InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana Resort

The trip to French Polynesia and Bora Bora has long been a bucket list item for me. With this in mind, I spend some time in booking the trip thinking what my goals and desires would be. Location, availability to the mainland, amenities, and going on executions. InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana checked all of these boxes. From the moment I landed to my departure, I had no worries. Laurence Levy and her staff were gracious hosts through out my stay. I had next to no problems with my room. Every night the waves crashed, and no bugs. The water was shallow but crystal clear. Food and drinks were good. I recommend getting the breakfast buffet included (reduced cost and peace of mind to start the day). The concierge was extremely helpful with my given time on the island to get to the excursions I desired (jet skiing, snorkeling, and touring the island). I jet skied the ENTIRE island (I did not fall off and caught a portion on a GoPro), snorkeled with sharks and stingrays, record a Manta Ray on a GoPro too, and more. Something I was not looking for or desired, however was appreciated was EVERYONE knew who I was and used my name often! In hospitality, this is tremendous! Seemingly, everyone spoke English. While not expected, was appreciated since I was the one in a foreign country (knowing French helps). These are NOT all inclusive resorts. With Le Moana being on the tip of the mainland, getting out and exploring was great. Matira Beach across the street, mingling with locals was good, and Vaitape was only ten minutes away. To anyone reading this review, do your home work as a trip to French Polynesia is a bucket list item due location, word of mouth, the paradise, and cost. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity for this trip and for the Le Moana for being part of this experience. I would recommend this resort to travelers considering a trip to Bora Bora. Mauruuru!

The hotel is located on the top spot of Bora Bora, right behind Matira Beach, the best on the island, and inside a turquoise water bay. No coral reef/marine animals, however. The bungalows are good, although nothing luxurious. Unfortunately, these are the only pros we can talk about for Le Moana. The rest is quite mediocre, if compared to properties in the same category, due to the sluggish attitude shown by the staff. All they seem able to do are fake "Ia ora na" and "Maururuu". Nothing else. Some examples: forget about the free bar in your room, refilled every day, like at Sofitel Moorea or Le Taha'a. Want something to drink? Go fill up your water bottle at the general water dispenser. The alternative is the bar, with 3000 XPF drinks, each. Second point: one day my husband and I left our bungalow at 10:50. About 10 minutes before leaving, the cleaning lady opened the door, of course without ringing/knocking. Seeing us, she apologized and left, not before I told her she could come back in 5-10 minutes. She nodded and left without a word. At 16:30 we returned... and our room was exactly as we had left it. We then called the front desk, only to be told that "someone would come around 17:00". Actually, the "someone" in question arrived at 19:25. In the meantime, we called the front desk again and the same guy explained in the same lazy voice that people can't expect the same treatment as on the mainland, while they are in Polynesia. "These are islands, madame". Now, if the treatment is lower than elsewhere, should the prices go down accordingly? Not quite... Third: on the last night we planned to leave the concierge an envelope with the money we were supposed to give to the captain of our lagoon excursion. Absolutely not! "We do not take valuables from our customers." Question: what purpose does a concierge have, if not to provide a reliable counterpart for customers? Is this lack of service typical of "the islands" too? In short, we gave the same envelope to someone else the next morning, saying it was just a personal thank you note. Eventually, it was accepted and delivered. Fourth example: the property has signs/notes everywhere reminding customers to never, ever, leave any personal items unattended; the hotel does not take responsibility for stolen objects. Really?! How can a place like this not have security guards checking around to make sure everything is okay? Is this "the islands’' fault again? Last but certainly not least, the horrendous attitude we witnessed from the manager towards a newly arrived couple who simply asked for an early check-in, at around 11 am. I am talking about the same person who gushes out responses starting with: "Thank you for taking the time to write such considerations that we will treasure, along with the rest of the staff". Well, she certainly did not show the same chirping attitude towards those two people, even though they clearly looked devastated after an endless intercontinental flight. Instead, she went as far as to scold them, pointing out they should have booked the room a day earlier, if they wanted an early check-in. So, as their room would be ready at 15:00, as stated on the reservation, their only option was to go get (i.e. buy) something at the bar/restaurant, waiting for the room to be ready, as the hotel was "full". End of the story. No decency at all. We were so appalled by such arrogance that we sneaked out, feeling sorry for the customers, but finally understanding why the people there are so ineffective; a contemptuous leadership will never create any motivation for work, let alone any passion. Detail: my husband and I left the hotel at 7:15 am and there were at least 3 other couples checking out with us. Of course, such departures happen every day, so the "we are full" story is a big, fat lie, aimed at squeezing even more money from the guests. All in all, this is a place showing the typical American goal: customers should just pay – a lot – and shut up. Not exactly the kind of treatment any non-American is used to. In fact, a good 50% of the guests are from the US, only coming out of their air-conditioned rooms to fill up on the hotel food and booze; that’s why both the beach and the lagoon are always half empty. The rest is mainly made up by French who can be found at "The lucky house", the private restaurant right next to the hotel that thrives on dissatisfied guests of "Le Moana". In the end we deflected 5 couples of friends originally planning to come here to "Le Bora Bora"; it is a Relais & Chateaux establishment, thus guaranteeing the quality and elegance its high-end clientele is expecting. We suggest everyone to do the same.

