Bora Bora has always been #1 on my bucket list, my dream vacation. It’s the most beautiful place in the world and is known for its turquoise water, white sand beaches, and phenomenal snorkeling.
When Nick and I met, traveling to Bora Bora became a dream that we shared together. After 8.5 years of dating, we got married on June 12, 2021. Getting married was the perfect excuse to plan a trip to Bora Bora! It still almost doesn’t even feel real that I’m writing this travel guide; or that I was in Bora Bora just a few short weeks ago. This travel guide is a long one (maybe my longest ever), but it’s packed full of everything you need to know if Bora Bora is on your bucket list!
FRENCH POLYNESIA
If you’re not familiar with French Polynesia, it’s a chain of 118 islands (including Bora Bora, Tahiti, and Moorea) in the heart of the Pacific Ocean. The islands span about 2 million square miles, which is nearly the size of the entire continent of Europe! French Polynesia is almost exactly halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. According to Google Maps, it’s is 2,628 miles from Hawaii and 2,652 miles from New Zealand. It sits below the equator, so when we visited in September, it was actually their winter.
With 80°F temperatures, 8 hours of sunshine every day, and 70°F ocean water, French Polynesia is beautiful to visit any time of the year. But, the official tourist season is from May to October. Travel in the off-season might be slightly cheaper, however, the weather is more unpredictable. The off-season (rainy season) is also considered higher risk for Cyclone activity.
OUR HONEYMOON ITINERARY
I want to be up-front about the cost of our trip; traveling to and staying in French Polynesia is very, very expensive. We were fully expecting this though and have no regrets about the money we spent. French Polynesia is worth every penny!
When I was planning our trip, I realized we couldn’t possibly visit just one French Polynesian island. There are so many gorgeous islands that each offer something unique! Ultimately, we planned for two nights in Tahiti, three nights in Moorea, and seven nights in Bora Bora. All international flights to the islands connect at Faa’a International Airport in Tahiti. Flights from the United States to French Polynesia are limited, so it’s nearly impossible to avoid staying in Tahiti. For me and Nick, it took a little over one full day of travel to get from Wisconsin to Tahiti. It was only supposed to take 16 hours, but delays caused us to miss an entire day/night of our trip.
When our flight landed in Tahiti, we had to complete COVID testing in the airport. This was a relatively seamless process and didn’t take more than an hour. Since we missed our first night in Tahiti, we went straight from the airport to Moorea, where we spent the first four days of our trip. After our stay in Moorea, we took a short Air Tahiti flight to Bora Bora, where we stayed for eight days. We spent the final day and a half of our trip on Tahiti, and it took about 18 hours to travel home from there. We had 14 blissful days of honeymooning; Nick and I thought it was almost the perfect trip length. We both wished we would have stayed a few days longer!
THE INTERCONTINENTAL BORA BORA RESORT & THALASSO SPA
Bora Bora has a main island (an extinct volcano) surrounded by strips of land called motus. The lagoon between the main island and the motus has the bluest water you could ever imagine, and that’s where the resorts are.
The Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa is a luxurious five-star resort that opened in 2006. Recently, Fodor’s Travel featured their villas on a list of “The World’s 20 Best Overwater Bungalows”! The resort has a prime location on Motu Piti Aauotu. Because it’s on a private motu, the only way to get there from the airport is via the Intercontinental’s private boat.
Upon landing in Bora Bora, we were warmly greeted by Intercontinental staff. They gave each of us a beautiful flower necklace and a cold bottle of water. We then grabbed our luggage and hopped on the Intercontinental’s boat. The ride to the resort was only 20 minutes long.
When we got to the resort, the staff took us and our luggage to the front desk via golf cart. Once there, we were directed to a beachfront seating area to rest until they were ready to check us in. After we officially checked in, we got back on the golf cart and had a tour of the grounds before arriving at our villa.
I was absolutely speechless as I saw the beauty of the resort unfold in front of me. It seemed unreal, like something you could see in a magazine or on Pinterest but that didn’t exist in real life. Needless to say, the Intercontinental Thalasso made a great first impression! The entire check-in experience was above and beyond the level of service you’d expect from a five-star resort.
