Bora Bora

Bora Bora is one of those destinations that actually looks like the photographs. The turquoise lagoon surrounding a volcanic island with Mount Otemanu rising 727 metres from the centre, viewed from an overwater bungalow at sunrise, is not a disappointment. What it is, however, is one of the most expensive tourist destinations on earth, and arriving unprepared for that reality is the quickest way to turn an extraordinary location into a stressful experience.

The Island

Bora Bora is part of French Polynesia’s Society Islands, 270 kilometres northwest of Tahiti. The island is about 10 kilometres long with a barrier reef creating the famous lagoon around it. The main settlement is Vaitape on the western coast. Most of the resort development sits on the sandy motu (islets) that rim the lagoon, reached by boat from the main island.

There are no roads connecting the motu to the main island; your resort boat or a hired water taxi is how you move. This is either romantic or inconvenient depending on your tolerance for logistics.

Staying

The overwater bungalows at the main resorts (Four Seasons, InterContinental Le Moana, St. Regis) run from around USD 800 to 2,000 per night, and the isolation of the island means most guests pay resort prices for everything. This is not a destination where budget alternatives work well; the point of Bora Bora is the quality of the experience, and cutting corners tends to undermine it. If the cost is impractical, the Moorea island near Tahiti offers similar lagoon scenery at a fraction of the price.

What to Do

The lagoon itself is the activity. Snorkelling from any beach reveals blacktip reef sharks, sea turtles, and rays. The guided shark and ray tours, where operators feed the marine animals to bring them close, are a reliable morning activity available from Vaitape operators.

Mount Otemanu, the extinct basalt volcano, is not technically climbable to the summit but guided hikes reach the ridges below it with views over the entire lagoon system. Allow a full morning.

The water clarity in the lagoon is extraordinary; scuba diving operators in Vaitape run dives to coral gardens and shark sites at various depths.

Eating

Bloody Mary’s in Vaitape is the most famous restaurant on the island, a casual open-air place where you choose your fish from the display and it’s grilled to order. Not cheap, genuinely good, worth going. Lagoon by Jean-Georges at the St. Regis is the formal option for a special dinner.

Getting There

Fly into Tahiti (Papeete, Faa’a International Airport), then a 45-minute domestic flight to Bora Bora airport. Air Tahiti operates this route several times daily. If you are connecting internationally, Air Tahiti Nui and Air France serve Papeete from major hubs.

May through October is the dry season: the right time to come. November through April is wetter and the risk of cyclones (rare but possible) exists from January through March.