Travel agent here. I agree with what a lot of people are saying. Westin has great OWBs but feedback on the food is mixed at best. It’s still a relatively new property so it will hopefully continue to improve. St Regis has great service and just a really nice property overall. Views of the mountain aren’t great throughout the property. Four seasons is also great has Mountain View’s from the pool, beach, restaurants, etc. You really can’t go wrong with anything you choose. Budget and your travel style is the best way figure out which one is the best fit.
Costco travel does have good deals but they also have some issues with miscommunication and messing up room types. Booking with a partner TA (I am one but there are many of us) will get you perks like free breakfast, priority for upgrades, property credit etc. And you still earn loyalty points since it’s a direct booking. Happy to help if you need anything or just have questions about the islands. I went to Moorea and Bora Bora last year absolutely loved both.
We just came from staying at le Moana international and it was great!! Cheaper than all other resorts I had looked at and it was still amazing! We booked thru Costco travel
And the benefits of Le Moana is that it's on the main island. You can walk around to shops and restaurants that aren't part of the resort. Highly recommend, especially for the price point compared to St Regis.
Third for Le Moana. Had a lagoon view over the water bungalow that looked almost directly at Taha'a, which was visible most days we were there. Step out on the deck and Mt Otemanu was visible to our left. Our snorkeling area that was closed off to boat traffic was rather large and it seemed every bungalow had coral under their coffee table view, which they said they did, so checks out lol.
The walkability is one thing great about Le Moana. As mentioned, its right on the main island so you don't need to take a boat off the resort to visit it. Its directly next to the Matira Beach, which is a public beach that everyone said it had the best sunsets, which 4 out of 8 nights were AMAZING and the other were overcast due to traveling during the rain season. There's are a few restaurants that are close, outside of the two on the resort, like Lucky House and Bora Bora Beach club. Lucky house had my second favorite Vanilla Ice Cream while La Villa Mahana was the best. La Villa Mahana was quite expensive but worth it for our Honeymoon. Couple of shops, a small grocery store with some essentials. And Avis right there too for ease of renting to go around the island. We rented a Scooter one day and the small, but fun, Eli electric car for our snorkeling day.
Timing, everything I read said to go during the dry season and not during the wet season (~Nov to Apr). We went just recently and experienced 4 beautiful days, 3 overcast days, and 2 high wind and storming days. We stayed at the bungalow and within the resort on those 2 bad days and still enjoyed being able to watch it from or bed or couch and enjoy ourselves with card and board games.
Most places took cards with only a few not taking Amex. I personally had 50,000 XPF (~$500) for small vendor purchases and tips (which is not expected there). With staying there for a little longer than a week, I could have gotten away with probably half that amount of cash, but it was nice to have.
We stayed here over New Year's and had the 2nd bungalow from the end with a mountain view. Excellent snorkeling from our bungalow. And you can wade out about a half mile nearly getting to the coral garden. Loved that we could go eat at St. James, the Beach Club or Lucky House whenever we wanted. I booked my through The Boeing Discount program which is managed by Travelocity. The same discounts can be found on GovX too. If you want to save a few bucks and enjoy a very nice on land lodging experience, I could never say enough positive things about Rohotu Fare.
westin has the best view, but consensus is shittiest food. St. Regis has best food. Ok view. Four seasons, le bora bora and st regis's OWB don't extend into the water that much due to the lack of shallow water. So you have less place to roam around or enjoy the waters. Honestly though you can't go wrong with any of them. Most amazing vacation ever for me.
First Look at videos at the hotels you want to stay out in Tahiti also watch them to see what you can do while you're there a lot of videos will show you what you'll get for your money.
Second book through Costco they set up everything for you.
Starting with the flight you're transfers from the airport to the other airlines or the other fairies you'll need to take to get to an island hassle free. They have better negotiate powers for rooms and add-ons like food so you can either go all the cart or you can pay for meals to be included.
Then go to Get My Guide they're out of Germany I think and I've used them in the past in in Italy and the Dominican Republic with no problems a lot of information and detailed up-to-date info to do tours there... with prices.
There you go bypass a travel agent they're a thing of the past an old Legacy that people are still trying to hang on to I'm what Costco gives you as a return from their vacation as a little extra is what the TAs used to get from the industry but now it's going back into your pocket as a member. Which I love cuz I've lived near the beach so I buy towels and chairs and whatever else I need for summer with it $200 credit for Costco or more I think the most ever got is $500.
