know this. Cook's Bay is a scenic bay rather than a broad sand beach, so for a classic long white beach day the island's main strand at Temae is the better call.
Cook's Bay is one of the most beautiful stretches of water in the South Pacific, a deep blue inlet on Moorea's north coast walled by jagged green volcanic peaks that look almost too dramatic to be real. It is worth being honest up front about what it is and is not. This is a stunning bay with a small public beach and shaded shore, not a broad sweep of white sand. If your heart is set on a long classic beach, Moorea's main strand at Temae on the east coast is the better choice. But if you want calm clear water, superb snorkelling straight off the shore and scenery that stops you in your tracks, Cook's Bay is hard to beat.
For a family the appeal here is the water rather than the size of the beach. Tucked deep inside Moorea's reef, the lagoon in Cook's Bay is warm, clear and usually very calm, with sandbars and patches of coral close in. That makes it a gentle, forgiving place to ease children into snorkelling, floating over reef fish and the occasional ray or turtle without any surf to fight. You reach the best of it near the north eastern mouth of the bay, where a small public beach and shallow sandbars sit in the clearest water. There is no lifeguard, so keep the usual watch on children, mind the coral underfoot and stay aware of the small boats that use the bay, but the conditions themselves are about as easy as tropical water gets.
The practical play is to treat Cook's Bay as a scenery and snorkelling stop woven into a day around the north coast rather than a full beach day camp. The village of Paopao sits right on the bay with shops, restaurants and a couple of hotels, so food, toilets and supplies are close, and one or two of those hotels sell a day pass that adds a pool, loungers and service if you want more comfort with young children. Spend a morning in the water under those peaks, have lunch by the bay, and if the family is craving a long sandy afternoon, drive across to Temae. Taken for what it is, a glorious calm swimming and snorkelling bay with a small beach and an unforgettable backdrop, Cook's Bay is one of the highlights of Moorea.
Hotels and day passes, not a club
Cook's Bay leans on its handful of shoreline hotels and their day passes rather than a designed beach club, which suits an easy family day on the bay.
There is no standalone beach club on Cook's Bay, and the bay does not need one. What it has instead is a small cluster of hotels and restaurants along the shore, one or two of which sell a day pass that gives you a pool, loungers and food service alongside the public beach and lagoon. For a family that combination of calm water outside and a pool and toilets inside is often more useful than any club, especially with young children in tow.
If you would like a designed beach club feel with a pool deck over the lagoon, Moorea's larger resorts sit mostly over on the north west coast around Hauru Point, several with day access, and our Moorea beach clubs guide covers the ones genuinely worth booking. Tell us your dates and party size and we can help arrange a day pass or a lunch table, whether you want to stay on the scenery of Cook's Bay or pair it with a resort pool and a wider beach elsewhere on the island.
The north coast bay
Cook's Bay cuts into Moorea's north coast at the village of Paopao, about twenty five to thirty five minutes by car from the ferry terminal at Vaiare, where the fast catamaran arrives from Papeete on Tahiti in around thirty to forty five minutes. Most visitors hire a car or scooter on the island, since the coast road rings Moorea and makes the bay and the beaches easy to reach. The small public beach sits near the north eastern mouth of the bay.
Come in the drier season from May to October for the calmest, clearest water, and carry a little cash or a card for food, drinks or a hotel day pass. Bring your own snorkel gear, water and reef safe sun cream, use the shops and restaurants in Paopao for supplies and toilets, and keep an eye on children in the water since there is no lifeguard. If the family wants a long sandy afternoon as well, Temae Beach on the east coast is a short drive away.
Photo: Cook's Bay Hotel & Suites, Moorea via GoogleNot ready to book?
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Cook's Bay leans on shoreline hotels and day passes rather than a members club, but tell us your dates and party size and we will help arrange a day pass or lunch on the bay or at a Moorea resort. We reply by email.
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Common questions about Cook's Bay Beach
Is Cook's Bay a real beach or just a bay?
It is a spectacular bay with a small public beach rather than a long sandy strand. There are pockets of sand and shaded shore near the north eastern mouth of the bay, enough to spread a towel and slip into the water, but the draw here is the calm clear lagoon, the snorkelling and the dramatic mountain backdrop. For a wide classic beach on Moorea, the main strand at Temae on the east coast is the better choice.
Can you swim and snorkel at Cook's Bay?
Yes. Deep inside Moorea's reef, the water in Cook's Bay is warm, calm and clear, with sandbars and coral close to shore, so it is gentle swimming and good snorkelling for much of the year. The best spots are near the north eastern mouth of the bay. There is no lifeguard, so supervise children, watch the coral underfoot and stay aware of small boats using the bay.
Is there an entrance fee for Cook's Bay Beach?
No, there is free public access to the shore and the small beach on the bay. You only pay if you choose to buy food or drink at a shoreline restaurant, or take a day pass at one of the hotels on the bay, which adds a pool and loungers. Carry a little cash or a card for that, and bring your own snorkel gear since there are no rentals on the beach itself.
Is Cook's Bay good for families with young children?
For calm water and gentle snorkelling it is lovely, since the lagoon here is usually very still and clear, which suits easing children in. The limits are the small size of the beach and the lack of facilities and lifeguard on the sand, so most families lean on the shops and hotels in Paopao village nearby. If you want a bigger beach for a long sandy afternoon, pair Cook's Bay with Temae across the island.
When is the best time to visit Cook's Bay?
Aim for the drier, cooler season from May to October, which brings the most reliable sunshine, the calmest water and the clearest snorkelling. The wetter months from November to April are warm and lush but bring more rain and the occasional murkier day. Mornings are usually calmest and best for snorkelling before any afternoon breeze picks up across the bay.
How do you get to Cook's Bay on Moorea?
Cook's Bay is on the north coast at Paopao village, about twenty five to thirty five minutes by car from the Vaiare ferry terminal, which receives the fast catamaran from Papeete on Tahiti in around thirty to forty five minutes. Most visitors hire a car or scooter, since the coast road circles the island and makes the bay and the other beaches easy to reach. The small public beach sits near the mouth of the bay.