InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

It is hard to describe this paradise within a paradise. The resort itself is perfect with nothing to complain, a dream of the South Pacific come true. We stayed in a spacious and tastefully furnished overwater villa with views of the turquoise lagoon and Mont Otemanu. We swam and snorkeled in the warm water, saw many colorful fish, stingrays, and Blacktip reef sharks. Service is exemplary, staff are helpful and friendly providing a relaxed and hospitable atmosphere. Breakfast was good with a wide selection of made-to-order egg-dishes, raw and half-cooked fish, crêpes, sweets, fresh fruit etc. However, à la carte dinner in the restaurants “Sands” and “Reef” was disappointing. What landed on our plates was not the best result that you would expect from a seasoned chef, but uninspired fare that any beginner could do. This is doubly sad because, first, the quality of the raw materials certainly is outstanding, as we could confirm during the brilliant Polynesian Buffet, and second, the price-performance ratio is unnecessarily inadequate – there is much room for improvement with a little more effort in the kitchen.

Pros: -incredible location: views of Mt. Otemanu are unmatched, area for swimming/paddling much larger than other resorts. Beach area was large and had lots of chairs + shade. One thing to note, the beach has some rocks at the initial point of entry, you may want water shoes. The water is so blue and refreshing—we’ve been to many beautiful beaches and this is the most incredible water I’ve ever seen -little to no bugs, very impressive for a tropical location. Normally I’m a mosquito magnet and I only had a couple bites all week -atmosphere: very quiet and peaceful, the vibes are luxurious and romantic. Most people are couples, a few families with small children or friend trips -recreation: kayaks, paddle boards, canoes, snorkeling included for free. We didn’t snorkel on the property, there are some fish/rays in the lagoonarium. Gorgeous infinity pool with view of Mt Otemanu has flavored water and free sun bum sunscreen -free filtered water stations all over the property and they give you a nice reusable water bottle at check in! -entertainment: Polynesian show twice/week, fire dancing show, daily cultural activities at the pool at 12pm. All free for hotel guests -food: fresh and lots of variety, breakfast buffet was delicious and diverse. Fish and tropical fruits were aplenty, lots of international French/south Asian/Polynesian options -drinks: pricey ($20-$30 unless happy hour, then 50% off certain drinks from 5-6pm) but delicious and strong. Wine from France/Tahiti was much more affordable than American wine, limited beer options, lots of liquor options + local flavored rums -rooms: very large, comfortable, lots of amenities, free mini bar restocked daily (two cokes, two sprites, two mango juices, two sparkling waters, still filtered water, two small snacks), free nespresso coffee and nice variety of teas + electric kettle. The tub was comfortable and had a beautiful view from a large picture window. The shower was huge with a rain shower head. Bed was comfortable, lots of lighting options. A/C was powerful and two overhead fans kept the room cool -toiletries smell AMAZING, just like the tiare flowers they use to decorate the rooms -all the rooms are overwater bungalows, our beach view room 202 was one of the best non-Otemanu view rooms. Instead of facing the pool/hotel property we faced the beach outside the property which was much quieter and more private. The deck has a table, two regular chairs, two lounge chairs, an outdoor shower to rinse the salt water and a ladder to climb into the ocean! -staff: very helpful and kind, seem to really enjoy their work. The housekeeping and concierge were especially fantastic. Cons: -pricey, which is pretty much unavoidable for Bora Bora. Some ways to save money include packing a few bottles of wine/liquor in your checked luggage, bringing non perishable snacks from home, purchase trip through Costco to get breakfast and dinner included. We also traveled in shoulder season (first week of November) which was considerably cheaper than even a couple weeks earlier in mid October. -some isolated issues with service. For example when we checked in the paper we signed said check in was at 2pm, then we were told it was 3pm. When I pointed this out the staff said the time had always been 3pm, even though the paper clearly said 2pm. The front desk staff also said they would email us when the room was ready, which they never did. We requested a guest wifi password to use before our room was ready, the code they gave us didn’t work and we had to go ask for another one. These are small inconveniences but for the price you’re paying and after a long trip it was annoying. Other than a couple other small things (requesting a golf cart ride to the boat dock for an excursion that never arrived, requesting body lotion and receiving shower gel instead) the service was excellent. -remote location, which makes sense considering the hotel’s location on a Motu (barrier island off the coast of the main island). You can take the boat shuttle to the sister resort Intercontinental Le Moana on the main island and then walk/take a cab to town to purchase cheaper groceries/etc. The shuttle is $34/pp roundtrip unless you book an excursion like renting a car or scooter Overall: besides a few hiccups in service it was an incredible property that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a quiet, relaxing and luxurious vacation. We will definitely be back some day! A few tips for Tahiti travel in general: -I’d highly recommend purchasing the IHG Ambassador status for $225 USD to be eligible for early check in and late check out. We got to stay in our room until 4pm which was a lifesaver for the 6pm flight from Bora Bora back to Papeete. Otherwise you can use a day room for an hour to change/shower but it’s much more comfortable to relax in your room -The Papeete airport does not have any air conditioning except in the Air Tahiti Nui lounge. We purchased passes for $55/pp in advance and it was a lifesaver to get some A/C + a shower after hours of being hot + sweaty -Cash is great to have on hand in town, the hotels will just charge everything to your room -Tipping is not necessary but I found we received lots of gratitude and even better service when strategically tipping (especially beach/pool drink service and housekeeping)

