Bora Bora aka the pearl of the pacific is the most beautiful destination I have visited. A place so beautiful, it was named twice – Bora Bora. This is a detailed guide on everything you need to know about Bora Bora. This is 10 years of research put down in writing, so it helps you with planning a trip to paradise.
FUN FACTS ABOUT BORA BORA
- Bora Bora is a product of a volcanic eruption.
- All citizens of France are citizens of French Polynesia/Tahiti. In the same light, Tahitians are French citizens with complete civil and political rights.
- The capital of Bora Bora is Vaitape.
- The mayor of Bora Bora has been Gaston Tong Sang since July 1989.
- There is no B in the Tahitian language. Considering the name, that seems impossible right? There are only 13 letters in the Tahitian language and B is not one of them. Bora Bora was not what it was named, it was originally named Pora Pora which means first born. Since the Tahitians believe it was the first island created after Raiatea. When the English settlers arrived on the island, they misheard Pora Pora for Bora Bora and that is how the name stuck. I can’t imagine this beautiful island being called Pora Pora – it sounds more like poorer poorer and that does not match this beautiful island. The name Bora Bora is what we call a beautiful mistake.
- The Tahitian language is simple with only 13 letters and 1000 words. It has 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 8 consonants (f, h, m, n, p, r, t, v). This makes learning the language very easy. An apostrophe (‘) indicates a short pause, and there are lots of repetition in the words. This language sounds like Music.
- Tahitians show the world their relationship status with flowers. Flowers are used as green and red-light system when it comes to flirting or asking a woman out. Wearing a flower on your right ear means you are single and ready to mingle and if you are in a relationship, you wear a flower on your left ear.
- Have you ever heard of black pearls? This is where it is being produced. Black pearls are not really common. When you hear the word pearls, most of us think shimmering cream or white color. But black pearls do exist and they are produced by black lipped oysters which are in abundance in the French Polynesian waters. These rare stones don’t come cheap. One thing I will advise is, make sure you buy black pearls when in French Polynesia.
- Tattoos are considered a sacred art in Bora Bora. They have the most beautiful tattoos I have seen in my life. Also, tattoos are looked upon as a sign of beauty by the locals.
- The volcano that sits in the middle of Bora Bora has 2 peaks – Mt. Otemanu and Mt. Pahia. The highest point on the island is Mt. Otemanu.
- The motto of Bora Bora is “aita pea pea” which means no problem or not to worry.
- The main product in Bora Bora is coconut, and they have learned the art of using it for everything. Just think about anything you can use coconut to make and more, they do it. If you hate coconuts or do not eat coconuts, then visiting Bora Bora is not for you. You eat coconuts in everything, drink coconut, make bags with coconut leaves etc. Another thing they use a lot after coconut is vanilla.
- The national dish of Bora Bora is poisson cru (raw fish in coconut milk). I did not try it, but a lot of people rave about how good it tastes. I am not a lover of raw food hence I can’t relate.
- Tahitian letterboxes are for bread deliveries, not letters.
- Hawaii gets more visitors in 10 days than Bora Bora in an entire year. That should give you an idea of how raw an untouched the beauty of this island is. Less tourists = raw untouched natural beauty. Bora Bora has such a low number of visitors because it is a very expensive destination. The most expensive destination I have visited.
- The movie couples retreat was filmed at the St. Regis resort in Bora Bora. You can watch the movie to see how beautiful the island is.
- Bora bora is in the middle of nowhere. New Zealand is the closest large country to Bora Bora, and it is still 927 miles away. A lot of travelers pair Bora Bora with New Zealand, some of the people I talked to during my stay were coming from New Zealand or headed there.
- There are no direct international flights to Bora Bora. You must make a stop in Tahiti.
HOW TO GET TO BORA BORA
The airport code for Bora Bora’s airport is BOB. All flights must stop in Papeete (PPT), the airport in Tahiti, before boarding another flight to Bora Bora. If you are flying from the US, you will have a layover either in LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) or SFO (San Francisco International Airport), and rarely in SEA (Seattle-Tacoma International airport).
From LAX, your best option is Air Tahiti Nui (what we used) which is their local airline, or Air France. If you are flying with Air Tahiti Nui, please note that it leaves from another airport within LAX. Don’t think it is just another gate or terminal; it is very far. If you have a short layover in LAX on your way to Bora Bora, sprint to Air Tahiti Nui’s airport/gate else you will miss your flight.
From SFO, your best option is United Airlines or French-bee. From Honolulu, Hawaiian Airlines leaves once per week.
The flight time from LAX to Papeete is approximately 8 – 9 hours from the West Coast. Most flights arrive at night and require an overnight stay in Papeete before leaving for the other islands. Once you get to Papeete, you might have a few hours or an overnight layover (like we did). If you have an overnight layover, I will recommend staying at the Airport Motel. It is located across the airport – very convenient.
The only way to get to Bora Bora from Tahiti is with either Air Moana or Air Tahiti. Please note: Air Tahiti is different from Air Tahiti Nui. When booking your flight, I’ll advise you to search for roundtrip tickets from your state directly to Bora Bora. The cost of tickets to Bora Bora are at the high end of $1000 to early $2000’s ($1600 – $2300 from the East Coast). Refrain from buying separate flights to save money. If there are any flight delays or cancellations, you will spend double that amount.
The flight time from Tahiti to Bora Bora is between 45 – 50mins from take-off to landing. This is the most scenic flight I have been on. Sit on the left side of the plane flying into Bora Bora. For the best unobstructed view of Bora Bora, sit in the first 4 rows on the left side of the plane or sit on the right side from Bora Bora to Tahiti. One thing to know if flying with Air Tahiti is that they have an open seating policy. Try to be in front of the line once boarding starts. This gives you the opportunity to make the first 4 rows on the left side of the plane for the best unobstructed views of Bora Bora.