POOL OVERWATER VILLA
We stayed in one of the Intercontinental’s Pool Overwater Villas. The photos don’t do it justice! It was 1,507 square feet of pure perfection. There was a large entryway, living room, master bedroom, bathroom, and walk-in closet.
The all-glass living room coffee table was the first thing I was drawn to; we could watch sea life swimming below our villa! There was even a light shining into the water at night so we could look for stingrays, sharks and fish at any hour. The top of the table slid open, allowing us to feed the fish. The gift shop sold fish food that was specially formulated by a marine biologist. We loved being able to feed such a variety of sea life through our coffee table. During our stay, we saw spotted eagle rays, baby black-tip reef sharks, and tons of fish!
Our bedroom had a large window that gave a panoramic view of the lagoon from our bed. Waking up to that sight would never get old! I also really loved the patio door leading outside. It opened all the way up to another panoramic view of the ocean! Of course, the main highlight of our villa was the private infinity pool. It had chest-deep 75° water. No, we technically didn’t “need” a pool when we also had our own ladder into the ocean, but it sure was a nice feature! Nick and I spent countless hours swimming in our pool taking in the beauty of Bora Bora.
The Intercontinental Thalasso villas are arranged to maximize privacy from neighbors. Most of the time while in our villa, it felt like we were the only people in Bora Bora! One thing we didn’t love about Moorea was our neighbors across the water staring directly into our bungalow.
WHAT WE ATE
I am a picky eater and have dietary restrictions, but I wasn’t worried about finding something to eat in French Polynesia. I have been to mainland France twice, and since Bora Bora is a French country, I figured they would have similar food options! Because the Intercontinental Thalasso is located on a motu, the only places to eat are the restaurants at the resort. Luckily, they have three different restaurants and several bars, so there’s something for everyone! They offer a wide selection of food at their restaurants and also an expansive room service menu.
BREAKFAST BUFFET
Our resort package included a daily breakfast buffet that was phenomenal. I’m not usually a breakfast person, but the selection of fruit, baked goods, fresh juices, coffee, breads, pancakes, crepes, and eggs made it impossible to leave with an empty stomach. My go-to breakfast in Bora Bora was toast with homemade strawberry jam, two pancakes, an apple turnover, and fresh fruit. Nick loved the crepes with peanut butter and a side of eggs!
Each villa has its own Nespresso machine, Nespresso coffee pods, and sugar packets. Housekeeping restocked the Nespresso pods and also gave us two complimentary bottles of water each morning. This was so nice because we never ended up making it to a grocery store and we heard the tap water in Bora Bora isn’t great.
OUTRIGGER CANOE BREAKFAST
The Intercontinental Thalasso staff were so kind and gifted us their canoe breakfast one morning since we were on our honeymoon. All we had to do was schedule a date and time with the concierge and choose what we wanted to eat! On one of our last mornings, our breakfast was delivered from the water via a traditional outrigger canoe! While one staff member set our table, the pool boy took me on a canoe ride around our villa. After they left, Nick and I ate our delicious breakfast in front of our favorite ocean view. This entire experience was really awesome – I think it is absolutely worth paying extra for!
ROOM SERVICE
Nick and I missed the set breakfast and dinner hours a few times, but luckily room service saved the day! The room service menu was huge and had pretty much every kind of food available. Since the room service fee was so reasonable, I didn’t mind ordering it a few times.
LUNCH + DINNER
Most days, we either skipped lunch completely or snacked on the food we brought in our checked bag. The dinner timeframe was early compared to when we eat at home, so skipping lunch was not a huge deal. However, for people that eat three meals a day, there are plenty of lunch options available around the resort.
Our favorite place for both lunch and dinner was the Sands restaurant. This is the most casual dining option available at the Intercontinental. Nick and I are pretty casual people so we liked the vibe here; I also liked the food at the Sands more than any other restaurant we tried. My go-to meal was a cheeseburger (obviously), and Nick liked their pizza and pasta. They have beautiful beachfront seating and the ambiance of the restaurant is incredible. I’m a huge dessert person, and after dinner I always crave dessert. The homemade vanilla ice cream at the Sands was next level! On nights when the Sands was closed, we dined at the Reef restaurant. The menu was a lot fancier than we are used to, but we were glad we got to experience such a diverse food selection!
