The Polynesian Village is one of our favorite places to stay, especially chilling out on the beach when it’s a little cooler with a nice breeze coming off the Seven Seas Lagoon. Even better if you have a chance to catch the sun setting between the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian.
If you have ever had the chance to stay here or even passed through to visit the interactive bar Trader Sam’s or had a bite to eat at Kona Cafe or ‘Ohana, then you know how easy it is to fall in love with this resort. Between the lush tropical scenery that awaits around every turn, the rock salt finished concrete pathways, the white sand beaches and water features accented with volcanic rock, you will certainly feel like you’ve landed somewhere in the South Pacific. We have only stayed in the Moorea building, but one of the things that caught my attention was the bathroom. And before you say anything, no, it’s not because we hit the nearest Chipotle on the way down. It was definitely the shower that drew my attention.
The Polynesian Village is one of our favorite places to stay, especially chilling out on the beach when it’s a little cooler with a nice breeze coming off the Seven Seas Lagoon. Even better if you have a chance to catch the sun setting between the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian.
If you have ever had the chance to stay here or even passed through to visit the interactive bar Trader Sam’s or had a bite to eat at Kona Cafe or ‘Ohana, then you know how easy it is to fall in love with this resort. Between the lush tropical scenery that awaits around every turn, the rock salt finished concrete pathways, the white sand beaches and water features accented with volcanic rock, you will certainly feel like you’ve landed somewhere in the South Pacific. We have only stayed in the Moorea building, but one of the things that caught my attention was the bathroom. And before you say anything, no, it’s not because we hit the nearest Chipotle on the way down. It was definitely the shower that drew my attention.
The shower was separate from the main bath which we enjoyed because we were both able to get ready without being in each other’s way. We were not that lucky with our first home – one sink, one shower, one toilet and one husky that had no concept of privacy whatsoever. Let’s just say there wasn’t a whole lot of room to move around when getting ready. Both bathrooms had black rectangular tile flooring that resembled shale w/ dark grey sand-less grout.
The walls matched with squared tile and was accented with varying bluish green mosaic tiles that reminded me of a waterfall with a kind of tribal feel to it. The mosaic tile was met by a black river rock that lined a section of the shower floor. Hanging just above was an antique bronze rainfall style shower head that added with the mosaic gave off the feeling like you were taking a shower under a waterfall. The white speckled black granite bench was a nice added touch that matched the counters and complimented the teak-like vanities wonderfully. Finish it off with a splash of aqua blue paint to accent the cream walls and you’re in paradise.
The shower was separate from the main bath which we enjoyed because we were both able to get ready without being in each other’s way. We were not that lucky with our first home – one sink, one shower, one toilet and one husky that had no concept of privacy whatsoever. Let’s just say there wasn’t a whole lot of room to move around when getting ready. Both bathrooms had black rectangular tile flooring that resembled shale w/ dark grey sand-less grout.
The walls matched with squared tile and was accented with varying bluish green mosaic tiles that reminded me of a waterfall with a kind of tribal feel to it. The mosaic tile was met by a black river rock that lined a section of the shower floor. Hanging just above was an antique bronze rainfall style shower head that added with the mosaic gave off the feeling like you were taking a shower under a waterfall. The white speckled black granite bench was a nice added touch that matched the counters and complimented the teak-like vanities wonderfully. Finish it off with a splash of aqua blue paint to accent the cream walls and you’re in paradise.
The last time we visited the Polynesian Village was at the end of April 2021. Nearly 2 months after Camilles 1st birthday. Whenever we would let Camille have screen time, Moana was her first choice of movie. She had a fun tropical themed birthday party where she even got to dress the part of Moana. We decided to keep the party going by staying at the Polynesian and she absolutely loved it. The resort has since gone through a massive renovation which sadly means that one of my favorite places to shower is now non-existant. They now have a lighter color palette which brightens up the space a little more, but I for one will miss the old shower theming. Camille will end up liking the new theming since people have since dubbed it the “Moana Makeover”.
The last time we visited the Polynesian Village was at the end of April 2021. Nearly 2 months after Camilles 1st birthday. Whenever we would let Camille have screen time, Moana was her first choice of movie. She had a fun tropical themed birthday party where she even got to dress the part of Moana. We decided to keep the party going by staying at the Polynesian and she absolutely loved it. The resort has since gone through a massive renovation which sadly means that one of my favorite places to shower is now non-existant. They now have a lighter color palette which brightens up the space a little more, but I for one will miss the old shower theming. Camille will end up liking the new theming since people have since dubbed it the “Moana Makeover”.
Before their renovation, we did a little renovating of our own. The only problem with trying to recreate something that you may see at your favorite resort or destination is that a lot of the theming is customized. That means there’s no going to your local tile store and picking out the same tile they used. But no need to fret . . . With a little creativity (and a lot of searching) you can achieve something similar and sometimes better than the original design. This is exactly what happened with our renovation. We were able to find a similar color palette and beautiful, transparent glass mosaic tiles that resembled the look of water running down the wall. It turned out so much better than we imagined.