The Bora Bora airport is on its own private Motu (island). Once you arrive, you will need a boat transfer to your resort. The resorts are located on their private motus or islets. Locate your hotel’s desk/stand, walk up to them and you will be greeted with a broad smile and a fragrant flower lei. You need to add airport transfer to your hotel reservation. It is an additional charge.
If you are staying in an Airbnb on the mainland of Vaitape, Air Tahiti provides a free ferry for its passengers from the Bora Bora airport to the main island of Vaitape.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
- Currency: The main currency of French Polynesia is the French Pacific Francs (XPF), with the symbol being F or CFP. 1 USD = 100 CFP, but USD is widely accepted everywhere. Credit cards are also accepted in most places, but remember cash is king especially with smaller purchases. Also, if you are traveling with USD, make sure you have small bills like $20 and not $100 because if you need to pay for a purchase that is less than $100, they have a hard time with change and if the resort has to change money for you, they charge a fee.
- Language: The official language is French. Tahitians learn French, English and Tahitian in school. You do not have a problem if you speak any of these languages.
- Plugs: The power plugs are the same as the EU. The standard voltage is 110/220v. My advice is, buy a universal adapter.
- Tipping: Tipping is not expected by hotel and restaurant staff but are appreciated. It is still a good way to show appreciation for great service.
- Drinking water: Tap water is drinkable in Bora Bora. Whenever you go to a restaurant and you are asked; still or sparkling water? Just say tap water or the free one.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
May – October is the best time to visit due to less rain, less humidity, and overall beautiful weather. Please note this season is also high season and this means everything is expensive, especially flights and hotels. You can consider going in the shoulder months April and November because it is cheaper. But this will be a big gamble with the weather, could be a hit or miss. We visited in May and the weather was perfect. The ideal time to spend in Bora Bora is one week.
WHO IS BORA BORA FOR?
This is one of my most asked questions. Bora Bora is for everyone. Families, girls’ trip, couples and solo travelers (though it will be extremely expensive to go solo). During our trip, we saw a lot of older couples, some honeymooners, and families. We were on a girls’ trip and we stood out. Young black girls in Bora Bora, we did that!
WHERE TO STAY IN BORA BORA
It is important to know that Bora Bora has less than 10 resorts and they are St. Regis (Marriott), Four Seasons, Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa (IHG), Intercontinental Le Moana Bora Bora Resort (IHG), Le Bora Bora by Pearl, The Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa (Marriott), and Conrad Nui (Hilton).
Bora Bora is a luxury vacation and the perfect place to splurge and stay at an overwater bungalow. The resorts have beach villas that are cheaper. There was no way I was going to Bora Bora and not staying at an overwater bungalow. I wanted to experience it here first, and I am glad I did. There are also Airbnbs which are all located on the main island. I did not stay at an Airbnb, so I don’t have anything to say except that they are cheaper.
WAYS TO SAVE WHEN TRAVELING TO BORA BORA
- Travel during shoulder months (April and November). Prices look attractive and it is cheaper to go during these months. Going to Bora Bora during the months of December – March is the cheapest. This is the rainy season, and it can make or mar your trip. But you will save a lot of money going during this time.
- Use points to book flights and hotels. Some resorts let you redeem points for your stay. If you have lots of points, you can even have your stay for free or close to nothing. Marriott, IHG and Hilton have properties here.
- Split your stay between the mainland and the resort. Airbnb are very cheap, so you can stay at an Airbnb for more days and spend a day or 2 at a resort just to have the overwater bungalow experience. Also, you can split your stay between overwater bungalows and beach villas. The beach villas at the resort are cheaper and spending more days at the beach villa and a night or 2 at the overwater bungalow will save you a lot of money.
- Look for deals at Costco. They have amazing deals. I heard people get too good to be true deals there. You can also book directly on the hotel’s website; they sometimes have good deals there. I booked directly with the hotel, and it worked well for my group.
- Pack snacks and bring alcohol. Most deals will have breakfast included, but between breakfast and dinner, hunger can hit hard. This is when those snacks will come in handy. Just know, everything in Bora Bora is very expensive. A cocktail costs $30 and if you bring alcohol, you can mix it with juice or soda in your room. Make use of happy hour as drinks are 50% off. Plus, you need to drink the cocktail in the engraved coconut with Mt. Otemanu and Bora Bora on it this is when happy hour prices come in handy.
MUST PACK
- Sunscreen (reef safe)
- Floaties
- Hats
- Lots of swimsuits
- Flashlight (it gets dark)
- Water shoes
- Underwater camera
- Sunglasses
It is a sun destination, do not over pack. Don’t bother dressing up, you will be the only one looking that way. Pack cute flowy dresses, they will do the magic.
THE MOST IMPORTANT TAHITIAN WORDS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Who needs duolingo when they are part of Estelle’s Lens community? Here are a few words you will hear everyday and it will be nice to respond to the locals. Their eyes light up when you speak Tahitian words to them.
- Ia Orana (Yo-rah-nah) – Hello
- Mauruuru (Mah-roo-roo) – Thank you
- Mauruuru Roa (Mah-roo-roo-roa) – Thank you very much
- Aita Pe’a Pe’a (Eye-etah pay-ah pay-ah) – No problem or you are welcome
- Manuia (Mah-nwee-ah) – Cheers (very useful during happy hour)
- Nana (nah-nah) – Bye (everyone hates this especially because no one wants to leave)
- Moana – Ocean
- Maeva (Mah-yeh-vah) – Welcome
Making it to the end of this blog makes you 70% ready to visit Bora Bora. You now have first-hand knowledge about this beautiful place and only need to start saving up to visit it your way when you are ready.
