Bora Bora is located in the Society Islands, the most popular archipelago in French Polynesia

HOTELS:   

We stayed at the InterContinental La Moana. I picked this place because I knew I wanted a nice, clean place while dealing with jetlag. I also liked the location of this hotel, it is on the main island and you can easily walk to restaurants. (Note this place charges for transport from the airport about $100 for 2 one-way and by the logon for wifi)

We decided on a beach bungalow, it was considerably less than the overwater bungalows. Don’t get me wrong it was still expensive but the rooms were decorated exactly the same. Friends in the over-water bungalow here saw a lot of marine life under their place. In hindsight, if I were to stay at the same places, I would have booked the overwater here and the beach in Rangiroa. That said we were pleased with our beachfront room!

THE ISLAND:

Bora Bora is beautiful and different than the other atolls we went to because of the mountains. There is plenty to do on land and in the sea. It’s the island which all the tourist go and it is loaded with honeymooners.

We did not take the hotel meal plan, most places you must take it because there aren’t many other options. Here there are plenty of places to eat in walking distance if you stay in this area, the southern tip of the island.

 FOOD/SUNDRIES:

 On the first day we made a left/west when we walked out of the hotel and found the waterfront eatery, Snack Matira. Every meal we had in Bora Bora was good. We split a sandwich, it was a large French bread ham & cheese, 2 beers and fries and the bill was 1450xpf about $15 yes this was a bargain. If you keep going down the one road on the island you will come to the Pearl Farm.

 There is another snack bar, I can’t believe I didn’t write down the name of it, but it is closer to the hotel but before Snack Matira, it has an open sign always up and it’s next to Hotel Matira. Anyway we would go to breakfast here every morning, usually waking the owner who slept on the porch in front of the sea. She would sever us huge bowls of coffee and we would share a baguette. Our first breakfast we saw 5 spotted eagle rays right off the beach gliding through the water.

 When you walk off the hotel property across the street is a sundries store. You can buy almost everything here: Sunscreen, drinks, souvenirs etc. The cashiers, not sure if they owned it, were so helpful and nice offering advice about the island. You can also rent bicycles from them for less than you will find them at the hotel. (Hotel 1-day 2200xpf in the street 1800xpf)

 Just to the right/east and across the street from the store mentioned above is Lucky House. They have a brick oven where they make pizza. The pizza was good but I loved the mahi mahi in vanilla sauce and the rack of New Zealand lamb was also great. To give you an idea of prices for two we had 1 Mahi, 1 lamb, 1 coke and 1 water for $83. Lunch was $31 for 1 cheese pizza, 2 sodas and 1 water. 

 If you were to continue past this restaurant about a 10 minute walk up the road is the supermarket. We were invited for drinks at a friend’s room so we went and purchased cheese and bread for about $10.

 The Bounty Restaurant is near the market and it is suppose to have outstanding food.

After long days in the water and the sun we only had energy to walk to Lucky House, since the food was so good this was fine with us.

 DIVING:

There are many options for diving here and it is all excellent and a short boat ride.

The coral is healthy, abundant and beautiful. There’s one area known for its manta rays, if you’re still you can sit on the sea floor and watch as up to twenty glide by.

Lemon sharks and reef sharks are the highlight of another dive.

The diving as on the other islands is incredible. Here you usually go on a two tank dive without returning to the shore.