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Date: August 2010 - Tahiti

HOTEL ROYAL TAHITIEN
The Royal Tahitien, best sample of local middle priced hostelerie, is for sale

It was in 1983 or 84... it doesn't matter anyway.
A funny sarcastic guy with a grayish growing beard, looking rather hirsute, accompanied by a gorgeous blonde with an eloquent neckline, was sipping a punch, his eyes were hidden behind mean looking US cop style Ray Bans.
It was on the side of the kitsch style patio of a renowned hotel, a remnant of the heroic times of the "Bringue", these happy years before nuclear testing. A totally surrealistic moment!

This unknown man was Ringo Starr, the last one of the Fabulous Four of Liverpool, the woman, his companion, Barbara Bach, ex top-model and James Bond Girl in "The Spy Who Loved Me", and the place that Ringo found "so quiet", was the Royal Tahitien, right by the sea with a really black sand beach, in Pirae north of Tahiti. A magical stopover that the Beatles former drummer had for a long time looked for all over the planet, to really get away from the rest of the world.
After a few days spent at the Royal Tahitien, Ringo Starr ended up admitting that it had been years since last time he had such a "cool" vacation.

Today, the "Royal", as it is called by all the Polynesians, is for sale. An entire side of the beginning of tourism has collapsed. Its 40 rooms pleasantly decorated local style have received thousands of stars and anonymous persons, not to mention the bungalows which today no longer exist. In the luscious gardens along the beach, week after week were the fashion shooting sessions aimed at highlighting collections of old clothes worn ny authemtic vahine of the time. If this place could tell about all they lived through during these long decades!

 For the city, it is important that the future buyer respect the tourism destination of the place, but economic constraints rarely get along with the respect of memories.

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