Our First Overwater Bungalow - Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Nothing screams luxury like an overwater bungalow. Pair that with arguably one of the most stunning views on the planet and you have what feels like a movie set, something so insanely beautiful that it’s hard to comprehend that it’s real. So when the opportunity to stay here was presented via points, we jumped at it.
It’s said that when sailors first arrived to Bora Bora, they crashed their boats because they were so in awe of what they were looking at. Guys, we would have been those people.
Bora Bora, while pricey, is also extremely touristy so finding flights was a challenge. Due to the number of miles we’ve acquired over the years, we’re super blessed to almost never fly in coach. Almost. Bora Bora was a clear exception. With limited flights and no flexibility on dates (due to the points nights open), we dusted off our own travel pillows and flew overnight on Air Tahiti. Was it awesome? Can’t say so but it’s the plane that took us to a literal postcard and I’d do it again and again for this experience.
We flew from Tahiti to Bora Bora on a prop plane and I don’t know if the pilot was in a great mood or if he just thought needed the scenic route but he flew around the entire island giving everyone on board a chance to take epic photos out of their dirty windows. (I want to invent a window cleaner cling for scenic flights like this - who has a few million they want to spare to fund this?)
Because we were landing so early (around 8am local time), we decided to rent a car and drive around the main island for half a day knowing that we wouldn’t want to leave the hotel once we arrived. (It wasn’t cost effective to do so at $30pp, one-way across the motu) We loved this! You can take the local ferry from the airport to the main marina where Avis has cars available to rent. We drove the entire island, stopping along the way for some drone footage, shark spotting, and jaw dropping views.
After getting hungry and knowing we were in the land of tuna, we had an early lunch at what ended up being our favorite restaurant/meal of the trip. The place was called Bora Bora Beach club and we ordered a Poisson Cru to start; a mix of tuna, cucumber, and julienned carrots in a coconut and lime broth. Ya’ll - we immediately ordered a second one after just a single bite of the first! We knew this was a local dish and expected it to be everywhere but it turns out, everyone has their own version and we prefer BB Beach Club’s version above all else. 4 months later, this is still a topic of conversation in our household.
We dropped off the car and boarded the ITC ferry at the Intercontinental Moana Resort on the main island that would take us to the best location one could ask for in Bora Bora. My standards, like my heels, were high.
We were greeted by the hotel staff at the dock where our bags were whisked away to our villa and we were given a golf cart tour of the resort. Every room here is overwater and all of the restaurants and activities are based on land. The pool was placed in the most perfect spot and the spa, while we didn’t have a chance to try it, was tucked away with privacy and still somehow was able to capture the view. We dropped off our dive gear to the dive shop and introduced ourselves, ready to jump in the water as soon as possible.
We were book in an Emerald Villa and one thing that became obvious is that our villa location was definitely a step up from others. Emerald Villas aren’t supposed to have a view of the mountain but ours was built just the perfect placement between the more expensive villas that we had a gorgeous view of Mt Otemanu from our deck. I did a quick Facebook live video and quickly changed into my swimsuit for the ultimate chunky dunk.
Our evening consisted of an early dinner and 8pm bedtime. The bed was super comfy and the room was nice and cold so it made for a perfect early first night.
We awoke the next morning to a view that will be hard to beat on all future trips.
We headed to breakfast, a buffet included with our status with IHG, and Curtis went off to dive first while I took it easy by the pool. Our early night before paired with a bit of jet lag meant I was poolside by 7:30am with no one to bother me, aka. get in the way of my morning photo session.
I joined Curtis on the afternoon dive, which was at a Manta Ray cleaning station, but poor visibility and no mantas made for an easy and uneventful dive. It was still nice to be in and on the water for the afternoon and was a good introduction to my anxiety ridden diving self.
Dinner was good, although I have to admit, I expected a bit more from a property as aspirational as this one. The portions were spot on but every dish just missed something. There were very few actual Polynesian dishes on the menu, with 2-3 options max for fish, so it fell short of our expectations. While good, it lacked some flavor and local flair each time we ate. I longed for coconut milk dishes and fresh seafood and found neither eat time we sat down. First world problem? You bet. But just don’t expect much out of food choices at this particular property.
The next day was dedicated to diving out in a pass known for shark snorkeling and swimming. Locals take out tourists and feed the sharks (a big no-no in my book) and we as divers take advantage of the view. It also means that sharks come close to swimmers and divers out of curiosity and within seconds of slowing the engines near our dive spot, we were being circled by one of my favorite animals. I was the first diver to jump in. Like didn’t wait for a signal kind of jumping in. (my bad, I regret nothing)
Sharks are vilified in every possible way and I just don’t get it. They’re desperately needed in our oceans to keep the balance and want nothing to do with us. Did you know that over 100 MILLION sharks are killed EVERY YEAR? It’s never ok to kill a shark - you are 3 times more likely to die by having a vending machine fall on you than you are by a shark.
The dives we did at this site were awesome and I got to see lemon sharks for the first time ever. The visibility was super clear (75+ feet vis) and fish were still hanging around the corals so the signs that the reef is still doing well are there. I did see a bit of bleaching, which is concerning, but for the most part, the hard corals were thriving.
Curtis’ birthday present was a splurge at the Polynesian Night Buffet, where he personally consumed 4 Poisson Cru dishes in succession. (I downed 3 so I can’t really judge) While not as great at BB Beach Club, it was good enough for multiple rounds. :) The evening had an hour long local show that felt a bit touristy but it was nice to see local traditions and dance on display. Curtis got to learn how to dance a bit and it was amazing. :D
The next few days were spent being lazy around the pool with a mix of diving as we wanted to enjoy the points redemption at this resort as much as we could. The sandy bottom around the overwater villas made for very little ocean life present but on our last night there, we were sitting on the dock when an eagle ray swam by like it was no big deal. These are rare to see diving so we were shocked it swam right by us! Naturally our phones couldn’t capture anything as it was a bit dark but it just goes to show how unpredictable and gorgeous the ocean can be at any moment. Who knows what swam by us while we were sleeping. :)
The second part of our trip was to Rangiroa where the possibility of diving with dolphins was high so we were giddy boarding the plane and little did we know what what in store for us…