The first time I heard of Bora Bora was in the movie Couples Retreat. It looked so beautiful, I said to myself “this is definitely a place to visit someday for my Honeymoon”. Years later, my wish became reality as we booked a week-long stay at the Intercontinental Resort and Thalasso Spa, Bora Bora.
No doubt Bora Bora is quite some distance. It took 4 airplanes and about 20 hours in total to get to the island from Scotland. Nevertheless, it was well worth it.
The last leg of our flights was an hour from Tahiti to Bora Bora. Flying over the island offered us the opportunity to admire the beauty of nature. The pilot did a great job of pointing out notable landmarks throughout the duration of the flight. It was heavenly.
When we landed, I sighted the waters from the windows, it was pristine blue. I was overwhelmed with euphoria. The concierge went through the guest-list to confirm our names, welcomed us with the Polynesian emblematic Tiare flower necklace, then loaded our bags on a boat designated for Intercontinental guests.
The boat ride to the resort took about 20 minutes.
On our way, we could see several overwater bungalows, the water, everything was just perfect. As we got closer to the welcoming area, a group of people dressed in the Tahitian traditional costume outfit, blowing a horn out of a seashell, gave us the best welcome ever.
We were in Heaven and the angels came out to play!!!
We were assisted out of the boat and greeted “ la Orona”, which translates “hello” in Tahiti. We got to the waiting area where we were served some fresh fruit juice, handed a warm scented towel before we were taken to the day-room to refresh and rest awaiting check-in to our villa.
“Happy Honeymooning Mrs & Mr. Uwem” the concierge said, as she gave us a bottle of champagne!
From our villa, we had gorgeous views of Mt Otemanu, the stretch of other overwater bungalows and the stunning blue waters. Our living room had an over the water glass coffee table with views of the underwater.
This was heaven on earth.
When night came, I couldn’t sleep early. I didn’t want to miss out on anything and so I stepped out to enjoy the breathtaking views at night.
Yay!!! We were really in Bora and it wasn’t a dream!
We went for breakfast at the Reefs Restaurant. It’s a buffet style setting offering very filling meals with a variety of options. Fresh fruits, freshly baked pastries, cold meats, juices, hash browns, sausages – a great variety. All staff members were friendly and helpful.
We were greeted by name every morning and we sat at our preferred table. The staff recalled our plans for the previous day and asked how everything went. This was exceptional.
Lunch and dinner were served at the Sands restaurant which serves a la carte dishes. As the name suggests, you can dine on the beach.
My husband snorkeled among all the gorgeous fishes and we relaxed at the beach across the road from the Lagoonarium. We went scrubbing diving- it was my first time ever in water. I don’t know how to swim and I’ve always believed water was safer in a cup, but here I was in Bora Bora, conquering my fears.
The underwater was beautiful and crystal clear, it looked just like the Georgia Aquarium but bigger.
We went canoeing, kayaking, viewed some handicraft demonstrations by locals and toured the grounds of the resort. The sand was just like soft white flour – that’s the best way I can describe it! 🙂
We also toured the Spa, went in the jacuzzi, did the cold water walk in a pool of cold water massaging our legs as we walked through. Then we enjoyed the pearl rain couple’s massage where there was a shower of warm water rainfall overhead dripping on us as we got massaged. It was totally relaxing and the Tiare fragrance oil was to die for.
We were served breakfast in a canoe on our deck with views of Mt. Otemanu and we received a delicious cheese platter and a bottle of red wine. This was luxury itself!
I wish we could stay in Bora Bora forever, but such trips command a premium price, and so we had to bid Bora Bora ‘goodbye’. This broke my heart.
We received necklaces made out of seashells and we were told it would last as long as a memory of Polynesia. We were greeted “Nana” which translates “goodbye”.
Our honeymoon experience in Bora Bora was splendid. We can’t wait to return for one of our anniversaries and hopefully stay in the same villa.
Our photos can tell our story.
Heaven on earth! Breathtaking!! But ehn! Did you say it’s 20hours from Scotland and four flights???
Yes, she did. Lol
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing our story.
We are happy to. Thanks for sharing.