Miscellaneous Tips, Bora-Bora, French Polynesia - Reviews and Hotel Information

As we were on a cruise ship we did not need accommodation on Bora Bora, and I was happy about it because the prices for accommodation are – with a few exceptions – just mad. But I have checked out the options, as I am dreaming of going back to Bora Bora, perhaps as part of a bigger trip with visits to Moorea, Huahine, and Maupiti.

On Bora Bora everything gets relative. If you read of affordable accommodation it normally means that it is more affordable than others on the island – not that it is cheap. Even guesthouses charge crazy prices.

Most hotels are in Matira where the biggies like the Intercontinental Beachcomber and the Hotel Matira have their spectacular overwater bungalows in this incredible translucent lagoon.

The most affordable accommodation is in Nunue which is between Vaitape and Matira.

There you also find the Village Pauline which offers budget to deluxe accommodation. I mention this because when we planned a trip to Bora Bora in 1995 (and later cancelled because of the French nuclear tests in the Mururoa Atoll), we had booked with Pauline. At the time she just had her guesthouse. Since then she has built her little empire, and this is really something special for a local who has started with next to nothing.

Her “Village” is at PK 8, at Pofai Bay (Baie de Pofai), about 3 km south of Vaitape and the ferry and cruise ship pier.
Phone 67 72 16
Fax 67 78 14
Email: vpauline@mail.pf

To give you an idea what “affordable” means, just have a look at rather a good website:

http://www.boraboraisland.com/tostay.html#budget

At the “Lagoonarium” you pay for example:
8000 CFP (for two) in a bungalow (66 Euro)
6000 CFP (for two) in a room with shared facilities (50 Euro)
2700 CFP (per person) in a 10 bed dorm room (23 Euro)

And please note: You have no hot water!

Around the island we have seen houses for rent, with signs saying: Maison à louer. But I do not know how much they charge.

The general price guide:

Deluxe: 180 Euro (250 US$) to 650 Euro (800 US$), open end, in reality, if you are a Hollywood star ;-)

Mid range: 65 to 180 Euro (80 to 250 US$)

Budget: 10 to 65 Euro (12 to 80 US$) – the first number for camping

If you check out the prices on the hotels’ websites you will quickly find out that the upper rate is higher in most cases…

Other websites with information about accommodation:
http://www.tahiti1.com/hotels/borabora-lodge-en.htm
http://www.bora-bora-paradise.com/bora-bora-cheap-hotels.html

Finally:
Most of the hotels with the spectacular overwater bungalows are located on the outlying motus along the reef, and sure, they are again more expensive than the hotels on the main island. However, you also find overwater bungalows in the Matira area, for example the Hotel Bora Bora, the Hotel Matira, Le Matai Polynesia, and the Sofitel Matira.

If you see abandoned hotels along the way, most were not abandoned due to the recession or a sudden drop in visitor numbers, but to repeated damage caused by tropical cyclones, so the resorts relocated to less affected areas. Exeption: the ruins of a failed Hyatt Regency project.

If you stay at a hotel on a motu you will surely encounter a very peaceful and quiet atmosphere. But also remember that you need a watertaxi for every trip to the mainland.

In one of my travel guides I read about “noise and traffic” you encounter at the Matira hotels, as there is not a lot of space between the lagoon and the mountains, and you should better go to a motu, or at least to the Hotel Bora Bora because it is a bit away from the road. This remark is as relative as the rates. There was surely traffic between Vaitape and Matira – but it was nothing compared to other places I have been to. And I cannot imagine that the SUV’s and the rubbish truck keep on driving back and forth during the night, so you would not be able to close an eye. Although there were plenty of cruise ship passengers on the best public beach at Matira Point it was very, very quiet. Just marvellous. Nothing spoiled the experience.

Miscellaneous Tips, Bora-Bora

Bora-Bora Hotels

Bora-Bora Hotels