The most amazing resort/hotel I've ever experienced. My husband and I stayed 5 nights and loved every minute. Here's why... Stunningly beautiful manicured grounds! Quiet, serene, relaxing setting. If you want action packed, this is not the place for you! Comfy beds, turn down service at night, beautiful view from bed. Amazingly crystal clear blue water right off of our deck. No mosquitos at the resort or Bora Bora (when we went in Nov.) The staff take care of every detail you can think of and are ready to help always. Great breakfast buffet, although the dinner food wasn't super amazing, just ok. The pizza at the Sands restaurant was really good for our lunch time at the poolside. The pool water was the perfect temperature, was never crowded and there was sunscreen for anyone to use. They also had flavored water in a dispenser. We didn't take a pool float as suggested and we really didn't miss it. The beach - beautiful white sand, crystal clear water, lounge chairs and umbrellas for everyone. Felt like our own private beach most of the time. The over water bungalow was spacious with a living room, a separate bedroom and a good size bathroom with shower and separate soaker tub overlooking the lagoon. The benefit of a transition "dry room" where you can shower and change before you check in and after you check out of your bungalow. They have the luggage in the room for you for about 45 minutes. They gave us metal water bottles as a gift upon arrival so we could refill water all day wherever we went. We got a Bora Bora bliss massage at the spa. It was heavenly! We had use of the spa for the entire day since we payed for the massage. We spent most of our time in the jacuzzi that overlooked the lagoon. The concierge will help you with any dinner reservation or tour you need. They're super helpful. When you book through them, the transportation off the motu is included. If you want to take the shuttle boat to Bora Bora without a tour, it will cost around $35 per person where they drop you off at the Intercontinental Moana. Cons... hard to think of any... I guess the golf carts that the staff drive around. Sometimes there is some "traffic" ;) Expensive food yes, but just about as much as it would cost for an expensive burger at six flags or the airport.

We have had the absolute pleasure of staying at the Intercontinental Bora Bora Thalasso Spa. Words cannot describe the amazing experience that my husband and I had. Our overwater bungalow was absolutely stunning! So beautifully appointed and so spacious. From the time we arrived we were treated like royalty! We were met by Emma when we arrived at the wharf who was so amazing. So friendly and so professional, we knew we were in for something very special. She showed us around the resort and explained where everything was. We were then checked in and were given a lovely welcome drink and towels to refresh us! Throughout our stay Emma checked in on us to see if we needed anything. We swam in the crystal turquoise water, we relaxed, we drank cocktails and we dined each night in the restaurants. The food and service was something that we have never experienced before! The service was outstanding! The buffet breakfast is also something very special. There is a huge array of different options available and I must say the fresh coconut bread and homemade mango jam was something that I looked forward to every morning! We cannot speak more highly of the staff at this resort, they go out of their way to make your stay something so memorable. The cleaning staff leave lovely messages for you each day on the mirror in your bungalow, this I thought was so beautiful. Everybody welcomes you with a smile and a lovely greeting! There is an abundance of soft fluffy towels, beach towels and the toiletries are amazing, the bed and pillows are like sleeping in a cloud! I have never felt as relaxed or as happy as I was during our stay and we were so busy swimming, snorkelling, relaxing and just being present in the day. We swam at the beach, the pool and every afternoon off the steps of our bungalow. The whole experience at this resort was something that will stay with us forever! Even leaving the resort ( which we didn't want to do!) was so special. We were treated like family, this was so beautiful! We want to personally thank Emma who was so amazing and made our stay something out of this world! We simply cannot wait to come back again and again!

This was the most amazing place my husband and I have ever stayed. The accommodations, the staff, the scenery, the restaurants all top notch. We cannot recommend this resort high enough! One of the staff members, Lou Nicolas, stood out. The special attention we received was so appreciated plus she was funny and charming! If you ever stay at the resort, I hope you are lucky enough to meet Lou!