Before their renovation, we did a little renovating of our own. The only problem with trying to recreate something that you may see at your favorite resort or destination is that a lot of the theming is customized. That means there’s no going to your local tile store and picking out the same tile they used. But no need to fret . . . With a little creativity (and a lot of searching) you can achieve something similar and sometimes better than the original design. This is exactly what happened with our renovation. We were able to find a similar color palette and beautiful, transparent glass mosaic tiles that resembled the look of water running down the wall. It turned out so much better than we imagined.
Help from a dog
Like I said…Apollo has no boundaries
Help from a dog
Like I said…Apollo has no boundaries
The Recreation
Our project went a little beyond your typical remodel. As mentioned before, we had little space in our master bath to move around so we ended up moving some walls, taking space from the pantry and guest bathroom to accomplish our desired look. We also found that the subfloor had some wood rot and water damage so we replaced that as well. After replacing the flooring and moving walls, we put up mildew/mold resistant bathroom rated drywall. Now we have a nice clean substrates to work from.
The Recreation
Our project went a little beyond your typical remodel. As mentioned before, we had little space in our master bath to move around so we ended up moving some walls, taking space from the pantry and guest bathroom to accomplish our desired look. We also found that the subfloor had some wood rot and water damage so we replaced that as well. After replacing the flooring and moving walls, we put up mildew/mold resistant bathroom rated drywall. Now we have a nice clean substrates to work from.
We ended up using the Schluter system for all of the underlayment. They have everything from waterproof membranes, drains, wall panels, uncoupled flooring with or without heating capabilities, substrates, trim and much more. We went with the Schluter Kerdi membrane for the shower walls and Schluter Ditra for the flooring and used a laser level to line up the grids on the Kerdi; which made it easier to evenly lay the tile. There are a lot of good instructional video tutorials on product use and installation directly on the Schluter website.
Most of our tile was purchased at Best Tile because the staff was more than helpful and patient throughout our project. This was our first tile job and had a ton of questions and they were always pleasant and informative to work with. We chose a black slate stone porcelain with a high PEI rating that would stand up to years of abuse because I for one did not want to do this project a second time 10 years from now. We tiled the floor first so the wall would have some additional support over the flooring and also gave us a reference point so the mosaic would be the same width as the river rock bed.
We ended up using the Schluter system for all of the underlayment. They have everything from waterproof membranes, drains, wall panels, uncoupled flooring with or without heating capabilities, substrates, trim and much more. We went with the Schluter Kerdi membrane for the shower walls and Schluter Ditra for the flooring and used a laser level to line up the grids on the Kerdi; which made it easier to evenly lay the tile. There are a lot of good instructional video tutorials on product use and installation directly on the Schluter website.
Most of our tile was purchased at Best Tile because the staff was more than helpful and patient throughout our project. This was our first tile job and had a ton of questions and they were always pleasant and informative to work with. We chose a black slate stone porcelain with a high PEI rating that would stand up to years of abuse because I for one did not want to do this project a second time 10 years from now. We tiled the floor first so the wall would have some additional support over the flooring and also gave us a reference point so the mosaic would be the same width as the river rock bed.
Kneel For Your New King
I was able to get some help doing the mosaic wall from a friend from work. His only request was that he be dubbed the new Night King. (If you know, you know)
We moved on to the mosaic wall next, tiling the slate and trim first so we had a nice straight edge to follow. We used two separate mosaics, one in the waterfall design and the other in a glass pebble design to accentuate the waterfall itself and add break everything up a little bit. We were lucky to find different mosaics types with a matching color palette since we bought the waterfall off of Wayfair and the glass pebbles at Floor & Decor. We kept the cut pieces of mosaic to later use to fill in gaps along the straight edge.
Kneel For Your New King
I was able to get some help doing the mosaic wall from a friend from work. His only request was that he be dubbed the new Night King. (If you know, you know)
We moved on to the mosaic wall next, tiling the slate and trim first so we had a nice straight edge to follow. We used two separate mosaics, one in the waterfall design and the other in a glass pebble design to accentuate the waterfall itself and add break everything up a little bit. We were lucky to find different mosaics types with a matching color palette since we bought the waterfall off of Wayfair and the glass pebbles at Floor & Decor. We kept the cut pieces of mosaic to later use to fill in gaps along the straight edge.
We found some dimensional grout made by Bostik from Floor & Decor which has an awesome translucent sparkling effect. Best part is it came in aqua which matched the color of the mosaics almost perfectly. You can get this grout in a variety of different colors to match your mosaic color palette too. This stuff had almost a slushy kind of consistency to it but it worked into all the nooks and crannies very well. It was a bit messy to work with though so make sure to lay something down to catch the loose cannons. After it cures, I recommend using a product from Bostik called Blaze which helps remove the haze left behind.
