The honeymoon is seen as the pinnacle of travel in our society, and Bora Bora is the Mecca of honeymoon destinations. Bora Bora consistently ranks as the most romantic and most beautiful honeymoon destination in the world. Having spent a week on Bora Bora for our wedding at Four Seasons Bora Bora and the first half of our honeymoon, we are very familiar with how perfect the destination is for the post-nuptial holiday. If you’re getting married or recently tied the knot, congratulations! This blog will help you plan your Bora Bora honeymoon. And for those of you who are single and just here for the pictures, enjoy – some of the most beautiful photos we have ever taken were in Bora Bora.

Considering we are coming up on our 1-year anniversary, we thought a…

Bora Bora Honeymoon

…blog would be a nice touch!

If you somehow missed our wedding blog, here are some of our favorite shots from the wedding, captured by Damien Gobron:

(Note, these photos are edited down for size. The originals Damien shot were PERFECTLY clear and absolutely spectacular images. He has a wonderful eye for capturing the couple and the emotions at a wedding.)

Information about Bora Bora

Bora Bora is an island group in the western area of French Polynesia. The main island of Bora Bora has an extinct volcano at the center with 2 peaks that reach a maximum height of 727 meters (2,385 feet). The main island is encompassed by a ring of outer islands and a barrier reef, creating a lagoon around the main island.

• Country: French Polynesia
• Location: Oceania, about an 8-hour flight southwest from Los Angeles
• Population: 10,000

How to get to Bora Bora

This is a very good question. If you start searching for flights to Bora Bora you might find that there are no results. There are no direct flights to Bora Bora and there is only 1 airline that offers flights to the island. To reach Bora Bora, you’ll have to fly into Fa’a’ā International Airport (PPT) and then take an Air Tahiti flight to Bora Bora Airport (BOB). The flight from PPT to BOB is only 50 minutes in duration and is hands down the most beautiful flight we have ever been on. Couple’s Coordinates insider tip…sit on the left side of the plane on your way there from PPT for the most spectacular views, and the right side as you leave to return to PPT. You’ll be pleasantly surprised upon arrival as there are no cars on the outer islands of Bora Bora and the only form of transportation from the airport to your resort will be a boat. The airport is literally waterfront.

There is no ferry/boat service from PPT to BOB.

Budget for Bora Bora Honeymoon (Estimate 1-week)

Budgeting for a honeymoon in Bora Bora is imperative. Considering the various resorts, the level of rooms, your particular food preferences, etc. there will be a massive disparity in budget between the “we barely were able to afford this trip” and “money is no object” type visitors.

Regardless, Bora Bora is one of the most expensive destinations to visit in the world.

So how much does it cost to visit Bora Bora and can you visit Bora Bora on a budget? Well, not really. We suggest an absolute MINIMUM budget of $10,000 for a week trip.

If you’re able to leverage credit card miles for flights like we did, you can save yourself $3,000 – 4,000. Otherwise, you’ll need to budget a minimum of $1,500 per flight. Depending on the time of year and how far out you plan, flights can easily reach $2,000/person.

Hotel rooms are where we will see the largest price disparity as some of the less popular resorts on the mainland offer rooms for $300-400/night and resorts like the Four Seasons offer over-water bungalows starting at around $1,500/night. So, as you can see, just a nice room could run you $10,000 for a week.

Considering much of the food is imported and most of your meals will be at a resort, you’ll need to keep food costs in mind. Plan to spend $50-100 for breakfast and lunch and allocate $150-200 per dinner. This excludes alcohol. Most resorts offer meal plans, which can save you a bit of money.

Where to stay on Bora Bora

Four Seasons Bora Bora is arguably the nicest resort in the world. We had the pleasure of calling this oasis our home for a week, and we have to admit, it was damn hard to leave. FS Bora Bora is constantly in the conversation for the best luxury resort in the world and has been awarded a number of accolades from Travel + Leisure, AAA, Forbes, Conde Nast and other well-respected brands.

The spa at FS Bora Bora is similarly decorated in accolades and has been recognized as the World’s Best Hotel Spa. We can attest to the fact that it was the best spa experience of our lives.

What to do on Bora Bora

If you live a life filled with bars, malls, movie theaters, and other “modern” entertainment, you might think that there is “nothing to do on Bora Bora.” However, if you’re like us and you enjoy nature and love adventure, there are a plethora of activities within arms reach.

Each resort offers a myriad of activities. Some of our favorites include:

• Four Seasons offers a full day boat excursion where we:
  • Swam with sharks, stingrays, and snorkeled over the gorgeous coral reef
  • Enjoyed a traditional lunch of poison cru and other traditional Polynesian plates
  • Learned to open a coconut and make coconut milk with nothing more than a stick and your hands and learned how to make banana leaf plates
  • Sailed around with our local friend, Timmy, on a boat while he played a traditional Polynesian drum and sang to us all day
• Take the ferry from Four Seasons (or your resort) to the main island to explore and eat dinner at our favorite restaurant in French Polynesia
• Rent stand-up-paddle boards, kayaks, jet-skis, etc. and enjoy exploring the ocean
• Scuba diving (we didn’t scuba dive, but we would love to next time)
• Rent snorkel masks and explore the lagoon
• Lay on the beach and enjoy a cocktail, delicious cold coconut, and/or a tasty lunch with local fish, rice, and veggies
• Swim at the resort pool (ok, we actually never went in the pool)
• Stay in your 0ver-water bungalow and order room service
• Wake up and dive off your balcony into the ocean – the best shower in the world
  • Then come back inside and enjoy coffee and pastries for breakfast
• Stay in shape and enjoy world-class fitness facilities (Four Seasons always has beautiful gyms that often have gorgeous ocean views)
• Each other…hey, it’s your honeymoon 😉

