Hotel Bora Bora

Hotel Bora Bora is located on Bora Bora, a French Polynesian island about 260 kilometers northwest of Tahiti. The resort opened in 1961 with 18 thatched-roof huts on a peninsula uncommonly favored by nature. In the beginning, you floated in by seaplane. And when you splashed down on what more than a few writers -- James Michener included -- have called “the most beautiful lagoon in the world," a canoe was there to ferry you to the newly opened hotel. A few things have changed since then, including a recent refurbishment to the resort’s classic overwater accommodations. But Hotel Bora Bora, an Amanresort since 1989, remains the quintessential symbol of French Polynesia. 

The region’s 115 islands and atolls are grouped among five archipelagoes: the Marquesas, the Tuamotu, the Gambier, the Tubuai and the Society Islands. The Society archipelago is further divided into the Windward Islands, dominated by Tahiti, and the Leeward group, with Bora Bora as the main island. Bora Bora is only 10 kilometers long and four kilometers wide. Thirty-two kilometers of road rim the island. The hotel is situated on Point Raititi. From this southern peninsula on the very edge of the island’s shimmering blue lagoon, the views run 270 degrees -- from the lagoon and the 40-kilometer barrier reef that rims it, to the green-wreathed volcanic peaks that lend drama to the island. Mount Otemanu (mountain of the bird), at 727 meters (2,385 feet), dominates Bora Bora. 
 

Climate
Bora Bora, located 17 degrees south of the equator, enjoys a year-round tropical climate. Temperatures on Bora Bora range from about 25:C (77:F) to 28:C (82:F). The months of November to April are hotter and more humid, with occasional rain. From May to October, the weather is dry and the nights cooled by the trade winds, which are strongest at this time of year. 

Time Difference
French Polynesia is 10 hours behind GMT, two hours behind U.S. Pacific Standard Time and 20 hours behind Australian Eastern Standard Time.

Language
French and Tahitian are the official languages. English is widely spoken.

Getting There
Major airlines service Papeete, Tahiti’s capital. From North America and Europe, fly via Los Angeles, less than eight hours from the Tahitian capital. From Auckland and Tokyo, there are direct flights to Papeete. Flying time from Tahiti to Bora Bora is only 45 minutes. The airport is located on Motu Mute, an islet that extends to the coral reef in Bora Bora’s lagoon. It’s 20 minutes by private launch from the airport to Hotel Bora Bora. Transportation between the airport and the hotel is complimentary. VIP airport express service is available on request. 

Visas are needed by visitors from most countries, except for those with valid passports from E.E.C. countries, the United States, Canada, Japan and Cook Islanders using New Zealand passports.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Accommodation
The resort’s 54 Polynesian-style bungalows and faris (the Tahitian term for home) are linked to the resort’s public areas by black, lava-stone walkways. These individual accommodations enjoy a variety of settings, from garden-view and beachfront to overwater locations. Whether bungalows or faris, the oversized rooms at Hotel Bora Bora take on the eclectic taste of an old trader’s house. Each is furnished in rattan and bamboo, with Tasmanian oak floors, red-cedar walls, ceilings of pandanus lashed to beams of Douglas fir, ball-and-claw, cast-iron tubs, overhead fans, CD players and personal safes. 

Deluxe bungalows are set on the beach, bedrooms facing the sea. With an elevated sundeck built on columns, and steps leading to the lagoon, they have the mood of an overwater accommodation. Deluxe bungalows also include a separate lounge overlooking the sundeck. 

Superior bungalows are located on the palm-thick beachfront. Aside from a spacious bedroom and bathroom, they come with a sitting area that leads to a small patio facing the lagoon.
 

Garden bungalows are set within  tropical gardens, and are of the same design as superior bungalows.

Hotel Bora Bora’s 15 overwater bungalows are thatched-roof, tropical-island retreats set directly over the blue lagoon. While some are located in shallow water, the premium overwaters are further out, close by a coral reef flush with marine life. Each overwater bungalow features a large bedroom with a king-size, four-poster bed, a spacious bathroom and a two-tiered sundeck shaded by a roof of hand-tied pandanus. There’s also a shower at water level alongside steps leading to the lagoon. 

The deeply thatched faris are set in white-beach sand or surrounded by tropical gardens. The resort’s eight pool faris , each enclosed by a lava-stone wall, come with a private swimming pool and an outdoor sun pavilion for two. Three faris feature a Jacuzzi set into a teak sundeck within a garden setting. Premium faris are located in prime beach areas. All come with a living room, a bedroom with a king-size, four-poster bed, an en suite sitting room, a bathroom and a large sundeck. Each fari embraces an area of 117m2 (1,200 ft2), among the most spacious and private of accommodations on Bora Bora.