We found some dimensional grout made by Bostik from Floor & Decor which has an awesome translucent sparkling effect. Best part is it came in aqua which matched the color of the mosaics almost perfectly. You can get this grout in a variety of different colors to match your mosaic color palette too. This stuff had almost a slushy kind of consistency to it but it worked into all the nooks and crannies very well. It was a bit messy to work with though so make sure to lay something down to catch the loose cannons. After it cures, I recommend using a product from Bostik called Blaze which helps remove the haze left behind.
After finishing the mosaic we moved in to tiling the bench then the walls. For the wall we used an alternating pattern of 12×24 and 4×24 black topography porcelain tile. Once we got to the niche, we used a lot of scrap pieces from the mosaic and curb. After finishing the tile we added the granite top for the bench and the curb. Buying remnant pieces of granite will help save you money. At this point the project was really starting to take shape. Moving on to the grout next. We chose an epoxy grout which can be a pain to work with and you have to work fast but the payoff for the durability was worth it. After everything was set and cured, we installed all of the shower heads and the glass door (do not attempt to install this on your own). At this point all that was needed was to paint, add the trim, toilet and vanity and we were finally able to enjoy our new Polynesian shower. We installed a new fan for the bathroom that had a built in Bluetooth speaker. This way I could link it to my phone and play soothing tropical rainforest sounds while I showered which really stepped things up a notch. Tell us what you think of the design in the comments and thank you for stopping by! Be sure to check out the video of the finished product here.
After finishing the mosaic we moved in to tiling the bench then the walls. For the wall we used an alternating pattern of 12×24 and 4×24 black topography porcelain tile. Once we got to the niche, we used a lot of scrap pieces from the mosaic and curb. After finishing the tile we added the granite top for the bench and the curb. Buying remnant pieces of granite will help save you money. At this point the project was really starting to take shape. Moving on to the grout next. We chose an epoxy grout which can be a pain to work with and you have to work fast but the payoff for the durability was worth it. After everything was set and cured, we installed all of the shower heads and the glass door (do not attempt to install this on your own). At this point all that was needed was to paint, add the trim, toilet and vanity and we were finally able to enjoy our new Polynesian shower. We installed a new fan for the bathroom that had a built in Bluetooth speaker. This way I could link it to my phone and play soothing tropical rainforest sounds while I showered which really stepped things up a notch. Tell us what you think of the design in the comments and thank you for stopping by!
Helpful Tips:
-Plan your project first. Narrow down your scheme and color palette you want. It will make it easier to search for what you want.
-Make a budget and leave some wiggle room for mistakes and things that may come up. Finding mold, mildew and rot in the bathroom is common and will add to your timeframe and expenses to repair these issues.
-Try to purchase everything at once. For one, if you’re having items shipped this will typically cut down on multiple shipping charges. Tiles can go out of stock, become discontinued or even have slight variations in color and patterns that could leave your project looking off.
-There’s typically a 10% rule when buying material to account for waste but it’s also nice to have a couple extra tiles left over in case you damage one down the road.
-Don’t overdo the batches of mortar, thinset, grout, epoxy, etc. Some have a short working time and you don’t want to start rushing to use what’s left and make mistakes or end up having it dry out on you and have to toss the remainder.
-Lay your pattern out first while pulling tile from multiple stacks. Once again this will help with slight color variations and make it so you avoid repeat patterns (if using tile that has multiple patterns).
-Back butter your tiles so you get good and full adhesion.
-Try to get your substrate as flat as possible. This will make for less headache when tiling.
-Make sure to use the right size trowels for the tile you are using.
-Clean up any mortar or thin set squeeze out while its wet and ensure you have a deep enough channel for your grout.
Helpful Tips:
-Plan your project first. Narrow down your scheme and color palette you want. It will make it easier to search for what you want.
-Make a budget and leave some wiggle room for mistakes and things that may come up. Finding mold, mildew and rot in the bathroom is common and will add to your timeframe and expenses to repair these issues.
-Try to purchase everything at once. For one, if you’re having items shipped this will typically cut down on multiple shipping charges. Tiles can go out of stock, become discontinued or even have slight variations in color and patterns that could leave your project looking off.
-There’s typically a 10% rule when buying material to account for waste but it’s also nice to have a couple extra tiles left over in case you damage one down the road.
-Don’t overdo the batches of mortar, thinset, grout, epoxy, etc. Some have a short working time and you don’t want to start rushing to use what’s left and make mistakes or end up having it dry out on you and have to toss the remainder.
-Lay your pattern out first while pulling tile from multiple stacks. Once again this will help with slight color variations and make it so you avoid repeat patterns (if using tile that has multiple patterns).
-Back butter your tiles so you get good and full adhesion.
-Try to get your substrate as flat as possible. This will make for less headache when tiling.
-Make sure to use the right size trowels for the tile you are using.
-Clean up any mortar or thin set squeeze out while its wet and ensure you have a deep enough channel for your grout.