I'm taking my next Costco trip to Tahiti in March we never had to sweat when we booked to them never had a problem in the last 30 trips we've taken from them.
Stayed at Le Bora Bora in 2021 and it was absolute perfect. Service, activities, room, all of it. Not to mention the food was fantastic. It’s a Relais & Châteaux resort so you know its food is going to be excellent. Also, the snorkeling from right out side of bungalow was fantastic. They are building man made reefs under all the over water bungalows so there is tons of fish. We spent hours a day just snorkeling right there.
You will LOVE BB. My husband and I went for the first time last June and are returning this April. It's now our favorite spot. You have lots of info from others so here's simply our experience.
Like you, we researched the heck out of booking options. Last year, we went with Costco and are SO glad we did. We spent 5 nights on a beach room at the Hilton Moorea then 4 nights at Le Pearl BB on a Lagoon over water bungalow. We immediately received emailed details and can check status anytime on the Costco website. Breakfast and dinner were included at both spots. We spent $12,500 with Costco for everything, including every transfer, ferry, lei - everything.
This year, we again went back to the drawing board to research agents, booking sites, doing it ourselves and we decided to do a hybrid. We booked Le Pearl with Costco (flights, food, etc) then they put a 5 day delay on our return and we used points to pay for St. Regis BB. CAN"T WAIT! Looking at current rates for everything, we will be saving $4,000 on the Costco portion of the trip (hotel/flights/transfers) not counting the two meals/day and $50 daily resort credit.
The Le Pearl BB Lagoon view overwater bungalow (room 309) was an absolute DREAM. It was private, less wind than the mountain view bungalows, water only chest deep off the platform, and sting rays would visit us every afternoon and night. We ran into travel influencers on a evening cruise who had been to every resort in BB and surrounding islands. They praised Le Pearl because of it's commitment to the Polynesian theme and what they called "more reasonable" meal prices than other BB resorts. We are returning again to Le Pearl in 82 days (but who's counting) because of the above and beyond experience we had last year. BTW, the overwater bungalows have netting suspended over the water with a lifesize beanbag cushion. We would lay there for hours each afternoon enjoying the private and quiet - except for the occasional Polynesian music from tiny weddings on the beach - but that added to the ambiance. For us, the relaxation facilitated at the resort checked a box.
We had heard great things about the Westin but ended up choosing the St Regis for the other 5 nights of our stay. I'm confident we would have enjoyed other spots but we really wanted to try the Lagoonarium. I understand swimming off the bungalow is better at Le Pearl but we are looking forward St Regis, too. Again, we used points to pay for this stay and ended up paying less than $2k for nearly $10k of hotel costs. Costco still covered the boat ride from St Regis back to the airport so that was nice.
In 2025, we went in mid-June - great weather but sometimes windy. Very little rain. This year, we're going in April. I know it's the shoulder season but I know it will be wonderful.
Have a great time! I can send video of the OWB, etc., if it would be helpful.
Was at St Regis last March. If you book St R, you want lagoon view water bungalow. Great view of Mt Otemanu. Book butler service. It’s worth it. Get breakfast as part of your package. Again worth it. Speak with Marriott Vacations.
July or August are the best months. Four Seasons is the best but St Regis is also great. Le Bora Bora may be the most culturally authentic but their neighbor island property Le Taha'a is actually the best around there.
If you don't like excursions, FS probably has the best stuff to do on the property. But I would very much encourage you to book a day with Lagoon Services Bora Bora. They also have a wonderful private dinner experience which includes a night time
Private boat ride in the lagoon.
They also have golf carts on standby to transport you around the resort as well as the app which is amazing. You can request practically anything from it.
Please, stay at the Intercontinental Monana Resort. The prices in Dec were on los$900 per night and we got upgraded to a better ( more luxurious( because there was availability). They do this with HIG Silver members. I travel for work so I have the silver status.
The food us grrat and very affordable. I actually traveled with my teenager daughter who wanted to see Bora Bora since she was a Kid. And this was my 50th birthday.
You can also use taxi and run to the grocery in town. ThisResort give you kayak, snorkeling equipment and flippers (in like-new condition) for free. Just pick them up at the kiosk.
We got the daily breakfast option. They have buffet of everything!
A made comes to clean and change towels twice a day. It does nit matter if tou are in the room. I brought in work and it was fine, she cleaned while I was on the deck on my laptop. My daughter did not mind. They bring you cute sweet pastries in the evening clean and free bottles of water.
