Our thanks to Tahiti Tourisme for hosting our stay so we could write this detailed review of our experience.
My family and I recently returned from an epic trip to the islands of Tahiti. To recap, here’s what it was like to fly Air Tahiti Nui from Los Angeles to Papeete and spend a couple of nights in a luxury Tahiti house rental. We then flew to the Society Islands (here’s what it was like to fly between islands on the domestic carrier Air Tahiti) to spend a few nights at Le Taha’a, before flying nine minutes to Bora Bora (from Raiatea).
Tip: If you’re flying from Raiatea or Papeete to Bora Bora (the airport code is one of my favorites … BOB), sit on the left-hand side of the plane for the best views.
As soon as you touch down, you’ll feel relaxed. The plane pulls up to an open-air airport and you just walk in and find your hotel kiosk by the exit. We were greeted with a fresh lei, they took care of our luggage once we’d grabbed it from baggage claim, and then we walked 20 yards to their private 12-passenger boat.
Onboard, guests are greeted with a chilled towel and incredible views of the turquoise water and Mount Otemanu during the 15-minute ride to the resort.
Once you arrive at the resort, you’re greeted again by friendly staff members and this time, with a welcome drink.
Once you check in, you get whisked away in an electric golf cart for a quick property overview and then down one of the wooden walkways to your bungalow, which hovers above the lagoon.
The resort has 108 overwater bungalows and seven villas. The farther you go from shore, the deeper the water gets. We were in room 224, which was about three quarters of the way down. It felt like a long walk, but it was just a five-minute walk to shore.
Our one-bedroom lagoon-view overwater bungalow suite featured one king bed and a comfy living area.
That’s where the couch pulls out into a full-size bed (I slept in it while my kids slept in the bed).
It’s separated by a sleek bathroom where the tub overlooks the lagoon, which is perfect for soaking while taking in the scenery.
On the opposite side of the tub is a walk-in shower and a private toilet.
Each bungalow has a private deck with direct access to swim or snorkel whenever you want. There’s a table outside to dine or work at and a couple of lounge chairs. Good to know: The hotel has a lifeguard on a jet ski who slowly but continuously circles under the walkway, just to make sure none of the guests get in trouble.
There’s also an outdoor shower.
Inside the room, the beds have plush linens and there are soft robes (including for kids), slippers, a tote bag to take to the beach and home, a mini fridge that has some bottled water (sparkling and still) as well as beer and juices, and a converter in case you forget yours.
The bungalow is so nice, you don’t really want to leave it (see my video above).
Our room just happened to be next door to the bungalow that had the ice machine, a refilling station for water bottles and best of all, a washing machine and dryer to clean your clothes. We had been traveling for almost a week, so we were happy to do a load; it was no charge and they offer free detergent.
We ate at three of the resort’s four restaurants:
Tere Nui Restaurant – The main open-air spot at the resort serves a buffet breakfast and also offers lunch and seasonal dinners.
Arii Moana – The resort’s signature fine-dining restaurant is where you can enjoy elevated, beautifully presented meals in a relaxed, elegant setting.
Sunset Restaurant & Bar – A more casual dinner option with Asian-inspired dishes and drinks, perfect for enjoying the sunset.
Faré Hoa Beach Bar & Grill – A laid-back beachside spot for lunch, snacks, or casual dinners by the pool and lagoon.
We didn’t have enough time to snorkel in the lagoon or …
… go to the 24/7 gym but I did pop my head in!
But the highlight of our trip was definitely our lagoon excursion by Bora Bora Manu Lagoon Excursions (Ph.: +689 87 79 11 62).
Chris, our guide, picked us up at 9 am from the hotel’s lobby dock (the Four Seasons brought us towels), and we were off on our first of five stops.
FYI: Bring eco-friendly sunscreen, lip balm, hat, bathing suit, waterproof shoes, waterproof case for your phone, a GoPro, an external charger for your phone and a swim shirt (if you don’t want too much sun). Manu Lagoon provides snorkel gear, plenty of drinks, bottled water, beer, soda and juices (pineapple and mango).
Our first stop was to swim with the manta rays. It was deep water and a long swim. Fortunately, my daughter backed out as we made our way to find the mantas. It’s scary when you’re above the water, but once you go under the water with your snorkel gear, it becomes amazingly peaceful and serene. The water was so clear and warm (84 degrees).
Our next stop was to swim with stingrays and blacktip reef sharks. I’ve done this a couple of times before but it’s been over a decade, and the laws have changed. No longer can people feed them, but they still magically appear, either from being so used to it or because some guides still have some snacks in their pockets.
As you can see from the photos above, it’s surreal and an experience my kids will never forget. Almost every day, they say, “Can you believe we swam with sharks?!”
We then drove about 20 minutes to the coral garden. My son was afraid to go in at first because it was deep, but after a couple minutes holding his hand and easing him into it, I couldn’t get him out of the water.
We then cruised for another 10 minutes or so and swam with eagle rays. This time my son wasn’t afraid, even though the water was deep, and he still can’t believe we saw 10 of them all in formation. It was so peaceful.
We then went to shore to a private island to have lunch on a picnic table in the water!
My kids were blown away. We had BBQ chicken, fish, coconut bread, mango, pineapple, rice, potatoes and banana pudding.
Afterwards, Chris and the woman on the island made the kids baskets and crowns out of palms. We then drove 20 minutes to the hotel. The whole time we stayed inside the lagoon but circumvented the island.
We were supposed to go on a Jeep safari tour, but my kids and I were beat from such a fun four-hour experience. If we’d had one more day, we would have done it.
My kids did go to the hotel’s Kids Club for a couple of hours and loved it.
Of course, we made some time to take a dip in the pool.
No one was happy about having to leave but life and back to school was waiting for us at home. The hotel staff gave us a great send off.
Rack rates start at $2,000 a night but I found a package deal on Costco, which cut the price in half and included airfare from L.A. and all transfers. Unfortunately, this was a unicorn deal, very rare to find and has expired but you should always look out for them. I can also book this hotel for you and get you some perks so if you’re interested, email me at booking @ johnnyjet.com.
