BORA BORA in 21 DAYS! Anyone ever been?

DH and I went to Bora Bora (and Moorea) for our honeymoon almost 4 years ago. It is very, very remote. Less than 10,000 people on the island. The weather is beautiful and the scenery is breathtaking.

The travel is a bit taxing. We left from LAX International and flew to the main island of Tahiti. From there, we had to take a small prop plane to Moorea, then a bus to the hotel. It was truly a full day of travel. Riding in the small plane was a little nervewracking, but we did OK. The thing that DH missed the most was his Peet's coffee. In his opinion, the coffee was weak.

The food is super fresh and tastes great. Don't expect to upgrade your room while you're there, because 99% of people who are there are on their honeymoon or anniversary. We didn't get any type of special treatment since we were on our honeymoon.

Other than that, it was just stunning! You'll have a wonderful time!

 

DH and I went on our honeymoon and are going back in August! Bora Bora is completely breathtaking -- the water is so beautiful and calm!

Which hotel are you staying at? Are you doing an overwater bungalow?

My biggest tip would be to get out of the hotel and have dinner on the main island a few times -- hotel food is very expensive and Bora Bora has some great restaurants. Hotels that are on motus will offer boat trips to the main island, and several restaurants offer free taxis to/from where the boat docks.

Our favorite restaurant was L'Espadon. Bloody Mary's is very popular. Have the national dish of French Polynesia -- poisson cru, which is raw tuna marinated in lime and coconut milk.

It will be an amazing trip!!

 

Oh, I'm so jealous! Have a great time!!!!!! And post pics when you get back!

 

Bora Bora (and any of the other Tahitian islands) is divine! We had our honeymoon there and we are SO glad we went there (despite the hefty price tag). Definitely splurge and get an overwater bungalow (even if just for a night or so)....it makes the whole experience.

I personally thought the food sucked overall on the islands and was very expensive. You're looking at least $150 per couple for dinner if you go to a restaurant...and that's without drinks! If you go to some of the more "local" restaurants you can get away with much less. The best restaurant we went to was La Villa Mahana, which requires advance reservations as they only serve six tables a night. It was probably the best meal I've ever had. It's extremely pricey though! The coolest thing is that we had dinner with the guy who writes the Frommer's travel book for Tahiti...and he even mentioned us as his "friends" in his book!

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/borabora/D61540.html

 

omg , this will be my dream honeymoon destination (since i was13)
i have to post some pics:

 

From what I have heard, Club Med isn't a fancy hotel in Bora Bora, but it's a good value for the price. Who cares, you'll be at the beach all day anyway right?? And don't worry about the language barrier, EVERYONE speaks English. Tourism is their #1 economy. The trip there will fly by....literally....especially once you start heading over the islands, you'll be too enthralled in the beauty to notice how long everything took!

I have some honeymoon pics here, including our bungalows, scenery, etc....they are located at the bottom half of the page.

http://www.theknot.com/co_profileview.htm?profilename=sailornep5&MsdVisit=1

 

My DH and I got married & honeymooned in Bora Bora a couple of years ago. It was absolutely the BEST time of my life! I have been to Hawaii, Costa Rica, St. Martin, Bahamas, Martinique, St. Thomas, and Dominica, and IMHO they do not compare to Bora Bora. It was amazing and I am very jealous of anyone that is going! We had an all inclusive package at Le Meridien (a couple of nicer hotels have popped up right next door) and I would agree that you should venture into dining out on the island a couple of nights... People raved about Bloody Mary's- but the food was so so, if you want to go just for the atmosphere- do it. There is a name of a small restaurant that requires reservations well ahead....I will try to think of it and post it...it was some french name- my DH and I unfortunately did not go, but heard raves from others.
We stayed in an over water bungalow and I highly recommend that as well! Although I must warn you about the gorgeous black pearls that you will be exposed to ....check out Robert Wan, and Nicos, and Perles de Tahiti on the main island of Bora Bora...but be super nice to your DH before you venture out to these shops

You will have a BLAST!!

 

This is completely true. No one spoke French to me the entire time I was there. Everyone speaks English.

No, I didn't think so.

 

Also, check the following site for more info. I used it quite a bit in planning our trip

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g311415-i869-Bora_Bora_Society_Islands.html

 

DH and I were in Huahine last October for a week and stayed in an over the water bungalow. It's a very tiny island between Moorea and Bora Bora. Agreed the food is just edible. The scenery though is incredible and it was like being on Gilligan's Island.

We visited a couple pearl farms and brought back loose pearls for my in-laws and a coworker. I really regret not getting anything for myself. Be sure to pick up something for yourself!

Send us an update when you return. Bon voyage!

 

Customs was not that bad, just make sure you have all the paperwork that the pearl shops give you plus any receipts. Also, I locked my pearls in my luggage which was checked in (for some strange reason I felt safer this way??) and the customs guys said that it would have been better to carry them on- why exactly I don't know- for security reasons maybe.

I wound up getting a pair of single pearl drop earrings in white gold from Nicos Pearls on our first trip into Vaitape (main city of Bora Bora) and then a pearl strand bracelet for my mother (and one for me too!) at Robert Wan.

In terms of what to pack- I definitely overpacked! I lived in my bathing suit and bathing suit coverup ( back then the Juicy couture terry cloth strapless tunics were in style), and flip flops! At night I would wear a cute sundress or a flowy short skirt with a tank top. Oh and I brought my own snorkel gear (mouthpiece) b/c I easily get skeeved.

You have to sign up for a sting ray/shark feeding tour. I think a tour run by a compnay called "Sharkboy" is the most famous one, but honestly the island is so small I think the excursion companies are all interconnected.

Oh- and bring an underwater camera. Hy DH and I brought a few disposable underwater cameras b/c we were unaware of a a waterproof "case" that can be purchased to cover your own digital cameras- allowing you to dive to a certain level underwater with your digital. I think the quality of pics will be better with this case (in comparison to a disposable) just check your camera company's website.

Sorry to babble- I got excited!!! PM me if you want me to forward some pics.!