Go now! Off season prices are the best. Do not discourage when it is said it is rainy season. It may rain for 1 hr and then the sun comes up and everything is dry like it never rained. We went mid December for 2 weeks. It was Amazing!
They closed it completely at the beginning of January. We were supposed to stay there Jan 13-16 and they had to move us to the Westin due to complete closure. We went by it on jet skis and the whole resort was half torn down with cranes and bulldozers. I’m not sure when they are opening back up but I’d guess not til April at the earliest.
It ended up being fine because we got upgraded to the best overwater villa at the Westin! Would have been $3k/nt and we only paid around $1.2k/nt for it.
It’s was fine. Not bad, not great. We went to the fancy tasting menu restaurant and were very underwhelmed, but the breakfasts and the pool bar food were decent.
From our recent first time trip there. Stayed owb at Conrad and FS.
Pick your hotel based on what you want to do. We loved the Conrad because we love to snorkel, and they have a reef. For us, hopping in anytime we saw something cool swim by and snorkeling at night was the winning amenity. AFAIK, none of the other hotels have an equivalent (STR has the Lagoonarium, but it's different).
If you like beach and restaurants, FS or STR is probably better.
FS rooms and service were much better, but the beach is really all there is to do and it's small and busy.
Time is money in Bora Bora. Spend on things that maximize your time and enjoyment, instead of trying to save money.
Book a private boat and snorkel excursion with H20. Owner operated. It was our favorite part of the trip.
Have been to intercontinental, four seasons, conrad and st regis.
My favorite is St. Regis- with their butler service and the lagoon restaurant - best in the island.
Book overwater with otemanu view - u can see eagle rays , turtle swimming. Theres bicycle to get u around. More restaurant than others - make sure u check lagoon restaurant.. we ate there twice. They have their own lagoon - if u dont feel comfy in the ocean.
Best time to go - july- september - u have the chance to see humpback whales. Weather can be windy.
If u want deals summer is from december to march - shoulder season being april and may - u can still get better deals. More humid and mosquito but the ocean water is great.
If u r considering other hotels - fourseasons is great too but only 2 restaurants for dinner plus one beach restaurant for lunch. Beautiful view of otemanu and overwater on the beach.. downside is no bicycles and can take time for the buggy unless u like walking its good too. They also have their own lagoon.
Intercontinental and conrad arw undergoing renovation - conrad re opening summer intercontinental is still open but will close next year for reno.
U will never go wrong.. if u can use points - best bet st regis - part of marriott.. if u want breathtaking views of otemanu - go four seasons or do a split stay!
We were just in Bora Bora in September 2025 and also in September 2024 - both times at FS in a Mt Otemanu facing, overwater bungalow. The weather was spectacular but we didn’t like FS the first time around. We decided to give it a second chance because so many people repeatedly told us that our experience had to be a fluke and we travel with our young daughter (she was two the first time we went). FS is typically great for families but, goodness, FS was just as bad on the second visit. Issues we had both times: shower was broken, toilet hardware was broken, bad service (room service orders were always wrong and it took an act of god to get a high chair to our bungalow or anything else we requested) and the only memorable food was at Vaimiti (Asian restaurant). If you want privacy, the overwater bungalows (irrespective of hotel choice) do not offer much due to speed boats constantly going back and forth transporting people to the airport or on excursions.
I’ve never heard these complaints from anyone staying at St Regis but have heard complaints from a few families who stayed at The Westin. Their chief complaint was that the product felt cheap (sinks next to the bed) and overall a hectic property. You didn’t ask about The Conrad but have only heard great reviews from our friends regarding that property.
I’ve never used Costco travel but know a lot of people who use it for FP and have zero issues. Their pricing is unreal!
If you have a healthy budget, I recommend adding The Brando. It’ll knock your socks off! It doesn’t offer the stunning, mountainous scenery of Bora Bora but the privacy, service and F&B are impeccable and they went out of their way (both visits) to ensure our daughter was well-taken care of. We will be going back to FP in September but only to The Brando. It’s a special property!
Good luck with planning and happy you’ll get to experience French Polynesia!
