Bora Bora HM Advice

janner13 · October 2012

Hi --

I'm looking for hotel recommendations/tips for HM in Bora Bora. We are hoping to island hop a little bit.

Any advice/tips would be greatly appreciated!!

Jells2dot0 · October 2012

Bora Bora is an island within the larger country of French Polynesia. There are lots of tourist class islands to choose from and what your interests and budget are will dictate where you should look into. I've been to the islands 5 times and hoping to head back there next year. I've been to almost every tourist class island except for Fakarava. The islands are grouped into 5 archipelagos, with three of them offering resorts- Society Islands, Tuamotus, and Marquesas. The majority of the girls on here focus on the Society Islands, and in particular, Bora Bora and Moorea. I have been to almost every resort in Moorea and Bora Bora in some capacity. I've stayed at the Pearl and Bora Bora Nui in Bora Bora and the Pearl and Hilton in Moorea. My favorite island in the Societys is Taha'a and Le Taha'a Private Island Resort. It's pricey- over $1K/night even for the lowest category room. My favorite island in the Tuamotus is Tikehau and the Pearl Resort there. It's so peaceful and secluded. It's like being on a deserted island. Huahine is a great Society Island for history and being removed from it all. It's Bora Bora and Moorea 30 years ago. I like the Te Tiare there. I can offer more suggestions if I know what your "must haves" are and your budget. Also, check out tahiti-tourisme.com for excellent information and to find a Tahiti Travel agent in your area. The agents there are all certified Tahiti Specialists. I've worked with quite a few of them over the years when booking and planning my trips.

dazyabbey · October 2012

I don't have any suggestions... I just wanted to tell Jells that her post was amazing. Very informative and a great summary! We need more people like that on here!

Jells2dot0 · October 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_bora-bora-hm-advice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:d7956d1a-7d22-47d2-a4f8-9053f4df2823Post:650378c5-77f7-4eab-ba68-0b9fe5a616a3">Re: Bora Bora HM Advice</a>:
[QUOTE]I don't have any suggestions... I just wanted to tell Jells that her post was amazing. Very informative and a great summary! We need more people like that on here!
Posted by dazyabbey[/QUOTE]

Aw, thank you :) I could go on FOREVER about French Polynesia . I've spent tons of time doing research for my own trips and read several editions of a popular Tahiti Travel Guide!

AllyG303 · October 2012

Jells is awesome. She helped me SO MUCH with my HM. Also, I read Jan Prince's Guide to Tahiti and French Polynesia cover to cover before I left ( a rec from Jells)

AllyG303 · October 2012

I've only been to Bora Bora, and only once.

We stayed at Le Meridien and absolutely loved it.

UnderTheEiffel · October 2012

We are planning our HM right now. We are thinking Le Meridien in Bora Bora, Hilton in Mo'orea, and Pearl Beach in Tikahau. This is the most money I have ever spent on a vacation, but I am so excited! We are getting married in July and already rooms are getting sold out, so book early!

Any recommendations about shopping at markets for food? I hear the hotels can be a bit pricey (as in astonomical). One of the hotels wanted to add on a breakfast package for $100 per person per day, and that was only breakfast!

kbsmom1 · October 2012

..to under the Eiffel...When we went food was very expensive...even the food in the market...we only found 1market on Bora Bora but that was 5 years ago so maybe there is another..(.the island is quite small) but there were some roadside vendors that sold fruit that was reasonable..also the French bread is cheap...its government subsidized...the meals we did purchase were very large and most always had leftovers( our room had a fridge) ....we had just got off a cruise and had loads of snacks with us...we knew that this was a trip of a lifetime and that everything was expensive BUT the food prices really shocked us....have an awesome trip...you'll have a wonderful time...just be prepared for a big dining budget

Jells2dot0 · October 2012

The Hilton in Moorea isn't very close to a market. So, I'd recommend if you are going there for your first stop to stock up on some things while you are there and transport them with you. You can rent a car for 3 hours and see the whole island and get some market shopping in. There is a good market near the Moorea Pearl Resort. When we go, we even bring our bottles of liquor from island to island. They aren't quite a strict there! In Tikehau, there is pretty much nothing close to the resort. We rented bikes one day and we had to catch a boat shuttle to the main motu and then explore. We found a small snack place for some fries, but I don't remember a market. They have to have one, but it wasn't something I recall. In Bora Bora, there is a market right across the street from the Le Meridien boat dock, but again, you have to catch a shuttle to the main island to get anything. As PP said, stock up on baguettes. They are yummy! You can also buy cheese spread (samos) at the markets and fruit juices for your duty free liquor if you drink. I also bring things with me fom home- granola bars, candy that doesn't melt, small boxes of cereal, and powdered gatorade or Crystal Light that you can mix in water bottles once you are there. Another way to save is to get a continental room service breakfast for one person. It's usually enough food for two if you aren't huge breakfast eaters! If you do pay out of pocket for meals, expect anywhere from $30-$50pp for breakfast, $50-$75pp for lunch, and $100-$150pp for dinner for full solid meals. On average, I'd say I'd spend $1K-$2K for 5 nights at a resort there for food, drinks and activities without going to the markets. $2K being higher end of what I've spent including a jet ski tour and a spa treatment and $1K for food and a less expensive activity like the circle island tour.

