Some info from a 9 day trip I took to Moorea last April:
It's a beautiful island. Super easy to get to from Tahiti island / Papeete (30 min ferry, cheap). Just one road, takes about an hour to drive around Moorea. Everyone is very friendly.
rental car: Avis is located right across the street from where you get off the ferry in Moorea. Super easy, friendly, no surprises,
nicest beach: I would say Temae beach on the NE side, with the beautiful sand, the turquoise blue water (very warm), and has the classic overwater bungalows jutting out in the distance (Sofitel hotel) that many picture when they think of Tahiti. There's also a great viewpoint (Toatea Lookout) that overlooks it from above.
best snorkelling: Most will do a boat tour that takes you to a few different spots, including the area where you snorkel with stingrays and sharks (there are only harmless species around Moorea). There's also good snorkelling between the two motus (small islands, calm shallow water) near Coco Beach. Captain Taina is a family run company that offers a tour like this. They use a glass bottom boat.
Another popular thing to do is to reserve lunch at Coco Beach restaurant, and it includes a boat transfer. They take you out to Coco Beach, where you can eat, relax all day, snorkel between the motus, or just watch stingrays float by from the beach.
Coco Beach reservations can fill up, so have a look at their website well ahead of time. It's one of the most popular things to do on Moorea.
Alternatively, you can rent kayaks or SUPs at Tipnautic on the beach at Tipaniers Hotel. If you do that, you can paddle/kayak out to Coco Beach & the motus yourself. Or head in the other direction towards the popular stingray/shark viewing area.
The other popular snorkelling spot is at Temae beach mentioned above. Swim towards the Sofitel (the overwater bungalows). Some nice coral and fish.
Sunset cruise with 'Catamaran named Taboo': nice way to see Moorea from a bit offshore. Should only be 8-10 on board at most. The sunsets in Tahiti are awesome.
Tropical garden: very steep hill to get up there, especially at the end. Can be a little dicey in an underpowered manual rental car speaking from
experience. There isn't actually much of a garden, but the view is great, and it had really good food and sorbets. Also supposed to be one of the
better places to buy real Tahitian vanilla.
Hiking: There's a paved road up to Belvedere Lookout, easy to drive up. You can just check out the view from the parking lot, but if you want to get away from the crowd there are also two hikes that start from there: Three Pines and Three Coconuts.
If only doing one I would pick Three Pines. It gets you an even nicer view than the parking lot viewpoint, hopefully to yourself, and a swing. Start early in the morning if hiking in Tahiti to beat the sun and the crowds. The trail is shaded with tropical trees the whole way, but be prepared to sweat a lot with the humidity.
Memorable meals: At the Hilton Moorea you can walk around all the boardwalks that connect all the expensive overwater bungalows. There's also a place there called the Toatea Creperie. Around 8 PM when it's dark out, the water below the creperie is lit up and you can watch sharks circle below you as you eat. But read the reviews of this place first to know what to expect. It can take a *long* time to get your food, which is fine if you're
expecting that, as it's a pretty nice spot to eat a crepe.
And they also expect you to have a reservation, but it's not really clear how to make one if you're not staying there. You might be able to call the Hilton front desk to make one. I just showed up at 7 PM, and they asked if I had a reservation. I said no, and they said to come back at 8.
The food at the tropical garden was also good as I mentioned, and Casa Vincenzo had really good pizza.
Places to stay: Cook's Bay is one of the most scenic spots on the island and you can find some nice Airbnbs here with views of Cook's Bay. Otherwise, there's a wide range of accommodations on Moorea, from relatively inexpensive all the way up to the overwater bungalows at the Hilton or Sofitel.
Here's my map of Moorea with things to do/see, hikes, restaurants, etc.
https://tinyurl.com/mt3dcxrt
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