DRINKS
We planned ahead and each brought two liters of alcohol with us in our checked bags. This saved us a lot of money, and I’d highly recommend doing this for any beach vacation! Since we were on our honeymoon, we still splurged and got a handful of fancy drinks from the bar. My go-to was a Pina Colada, and Nick loved the Moscow Mule. The Intercontinental Thalasso also has an amazing happy hour deal – drinks are half off!
WHAT WE DID
IN OUR VILLA
When you stay in a villa as beautiful as ours, it’s hard to leave. A lot of our time in Bora Bora was spent in our villa, on our deck, swimming near our villa, or swimming in our pool. There were so many fun things to do without going very far!
The lower level of our deck had a ladder into the lagoon. We spent many hours swimming and floating around our villa. I would highly recommend bringing some pool floaties to Bora Bora with you. Not only do they make for cute photos, but floating around with a drink in hand soaking up the sun is the perfect way to spend the day! We brought our flamingo, mallard duck (for Nick), and diamond ring floaties.
If you pack floaties, be sure to also bring a long rope and an air pump. I am so glad I thought to pack both! We used rope to tie our floaties to our villa ladder so they wouldn’t float away (and so we could float without worrying where we’d end up). Plus, then we didn’t have to take our floaties out of the water every night!
A few years ago, I brought a swan floatie on vacation and made Nick blow it up by mouth. I wasn’t about to force him to do that again, so our mini electric air pump saved the day! With one charge, it blew up all three of our large floaties multiple times. The air pump also has a deflate function that made it super easy to get all the air out of our floaties so they folded up nice and compact. Trust me, floaties are worth the suitcase space when you’re visiting somewhere as amazing as Bora Bora.
AROUND THE RESORT
SHARE THE LOCAL CULTURE
One of the best things about the Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa is the packed schedule of free demonstrations they offer each day. These activities are designed to share Polynesian culture with resort guests and are a cool way to learn more about French Polynesia! The demonstrations start each day at noon at the main pool. The offerings are subject to change, but some of the free cultural activities during our stay were: traditional Tahitian raw fish salad making, coconut palm leaves crown weaving, coconut show, coconut palm leaves bag weaving, and Pareo show. I wish we had time to partake in more than one of the Intercontinental’s local cultural activities, but at least I had a chance to attend one – the coconut palm leaves bag weaving demonstration.
I’m a creative hands-on person, but weaving a bag from palm leaves seemed pretty complicated at first! Luckily, the pool boy leading the activity was very knowledgeable and helpful. I watched the demonstration and 15 minutes later, I had woven a beautiful, authentic Niau palm leaf bag. This activity was truly one of the coolest experiences of my life. A free weaving class seems like such a small thing, but it made me feel more in touch with Polynesian culture than any other part of our trip. I have always believed in the importance of immersing yourself in the culture of new places when you travel, and the Intercontinental’s daily activities are an amazing way to do just that.
SUNSET THEATER
Nick and I discovered the Sunset Theater by accident one night when we were walking around taking photos. The “theater” is a beautiful sandy beach area overlooking the villas and Mount Otemanu. There are tons of comfy chairs to sit in, and like the name suggests, it’s the perfect place to sip on your happy hour co*cktails while watching the sun disappear behind Mount Otemanu.
MAIN BEACH + PADDLEBOARD RENTALS
Stand up paddleboards and kayaks are available for use by all resort guests for free each day from 9am to 5pm. Availability is on a first come first serve basis, but the paddleboards were unoccupied pretty much every single time we wanted to use them. I loved that the resort offered free activities as an alternative way to spend time outside of our villa. We spent a few hours paddleboarding and had so much fun exploring the lagoon!
THE LAGOONARIUM
Next to the main beach is the Lagoonarium, a stunning lagoon filled with beautiful marine life and a coral nursery. It is the perfect place to snorkel and swim without worrying about currents. There are over 200 species of sea creatures that call it home!
