Hotels on Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Vaitape itself is just a small village with loads of tourist shops and not much else. It's also where the cruise ships anchor so if you're there when a ship is in it becomes a lot busier. Worth a visit to see the place but 2 hours is more than adequate. The places to stay in Bora Bora are, of course, the resort hotels which are dotted around the island either on the island itself or, in many cases, on private islands in the lagoon. This is where you will be able to relax and/or take part in various lagoon based activities and excursions.

Vaitape is not geared towards tourists. We weren't able to even buy coconuts in Vaitape - there are not many transport options to go around the island. The tourist information office is only open during certain hours (from 09:00am, I recall) and then the staff on the tourist information desk were not really able to speak English. Most of the shops are black pearl shops and there are not enough tourist activities - we were looking to give somebody our money for any tourist activities. Other locations in Bora Bora are amazing - Mitira beach; Coral gardens by the Sofitel private island; the lookout on the other side of the island. We were so keen to see some turtles while in Bora Bora, it seemed to only be offered by Le Meridian.

We had a great wedding and honeymoon in Bora Bora with amazing views, photos, memories that we would not trade for anything else. I would get married here again, and come back every time we can.

Whether you are on one of the motus surrounding Bora Bora or on the main island, lack of nearby house reefs for good snorkelling with coral gardens and plenty of fish. A big disappointment for someone used to the Maldives. Otherwise, this is one of the paradises on earth.

I'd say Bora Bora is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Really. It is in good proportion and perfect with its size, form and its surroundings of the lagoon, the reef and the colours. It is an island with the sands so white and it reflects so many different shades of blue of the water in the lagoon. Matira beach is really a beautiful spot in Bora Bora. The sand is so white and the water is dazzling turquoise blue; a short boat ride to the outer reef. It is well serviced with a few rental agencies of cars, boats and scooters. Supermarkets, bars and restaurants are also there. Besides self catering we enjoyed a buffet dinner and entertainment at the Intercontinental Hotel. We spent a day, actually 7 hours, longer than we expected, driving a little boat in the lagoon around the island, taking in its beauty, for our own record that we really saw Bora Bora from air, by land and by sea. And all is beautiful !

Bien que Bora Bora en fasse rêver plusieurs, seul son lagon vaut la peine. Ne séjournez pas plus de 2 jours (excluant le jour d'arrivée et du départ). Nous ne conseillons à personne de faire le tour de l'île (32 km) à vélo car des chiens de type pitbull vous courent après. Il semble que le trop grand nombre de ces chiens soit un véritable problème à Bora Bora (et ceci, nous a été confirmé par les habitants des îles voisines après notre séjour à Bora Bora). Aussi, la majeure partie de l'île rappelle drôlement certains endroits pauvres tels qu'à Cuba, au Mexique et en République dominicaine. Et avec ces prix exhorbitants, on se demande comment les habitants font pour vivre. Bora Bora nous a grandement déçue!

There are many different ways to experience Bora Bora, and all are great. Personally, I prefer staying on the island to experience more of local life because a resort experience - apart from the view - tends to be the same the world over.

Staying with real people , effectively in their home although in every way separate. The people generally and the vibrant scenery- water , reefs and mountains However Bora Bora was the least interesting of the 4 Islands we stayed on ; in order of preference Huahine, Tahiti/Moorea and Bora bora. The overdevelopment in separate enclaves of 5&6 Star overwater resorts on the Motu are sucking the life- commercial and social out of Bora Bora. This is especially so for Vaitape which just exists.

Very beautiful! A boat tour around the island is a must, as you want to see the lagoon with the marine life in it. I would also recommend a day of cycling or scootering around the main island, as it only takes 2-3 hours to cycle the whole island. Staying in one of the resorts is a great option for Bora Bora, as you would want to experience that luxurious style on this island, but make sure you don't spend all your time in the resort. Take time to head to Vaitape, the main town to eat the street food, buy some fresh fruits and souvenirs. And if you're lucky enough to be there during festival seasons during June/July, do go and check out the performances there too!

Bora bora is the real paradise amazing the matira beach is the only public beach bit is really nice, great the lagoon trip swim with sharks and manta I never see a cristal clear water, the local people are amazing and very welcoming and the nature of bora bora is stunning I raccomanded all traveller to come here once in the life is a real paradise