Bora Bora hotels, OTW's, activities, other islands, & general advice

My husband and I have discussed & dreamed of a trip to Bora Bora since we met back in 2000! It looks like this year is the year it's going to happen! However in doing research I am currently I am struggling with a few things and could use some input/advice.

1. Which hotel? I gather from info I've read that the Intercontinental (we stayed at the Intercontinental in Knob Hill, on our trip to San Francisco; though the room was small we enjoyed it) is by far the best in Bora Bora but I'm trying to confirm this. Also if any can tell me how the OTW is set up in the rooms there? Are they the see through floor, the small little square in floor in the hall or the table top glass? I've seen ads for all three.

2. Are the activities plentiful in Bora Bora such as tours, shopping, bars (nothing night clubby or crazy) & etc? Though I do LOVE the beach and love to relax and take in the beauty it can get pretty boring for me......which leads me to this question..

3. We will be traveling from the the mid-west region of the U.S. and plan to be gone from home 8 days/nights. Keeping this in mind; would you say it's too much travel time to consider another destination for more activities prior to Bora Bora then end the trip with this nice relaxing romantic destination? If not where would you suggest? Are NZ or AU too far, if yes. I'm up for suggestions.

4. We are considering renewing our vows during whilst visiting this beautiful area and I'm hoping that someone could suggest a location company hotel o service that does this. It would of course be small & simple it's just the 2 of us.

5. From other sites/posts I've read seemingly Bora Bora is becoming too commercial/touristy due to cruise ships etc in the area and losing some of the natural lagoon beauty due to the OTW's. Did you find this to be true? If so....we may consider a different area with OTW's that is similar to Bora Bora was the 80's; which is when I first heard about and saw photos of this wondrous place.

Any hints clues suggestions ideas etc etc are very welcome. Thanks so much!

I was not staying at a resort on Bora Bora but it is rather a quiet island with only a few stores and small market area so most of the activities done are through your hotel/resort. There were 4x4 jeep tours running around the island but that would only take a few hours. So take a few books with you to read and enjoy the snorkeling etc. Maybe have a couple of days on Tahiti before you go up north.

1. Which hotel? I gather from info I've read that the Intercontinental (we stayed at the Intercontinental in Knob Hill, on our trip to San Francisco; though the room was small we enjoyed it) is by far the best in Bora Bora but I'm trying to confirm this. Also if any can tell me how the OTW is set up in the rooms there? Are they the see through floor, the small little square in floor in the hall or the table top glass? I've seen ads for all three.

You may want to read this thread.
If I ever get the chance, I'll go back to the Sofitel Bora Bora. The over water bungalows there have the laminated glass windows under the coffee table, which can be moved. You can also jump off your private porch and see the fish that way. I found that to be the better view.

1. Are the activities plentiful in Bora Bora such as tours, shopping, bars (nothing night clubby or crazy) & etc? Though I do LOVE the beach and love to relax and take in the beauty it can get pretty boring for me......which leads me to this question.

The activities I SAW consisted of wind surfing, parasailing, diving, sunning, and doing nothing. I went star-gazing at night. In the evening, you can take the bus to Bloody Mary's and stuff yourself with fish and beer. The Sofitel also has a restaurant and bar. Otherwise, I didn't ever go near Vaitape so I don't know what is there. If you want tours, shopping, bars, etc., stay in Papeete on Tahiti. Bora Bora is tiny. I think the full-time population of the island is less than 10,000 souls. People go there to get away from tours, shopping, bars, etc.

1. We will be traveling from the mid-west region of the U.S. and plan to be gone from home 8 days/nights. Keeping this in mind; would you say it's too much travel time to consider another destination for more activities prior to Bora Bora then end the trip with this nice relaxing romantic destination? If not where would you suggest? Are NZ or AU too far, if yes. I'm up for suggestions.

How many of your 8 days do you want to spend traveling? You first have to go to Los Angeles. From my home in the Midwest, that's a good part of a day each way. The flight to Papeete is 7 hours the next day. The flight to Bora Bora is the next day. That's two nights there and two nights back. That leaves you 3-4 nights in Bora Bora. You do the math.

1. We are considering renewing our vows during whilst visiting this beautiful area and I'm hoping that someone could suggest a location company hotel o service that does this. It would of course be small & simple it's just the 2 of us.

That is a good question for the concierge desk at your hotel.

1. From other sites/posts I've read seemingly Bora Bora is becoming too commercial/touristy due to cruise ships etc in the area and losing some of the natural lagoon beauty due to the OTW's. Did you find this to be true? If so....we may consider a different area with OTW's that is similar to Bora Bora was the 80's; which is when I first heard about and saw photos of this wondrous place.

You may want to look here. There are many other sites as well. The only regular cruise ship I am aware of is the Paul Gauguin. It is a very small ship. I never saw it, any other ships, or anything that looked like a herd of cruise ship tourists. I was on the eastern side of the island except for going to Bloody Mary’s.

I never saw Bora Bora in the ‘80s. I would not want to change the way it is now. The over water bungalows of other hotels do not detract from the beauty of the island. They don’t really intrude on you consciousness unless you look for them.

I find it strange that you want a bungalow but you worry that they are an eyesore. I also find it strange that you want to go to a place where pampered “boredom” is the biggest attraction and then worry that you will be bored. To each his own. Have a great time.

If you want to visit a Pacific destination that has extreme natural beauty with an equally remarkable lagoon area (as BB), have a look at Aitutaki island in the Cook Islands. The Aitutaki Lagoon Resort & Spa has some o/w bungalows on its private island resort. Air NZ flies directly to the Cook Islands (Rarotonga) once week, and returns northbound to LAX once week. I would suggest that you arrive into Rarotonga, the main island, renew your wedding vows on a beautiful beachfront location (there are many lovely spots to choose from) then fly north with Air Rarotonga to Aitutaki for an o/w experience. Rarotonga has really nice accommodation, a sprinkling of shops, nice restaurants and cafes and its affordability compared to Fr Polynesia will keep you smiling! The Cook Is currency is NZD - Kiwi dollars.

I haven't been, but am much into researching.

I'm organizing my thinking around:

1. Time of year
2. Number of nights
   3, Nightly accomodation budget
3. Activities

The best weather is April-August. Prices are higher, of course.

If you only have 8 nights, coming from the midwest, I think you realistically only get 6 nights out of Papeete. Most US flights arrive late at night so that first night is spent in Papeete accomodation. I'm looking at a minimum of 4 nights per accomodation/island that I will visit.

Bora Bora can be the most expensive island. It would not be difficult to spend $1000USD a night (including taxes) with room, food, booze, trips. I'd get ahold of some guide books and start following the threads on TripAdvisor. There are a couple of good ones where destination experts compare resorts. You can pretty much count on flights to/friom French Polynesia to run about $2000 pp.

As Bora Bora is such a high-end destination, any shopping will not be bargain shopping. I plan to do my shopping on Tahiti or Moorea. It doesn't sound difficult to find manta rays on BB. Or most any other island.

There are several other terrific island to visit, but with only 8 nights, you would have to sacrifice a bit because of the limitations of Air Tahiti flights.

It looks as though Lonely Planet will be releasing new editions of South Pacific and Tahiti/French Polynesia guides near the end of this year. Those would be ideal, if you can wait that long.

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