Other than a great snorkeling spot and a family-friendly place to play in the water, the Lagoonarium contains a manmade coral nursery. Everywhere in the world, coral is dying and becoming bleached at a rapid pace. It was so sad to see that even in Bora Bora, the most beautiful place in the world, the coral was struggling. Almost 100% of the coral we saw on our trip was bleached and colorless. The Intercontinental is doing their part to change this! They have a staff marine biologist that works to regenerate coral and help sea life flourish. The Lagoonarium draws in and circulates deeper, colder ocean water that is nutrient-rich and necessary for coral growth.
Opposite the Lagoonarium’s wooden walkway is the Intercontinental’s wedding chapel. If you’ve been dreaming of a destination wedding, this would be the perfect place to have it. The chapel overlooks the Lagoonarium, overwater villas, and Mount Otemanu. Our wedding day was magical, but a small part of me wishes we would have tied the knot here at the most beautiful resort in the world! Nick and I plan on returning to Bora Bora for our ten year anniversary, so maybe we will do a vow renewal at the Intercontinental’s wedding chapel.
THE SECRET GARDEN OF LOVE
I was pleasantly surprised to come across the Intercontinental Thalasso’s Secret Garden of Love. This botanical garden on the resort grounds is more than just a place to see beautiful flowers! It offers couples a unique opportunity to express their love. There are four palm trees in the the garden that have dozens of padlocks attached to them. Each of the four trees corresponds with a Polynesian symbol: the turtle, the sun, the lizard, and the seashell. The tradition is for a couple to choose one of the four trees, attach their padlock to it, and throw the key into the Tiki statue in the center of the garden. The Tiki is said to guard the keys and symbolizes protecting everlasting love.
Each padlock is uniquely customized by the couple that left it there. I didn’t know about the Secret Garden of Love padlock tradition before arriving in Bora Bora. Luckily, the gift shop sold padlocks and even let me use a paint marker to write on it! On our lock, I wrote “J + N The Heplers 2021”. I wrote the year we left the lock there rather than the year our relationship started so next time we visit we can reminisce about our first trip.
Nick and I placed our lock on the “turtle” tree because, well, we both love turtles. The Intercontinental Thalasso website describes the turtle as “one of the most important and popular elements in Polynesian culture that symbolizes . . . long life, wellness, fertility, union, family and harmony.” Once our lock was secured on the “turtle” tree, Nick dropped the key in the mouth of the Tiki statue.
Leaving a lock in the Secret Garden of Love reminded me of when I added a “Jordan + Nick” padlock to the Le Pont des Arts (Love Lock) bridge in Paris, France in 2014. The beautiful, lush garden at the Intercontinental Thalasso was a really special way to leave part of ourselves in Bora Bora. Our lock there will forever capture a time in our lives where we felt pure newlywed bliss! I can’t wait to find our lock and add a new one when we return in ten years.
OUTSIDE THE RESORT
BOOKING ACTIVITIES
Across from the main pool is an indoor open air bar, seating area, pool table, and the concierge desk. We used the concierge services several times during our trip. The staff were extremely helpful every time we stopped by! They helped us book our activities, transportation, and canoe breakfast. We waited until we only had a few days left in Bora Bora to book any activities, so availability was limited. Our amazing concierge pulled some strings and was able to schedule every single activity we wanted though!
SCUBA DIVING WITH TOP DIVE
The Intercontinental’s Activities Guide is packed full of fun ways to fill your days in Bora Bora. We each picked out a few activities from the guide and then numbered them in order of what we wanted to do most. Scuba diving was Nick’s #1 choice, so we had the concierge book us on the Blue Honeymoon Package with Top Dive!
Bora Bora is one of the best places in the world to dive because of the expansive coral reefs and variety of marine life. Top Dive has a dive shop right on the grounds of the Intercontinental Thalasso, so we were quickly able to slip into our wetsuits and flippers. We took a short boat ride out to the dive spot, and then our instructor gave us a crash course in diving. Before we knew it, we were 30 feet deep in the Bora Bora lagoon!