AllyG303 · October 2012

We brought some snacks with us, too, and then bought some snacks at the market. Room service was significantly cheaper than eating at the restaurants, but all of the food is expensive regardless. There was only one food market, but it was expensive, too. Though we did buy some alcohol there since we hadn't purchased any at the duty free airport shop. Having our own alcohol was so much better than spending $25 on a very weak cocktail.

AllyG303 · October 2012

Also...be warned that Air Tahiti can strike at any time. Our flight back was cancelled and we were rerouted, so our trip home took 44 hours instead of the 9 hours we had planned on.

Jells2dot0 · October 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_bora-bora-hm-advice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:d7956d1a-7d22-47d2-a4f8-9053f4df2823Post:1ffff976-e14e-4a29-9af6-d9c823e93961">Re: Bora Bora HM Advice</a>:
[QUOTE]Also...be warned that Air Tahiti can strike at any time. Our flight back was cancelled and we were rerouted, so our trip home took 44 hours instead of the 9 hours we had planned on.
Posted by AllyG303[/QUOTE]

This! Air Tahiti Nui is notorious for it (Air Tahiti is interisland and they are pretty stable.) I was affected only once by it. They canceled our flight at 1:10pm and placed us on later flights. However, we had first class seats booked. My DH ended up in business class on Air Tahiti Nui and I ended up in economy on Air France. I was none too pleased, but we at least arrived there within an hour of each other.

AllyG303 · October 2012

Sorry, Air Tahiti Nui is what I meant.

We luckily got to sit together (and had our window seat like we had originally booked), but we had to fly Air New Zealand (which turned out to be significantly nicer than Air Tahiti Nui anyway) to Auckland, then JetStar to Sydney, then Qantas back to LA. We didn't have to pay anything extra, but it was inconvenient for sure. Also, the airline didn't even call us about the cancellation. We heard it around 3pm (for our 11pm flight) from our hotel staff in Tahiti.

Krikin22 · October 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_bora-bora-hm-advice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:d7956d1a-7d22-47d2-a4f8-9053f4df2823Post:16a83b1c-43ef-4d2e-8729-6cdc4fc52f7f">Re: Bora Bora HM Advice</a>:
[QUOTE]Sorry, Air Tahiti Nui is what I meant. We luckily got to sit together (and had our window seat like we had originally booked), but we had to fly Air New Zealand (which turned out to be significantly nicer than Air Tahiti Nui anyway) to Auckland, then JetStar to Sydney, then Qantas back to LA. We didn't have to pay anything extra, but it was inconvenient for sure. Also, the airline didn't even call us about the cancellation. We heard it around 3pm (for our 11pm flight) from our hotel staff in Tahiti.
Posted by AllyG303[/QUOTE]

Wow!! You're making me nervous, we just booked our flights with Air Tahiti Nui.

JoanE2012 · October 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_bora-bora-hm-advice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:d7956d1a-7d22-47d2-a4f8-9053f4df2823Post:55cba8e5-b4f1-478e-83f3-46ce5fa2813e">Re: Bora Bora HM Advice</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Bora Bora HM Advice : Wow!! You're making me nervous, we just booked our flights with Air Tahiti Nui.
Posted by Krikin22[/QUOTE]

We are booked on Air Tahiti Nui as well. I don't think there are many options. Hoping we'll have no delays or cancellations due to strikes.

Jells2dot0 · October 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_bora-bora-hm-advice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:d7956d1a-7d22-47d2-a4f8-9053f4df2823Post:26d89f13-e304-4b24-a0cc-cf0c3eb0b030">Re: Bora Bora HM Advice</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Bora Bora HM Advice : We are booked on Air Tahiti Nui as well. I don't think there are many options. Hoping we'll have no delays or cancellations due to strikes.
Posted by JoanE2012[/QUOTE]

There aren't many other options. Air France flies direct from LAX, but very few times a week and they are often more expensive. You can also fly Qantas, Air New Zealand, or Lan Chile, but once again, you are limited by schedule and also flying out of the way to get where you need to go. Also, unless you got a good deal, it's more expensive. Hopefully if you booked with a travel agent, you have someone there helping you re-arrange flights. There should be a 24 hour customer service hotline, either local to Tahiti or not, that you can call when issues like this arise. You can also call the airline direct or have someone from the hotel help you. It only happens like 2-3 times a year and only for a few days at a time. They can often time just reduce the number of flights rather than cancel them altogether.

AllyG303 · October 2012

Ditto what PPs said. We were just unlucky that our flight home was the first day of their 3-day strike. On the upside, the food was better on Air New Zealand than on Air Tahiti Nui, and the Sydney airport had great shopping! Luckily we didn't have to do any rearranging of our flights, as they arranged them for us (for the record, we booked the trip on our own with no travel agent and no trip insurance...though I don't think trip insurance would've helped anything since we were still able to get home without paying more money...in fact, we were on the same flights as a couple with trip insurance, and their trip home was no different)

UnderTheEiffel · October 2012

Thanks to KBS, Jells, and Ally for tips on food and snacks!

Also good to know about Air Tahiti Nui, which I also booked on from Hawaii, where we are getting married. Here is hoping it all goes smoothly!

Has anyone been to other more remote islands? We are thinking about 3 nights on one of Tikahau, Maupiti, Fakarava, Mataiva, or even the Marquesas (although I dont know that we have enough time for that... life with a full time job sometimes puts a damper on extended vaca).

smartn2sexy08 · October 2012

Look at Trip Advisor. There are lot of reviews and opinions posted there.

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