Bora Bora has been on my wife's list of places to go forever. Deciding on a hotel was, for me, a daunting task. The Le Moana Resort was the right choice and if ever we go to Bora Bora again this will be our only choice. Just about every aspect of customer service was on point. We did go to the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa for a massage, and it was a nice place, but the Le Moana was the better choice, and I feel had the more helpful and real and honest hotel team members. The Saturday night show at the hotel was spectacular and something that we won't soon forget. The only bad part which was a minor inconvenience was that out air con stopped working but I called the front desk and in less than 5 minutes it was back up and running. We did do the overwater bungalow which was awesome.

We have just left this resort (intercontinental Le Moana) and what a beautiful location Bora Bora is. A place to be visited for sure. The resort was lovely and quiet, and so relaxing. The staff were excellent. The resort Manager, Laurence, is very passionate at ensuring their guests have a great experience. She is also very knowledgeable and very experienced in hospitality, this can be felt immediately when meeting her. During our stay we had one minor issue that was immediately resolved after raising. Would we come back again? Yes, in a heartbeat. Thank you to Laurence and her team, it was a pleasure to stay with you. We will be back 🏝️

This is our second stay in Bora-Bora, first time at this resort. It's everything we wanted it to be. Absolutely perfect. No complaints. We really enjoyed staying on the actual island. The resorts on the motus are secluded and nice, but we enjoyed being on the island more. There are two incredible snorkel spots nearby. One within a short kayak distance and one within walking distance. We walked to the scooter rental place and had a great afternoon on scooter. Enjoyed amazing sunsets from matira beach (which is RIGHT outside the resort) and enjoyed even better sunrises from our rooms. Morning coffee on the patio of your over the water Bungalow is worth every penny. Staying on the island also means you can just walk over to the store. Was definitely a hassle at our stay on a motu. The restaurants were good. The cocktails are everything you want them to be on your tropical vacation! The service was friendly. I went over to their sister resort for a spa day. The other resort is definitely fancier. But it also felt stuffy. This one just feels like you're in paradise. I was able to completely relax and be content. Regardless of prices, I'd stay at the Moana over Thalasso. It's truly wonderful. We stayed at the Pearl previously and the sand is softer at Moana. The snorkeling is by far better (the coral garden is so close). The give you reusable water bottles and have fill stations. I'm a picky water drinker and the water was very drinkable. They also have a shower room you can use if you have a flight later in the day. Was nice to hang at the beach until the afternoon and then be able to freshen up before our redeye back home. We'll definitely be returning!