For the next half hour, we swam around the ocean floor looking at the coral and sea life. It took both of us a little while to get our bearings underwater, but we had an amazing time! Nick and I were the only people on the tour (other than the guide, boat driver, and videographer). It was so cool that it was just the two of us on our first dive and that we had this experience in such a beautiful place. A few days later, the Top Dive team emailed us a video of the dive. Nick and I were both blown away by the video – it is something we will cherish forever! Scuba diving with Top Dive was definitely a highlight of our trip. This was, hands down, one of the coolest experiences of our lives!
ATV + JETSKI COMBO TOUR WITH MOANA ADVENTURE TOURS
The Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa was absolutely beautiful, but we also wanted a chance to explore Bora Bora’s main island. The Moana Adventure Tours ATV/Jet Ski Combo Tour was the perfect way to spend a day on the main island and out on the water!
Our combo tour started off with an ATV trek up to the Mount Otemanu lookout point. It is not possible to reach the very top of the mountain because of the steep face and crumbly rock, but our guide took us as high as we could safely go. Nick drove the ATV and I held onto him as we drove up the mountainside. The lookout point we stopped at had stunning (almost) 360 degree views of the lagoon! After we descended the mountain, the tour guide dropped us off so we could eat. Lunch at the famous Bloody Mary’s restaurant was included in our package. We both had delicious cheeseburgers and tropical rum punch. It was the perfect pit stop before heading out for the jet ski portion of our tour!
The jet ski tour took us in a full circle around the main island. Driving through the crystal clear lagoon water was so amazing! We stopped at a white sand beach by the Four Seasons resort and at a private Motu. While we were exploring the private motu, our tour guide gave us a demonstration on how locals make coconut milk. Nick let me drive the jet ski, and it was really fun driving around exploring the water with my best friend!
PONTOON RENTAL WITH LA PLAGE TOURS
My parents bought a pontoon boat when I was little, and we spent almost every summer day of my childhood riding around on it. When Nick and I saw that there was an option to rent a pontoon and drive it around the lagoon in Bora Bora, we had to do it! We both wanted to explore the lagoon more than we could on a paddleboard or by swimming.
We were only able to rent the boat for a couple of hours, but I’d recommend a full day rental if your schedule allows it. Nick and I both really enjoyed being able to tour the lagoon on our own! During our boat trip, we stopped to swim, relaxed on our floaties, and watched dozens of sharks and stingrays swim around the lagoon.
WHALE WATCHING WITH REEF DISCOVERY
Every year from July to November, Humpback whales migrate to the shores of French Polynesia from Antarctica to give birth. I wanted to see whales on our trip so so so bad, but despite our best efforts, that didn’t happen. Our concierge booked us on a whale watching tour with Reef Discovery one afternoon. Me, Nick, and a few other coupes were picked up at the resort dock in a speedboat around 1pm.
The tour took us outside of the calm lagoon and into the open ocean where the whales would be. The waves were insane; some of them were 20 feet tall, and the boat we were riding in was only 20 feet long! I pretty much grew up on a lake so I’m really comfortable on the water, but the waves made me a little nervous (and seasick). We spent 4 hours driving back and forth along the coast looking for whales in every direction. We ended up seeing a glimpse of a big hammerhead shark and about a dozen baby black-tipped reef sharks. I was sad that we didn’t see any whales during our tour – I guess we’ll have to whale watch again next time we visit Bora Bora!
TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO BORA BORA
Before I wrap up this travel guide, I wanted to share a few tips that I thought of during our trip. These were things that really helped us or that I wish I had known before we left home, so I hope they will be helpful to someone!
1 If you pack your own alcohol (which you should), bring a reusable cup (like a Yeti) and a tiny container of dish soap. Trust me, you’re not going to want to reuse the same cup for two weeks without washing it occasionally. Bring an insulated mug to keep your drinks cold because ice melts fast when it’s warm and sunny all day! It’s also better for the environment than using paper or plastic single-use cups for every drink. This is my favorite Yeti cup that I brought on our honeymoon, and this is the cup Nick brought.
