After two nights in Tahiti with Sefora, two solo nights in Bora Bora, and one final night back in Tahiti… saying I was tired would be an understatement.
So when a friendly staff member recommended two excellent-sounding restaurants in Papeete for dinner, I smiled, nodded, and promptly decided not to go. What I needed wasn’t a city adventure – it was ease. I stayed put and opted to dine at San, the Japanese restaurant right downstairs at the Hilton Hotel Tahiti. The ability to take an elevator instead of a taxi was all the convincing I needed.
Within minutes from my hotel room, I was seated, tucked away from other’s chatter and distractions and free to focus on food and the quiet I’d been craving.
I started with the SHO CHIKU BAI SAKE. It was light and delicate. Sipping from a coupe glass gave it an added air of calm elegance.
Next, a comforting cup of MISO SOUP and the SPICY TUNA ROLL (tuna, cucumber salad and mayo sriracha).
Then, came the TONKATSU PORK (panko fried pork loin, tonkatsu sauce). It was not traditional in the strictest sense, as the sauce leaned more BBQ than classic Japanese gravy. But, it worked. The dish was rich, filling, and exactly what I needed after a long day of travel and adjusting.
In the end, I was glad I stayed at the hotel. Dinner at San gave me exactly what I needed: a delicious, grounding meal and the headspace to drift off into a deep, well-fed sleep.
San at the Hilton Hotel Tahiti
Auae FaaaPapeete 98713, 98713 French Polynesia