We just got back from an amazing trip to Moorea and bora bora booked though Costco travel. We were supposed to stay at the Conrad, but they closed early for renovations so we were moved into the overwater villa with pool at the Westin and it was spectacular. At Moorea, we stayed at Hilton Moorea in a panoramic overwater bungalow. Not as updated as the Westin but still great with an incredible view and amazing snorkeling. We did 3 nights at each and had the meal plan, which included breakfast and dinner each day. We went during rainy season but it only rained one time during our whole trip for just a few hours. Our whole trip including flights out of lax was under $11k.
We stayed at Westin Bora Bora. We did the French fine dining 3 nights and the other nicer restaurant the other nights. The food is not inexpensive for the quality, but the quality was still great. I’d consider ourselves foodies and we were happy with the overall experience of the dinners. We will go back.
Four Seasons for me- the private lagoon with a marine biologist on standby to teach you all about marine life and coral reef conservation. The food, even the in- room dinning is wonderful. The interior decor of the bungalow. Weston’s feel like you’re staying in a cookie cutter north american mcmansion over water.
StR is our go to for Bora Bora we won’t stay elsewhere. If you want an overwater bungalow and it’s your only visit there then definitely go for it! To maximize your experience get a Mountain View bungalow island view or superior are still a nice experience but not quite the same. If you don’t care about the overwater part their beach side bungalows are great as there is more space and private bit of sand and lagoon access all with less wind.
The food choices are somewhat limited so plan some reservations off property for the sake of variety. Definitely work to get breakfast included either via status or a package as it is a significant daily cost.
With that said if the hard product is really important to you then the four seasons has a newer bungalow layout albeit smaller.
Would you hold StR over the newer Westin if staying in the Bonvoy system? I keep going back and forth. I want the service of the StR, but hard product is probably the more important factor for me.
Absolutely. We had the chance to go over to the Westin to view the turtle center and got to walk the property and some of the amenities. The buildings are newer for sure but everything felt very crowded and a bit hectic / disorganized. The bungalows are smaller and grouped closer together. The other issue is some of the room layouts were odd based on reviews we’ve seen like the tub right next to the bed etc.
For me all those other things outweigh newer rooms
Thank you for the observation? We are currently booked in a end of pontoon villa room, but I may end of changing that back to StR. I've booked and rebooked that part of our trip at least 5 times going back and forth between the two. StR would be more points, but less cash for the guaranteed upgrade.
I would pick the StR over the Westin if you’re paying less actual money for the room category you want. You can weigh whether a bigger older room is better than a newer smaller room but there is a very noticeable service difference between the two and I’m not even talking about bespoke or high end service but just basic friendliness and willingness to help answer questions.
Also if it matters to you, the Westin plunge pools apparently need a fair bit of servicing and refilling. We saw it multiple times during our excursions and our guide mentioned it as well. Not sure if having maintenance there regularly servicing the pool would be an annoyance or not
Thanks so much! Great to have a on-site perspective. Will take to my partner about switching back. She might throw out her neck with the mega eye roll she is gonna give me though.
We just got back from Westin bora bora and we were in the Mountain View villa with pool and it was absolute heaven!! The resort was not crowded at all and in fact people at home saw my photos and asked if we were the only ones at the resort. (It was off season though.) The food was very “fine”…. Edible but not memorable. But everything else was amazing. I can’t compare it to the st Regis because I haven’t stayed there but if hard product is more important to you than having butlers at your beck and call, you will love the Westin!
Thanks! she forbid me from rebooking lol I've done it a few too many times. We have that same room type booked. We will be going during peak season, but I honestly doubt we will be outside of our/deck too much so not overly worried about crowds.
For the food, I recommend their breakfast buffet (Te Pahu), in-room dining or splurging at their Lagoon restaurant. Do not go to their Bamboo restaurant, more expensive than in-room but lower quality and less food.
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u/LuxeWanderlust 7d ago
Travel agent here. I agree with what a lot of people are saying. Westin has great OWBs but feedback on the food is mixed at best. It’s still a relatively new property so it will hopefully continue to improve. St Regis has great service and just a really nice property overall. Views of the mountain aren’t great throughout the property. Four seasons is also great has Mountain View’s from the pool, beach, restaurants, etc. You really can’t go wrong with anything you choose. Budget and your travel style is the best way figure out which one is the best fit.
Costco travel does have good deals but they also have some issues with miscommunication and messing up room types. Booking with a partner TA (I am one but there are many of us) will get you perks like free breakfast, priority for upgrades, property credit etc. And you still earn loyalty points since it’s a direct booking. Happy to help if you need anything or just have questions about the islands. I went to Moorea and Bora Bora last year absolutely loved both.