2 Every website and travel book I read about French Polynesia said the mosquitos there are terrible. Maybe we’re used to it because we endure mosquito-filled Wisconsin summers, but we didn’t notice a single bug our entire trip. I packed way too much bug spray because it was recommended and we didn’t end up using it once. We also didn’t get a single bug bite. Maybe it was just luck, but if you’re short on space, you can probably ditch a few bottles of bug spray!
3 Obviously I packed sunscreen, but I wasn’t sure exactly how much to bring. For the two of us on a 14 day trip, we used up four large spray-on sunscreens and two medium size tubes of sunscreen. We had almost enough to make it through our trip – I wish I had brought another spray bottle or two. Bring more than you think you’ll need! Also, DO NOT buy Target’s Up & Up Brand Sport Sunscreen Spray or any sunscreen that contains avobenzone. The overspray from the sunscreen got on our outfits occasionally and it ruined several pieces of clothing. Apparently when the avobenzone in the sunscreen has a chemical reaction with hard water, it turns clothing pink and no amount of stain remover can fix it.
4 I mentioned this earlier, but if you’re bringing pool floaties, don’t forget to pack a long rope and a small air pump. The rope will allow you to tie the floaties together and to your villa ladder so they don’t float away! If you’ve ever had to blow up a big pool floatie with your mouth, you would understand why packing an electric air pump is necessary. Trust me, you don’t want to find yourself without one! This is the mini air pump we have from Amazon.
5 Another thing I wish we had packed was a collapsible fabric cooler bag. There were a few occasions where one would have come in handy, and they don’t take up that much room in a suitcase. If you adventure out of your villa, you can pack your cooler bag with ice and water (and alcohol) so you can stay hydrated throughout the day! My favorite is this Lands’ End insulated cooler tote.
6 Almost half of one of our checked bags was filled with snacks. I wondered it that was overkill, but we ended up eating every single snack we brought with us! I’m so glad we had things to eat during those times where we weren’t quite hungry enough for a full meal. Pack a variety of snacks – it will save you money, and it will keep you from going hungry.I brought: mini pancakes, Pringles, Fruit Gushers, Poptarts, Applesauce Pouches, Gardetto’s Snack Mix, and White Cheddar Cheeze-It’s.
7 On the short flight from Tahiti to Bora Bora, there is open seating. You’ll want to try to be one of the first few people to board the plane to get the best seating. If you want to see spectacular views of Bora Bora while approaching the island, sit on the left side of the plane! We sat on the left side by the wing; my photos out the plane window would have turned out better if the propeller wasn’t in the way, so I wish we would have sat more toward the front of the plane!
8 Finally, don’t forget that French Polynesia does not have American outlets – they have standard European outlets. You can’t just buy outlet adaptors either, you have to buy converters. The voltage of outlets in French Polynesia is different from the standard voltage in the United States, and if you try to use an adaptor instead of a converter, it will fry your electronics. We brought three converter power strips and we still barely had enough room to charge our electronics every night. Do not forget to bring a handful of US to EU outlet converters or you will have a serious dilemma!
AITA PE’APE’A
Staying at the Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa is stepping outside every day and being surrounded by beauty everywhere you look. It’s being warmly greeted by resort staff and spending time in a place that feels like home away from home. It’s money well spent; money that we would spend again in a heartbeat.
When we closed the door of our Bora Bora overwater villa for the last time, tears started pouring down my face. I always struggle emotionally when trips come to an end, but this was borderline heartbreaking. I know it sounds dramatic, but if you ever get to experience a trip like ours, you will understand! The eight days Nick and I spent in Bora Bora were eight of the best days of my entire life. Bora Bora is the most beautiful place in the world, but a trip there is only as good as the resort you stay at.
Staying at the Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa left me feeling refreshed, renewed, and happy. I am grateful to have experienced such an amazing place and to have stayed at such a luxurious resort. The Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa blew our expectations out of the water. Thanks to the dedicated staff and beautiful resort grounds, our honeymoon was an absolute dream.
I will leave you with one piece of parting advice for traveling to Bora Bora – you are doing yourself a disservice if you spend 20+ hours on an airplane and don’t spend at least part of your trip at the Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa.
Māuruuru Bora Bora, until next time!