Do more of the things that scare you 💧 Diving is something completely new for me, but after my last trip all I want to do is get back out there! Learning something new can be so intimidating, but I’ve found it’s also the most rewarding. I still have a ton of learning to do, but the ocean is where I feel most at ease and I’m so excited to discover more of that world 🙏🏻💙

A post shared by ALEXANDRA (@alexandras.atlas) on Oct 9, 2017 at 12:07pm PDT

Bora Bora Shark Safari

One of, if not the coolest, activity we have had the opportunity to experience while traveling was our full day excursion around the lagoon of Bora Bora where we had the chance to snorkel with fish on a gorgeous coral reef, swim and play with stingrays, and snorkel with sharks. Seeing and experiencing the beauty of the ocean and the creatures that inhabit it was absolutely enthralling. You could say it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but we certainly hope to do it again! If you have a fear of sharks or stingrays, this is a wonderful opportunity to see these creatures in their natural habitat and see how peaceful they are. Sharks often get a bad rap, but these blacktip and lemon sharks are just little ocean puppies.

The excursion not only includes the aforementioned aquatic activities but also:

• Hours spent sailing around the lagoon in a motorized outrigger listening to a local man named Timmy (or another tour guide) singing and playing a traditional Polynesian drum
• Enjoy a traditional Polynesian lunch on the island
• Learn Polynesian nature skills like how to open a coconut with a stick, how to make a coconut milk with nothing more than a stick and your hand, and how to make banana leaf plates

Spa at Four Seasons Bora Bora

The spa at FS Bora Bora is so incredible that we actually wrote a completely unsolicited blog claiming that our spa treatment was the best spa experience of our lives and that we believe the spa at Four Seasons Bora Bora is the best spa in the world.

Treatments are far from affordable, but if you ever deserve a world-class spa treatment, you deserve one on your wedding day and on your honeymoon. We received a 2-hour couples wedding treatment in the Kahaia Suite (pictured above) where we received a foot cleansing/massage, body scrub, couples shower, full body massage, and a facial. It was orgasmic.

Best restaurants Bora Bora

If you’re anything like us, you’ll want to enjoy the food at the resort you call home for a week. One of our favorite things about Four Seasons properties is their commitment to Michelin quality (and sometimes Michelin Star awarded) restaurants. The properties invariably curate restaurants and menus that offer delicious local cuisine as well as plates from around the world.

Considering we spent our time at Four Seasons, we purchased a meal package and ate most of our meals on the property. FS has a number of restaurants on the property if you choose to forego in bungalow dining.

Arii Moana

Arii Moana is a Polynesian French fusion restaurant that serves traditional French plates as well as traditional local Polynesian plates. This was our favorite restaurant on the property where we had dinner the night of our wedding.

Sunset Restaurant and Bar

We loved this spot! They serve delicious sushi, Asian-inspired cuisine and small plates. Absolutely delicious!

Fare Hoa Beach Bar and Grill

Another one of our favorite spots, this restaurant provided the island ambiance we wanted over a meal. Tables on the sand and comfortable chairs allow honeymooners and other visitors to relax and enjoy delicious local fish with their toes in the sand.

Tere Nui

The terrace where you will have one of the most delicious breakfast buffets you’ll find at any resort in the world.

La Villa Mahana

La Villa Mahana is on the main island of Bora Bora but it is absolutely worth the ferry and taxi ride. Four Seasons offers a complimentary ferry from the property to the main port of the island. Make a reservation at La Villa Mahana, take the water ferry, and then hop in a taxi at the harbor. The restaurant will call a taxi for your return.

We had one of the (maybe top 5) best meals of our life at La Villa Mahana. The prices are high, but for Bora Bora, they’re average or almost affordable. Prices won’t exceed what you’re seeing at your resort.

Best time to visit Bora Bora

Well, fortunately for you and your future spouse, there isn’t a bad time to visit Bora Bora. This is another reason that Bora Bora is a great honeymoon destination – because you can get married any time of the year and take off for your honeymoon immediately following the ceremony. Considering Bora Bora’s proximity to the equator and its Oceanic location, “summer” and “winter” don’t really exist. The average high temperature in Bora Bora is 30 C (85F) and the average low is 25 C (77 F). Regardless of when you visit only material differences throughout the year are the hours of sunshine and the quantity of rain. The driest month (August) sees a couple inches of rain while the wettest month (December) sees almost a foot. August similarly sees the most sunshine and January happens to be the darkest month.

Our wedding and honeymoon were toward the end of September, and the weather was fantastic. We received a small amount of rain and clouds as expected in any tropical climate, but the trip was mostly showered with sunshine.

For a look into our wedding at Four Seasons Bora Bora, check out our wedding video below!