The Best Beaches for Families in Moorea

Moorea is one of the most beautiful islands in the South Pacific, a ring of jagged green peaks wrapped in a bright, shallow lagoon, and that lagoon is the reason it works so well for families. A barrier reef runs offshore all the way around the island, taking the ocean swell and leaving a band of warm, calm, waist deep water between the reef and the sand. For a parent, that geography does the hard work, turning much of the shoreline into a gentle natural pool where small children can paddle, float and look at fish with an adult beside them.

What lifts it beyond the practical is the sheer visual drama of the setting. The lagoon runs through every shade of turquoise and jade against white sand and the deep green of the mountains, so even a simple family beach day here is spectacular to look at and to photograph. The best family beaches pair that beauty with the gentlest water and the easiest access, and they cluster in two areas, the superb public beach at Temae on the east coast and the sheltered northwest coast around Hauru Point where the small hotels and their calm lagoon frontages sit.

It is honest to say that these are natural beaches rather than managed resort strips, so facilities are modest and you supervise your own group. The reward is a wilder, quieter, more undeveloped kind of family beach day than the big resort islands offer. We have ranked the family beaches below with children in mind, weighing how gentle and shallow the water is, how soft the sand and how easy the snorkelling, alongside shade and access.

The honest read is that Moorea gives families a genuinely gentle sea, but the safety picture is about geography rather than lifeguards. Inside the barrier reef the water is warm, shallow and calm, close to a natural swimming pool, which is exactly what you want with small children. The one firm rule is to keep everyone well away from the reef passes and channels, where the lagoon water drains back out to the ocean and the current can run surprisingly hard. Stay in the shallow inner lagoon and that risk simply does not arise.

Underfoot, come prepared. The sand at Temae is soft, but many lagoon beaches have patches of coral rubble and rock, so light reef shoes make paddling and snorkelling more comfortable for children and help protect both their feet and the living coral. Bring your own water, sun cover and snacks too, because these are natural beaches with modest facilities rather than serviced resort strips, and the shade varies from good under the palms at Tipaniers to more open at Temae.

Finally, treat the conditions as typical rather than guaranteed and let the mornings shape your day. The lagoon is calmest and clearest early, before any afternoon breeze, which is the best time for young snorkellers and the prettiest light for the water. Watch your own group closely, keep children in the shallows, and Moorea rewards a family with warm, gentle, jewel coloured water in one of the loveliest settings anywhere in the Pacific.

Moorea does not run a loud beach club scene, which suits a family, and the comfortable bases tend to be the lagoon frontages and restaurants of the small hotels around Hauru Point, plus the day facilities some open to visitors. Those give you shade, a bite to eat and easy access to the gentlest water without the crowds of a resort island. Operators, opening days and any minimum spend vary and shift with the season, so we keep the live picture on the directory. Tell us your dates and the kind of day you want and we pass the enquiry on to confirm what is open.