Post by kellsbelles on Sept 3, 2013 7:45:05 GMT -5
Hi!
My husband and I are planning a Bora Bora trip in Jan/Feb to celebrate our 5 year anniversary/husbands graduation from residency. Would love advice on which hotel to stay at and how the weather may be.
We have a nice budget of 15-20k (thank you signing bonus and saving for 5 years) and would like something very romantic and luxurious for the 8 days we would be traveling. I think we want to stay in an overwater bungalow the entire time. Although I have heard some fluke stories about getting seasick from those? I am really sensitive but not sure if that's a myth or not?
Also if anyone has a travel agent rec that specializes in Tahiti that would be awesome! Thanks so much
Lots of good advice from sfgal530. We've not been, but I've researched and planned the trip on a number of occasions. I just always wind up booking something else instead.
My picks would be the Hilton or Sofitel on Moorea, then FS, St. Regis, or IC Thalasso on Bora Bora. Definitely doable for $20k in January. We were looking into going this December, but I was concerned about the weather...and then I got pregnant as well. If you can push it to May/early June, your chances of sun will be better.
I have an agent I love for this area - I'll pm you.
I would definitely suggest visiting a few islands.
We loved the Intercontinental on Tahiti. Sofitil and Hilton - can't go wrong on the other islands.
If you really want to feel like you're in the middle of nowhere, I would suggest going to Rangiroa or Huahine. Rangiroa has a few tiny hotels/B&Bs, and amazing snorkeling/diving. Jacque Cousteau said it was one of the most exotic plates to dive. On Rangiroa there's a place where there's a break in the island, the waves are going in both directions. Dolfins are constantly swimming here and jumping the waves. It's incredible, and magical.
Huahine has ruins which are breath taking. It reminds me a lot of Kauai. Lots of mountains!
Taha'a is the vanilla island! It's a stone's throw from Raiatea. Many people commute to/from Taha'a daily. There are so many vanilla plantations here. Seriously, the island practically smells like vanilla!
Raiatea is a very residential island. Less touristy, but a lot more culture and mainly natives. I really loved this island. It's similar to Tahiti in that it's a small "city", but has a more genuine feel.
Bora Bora - swim with the sharks and rays! Shop! Visit a pearl farm! Go on a jungle tour in a jeep! Take a snorkel tour or boat tour around the island.
Tahiti - relax, wander through the city and admire the French street lights, stay at your hotel and order room service. Get an over the water bungalow!
Moorea - relax, shop, snorkel, and swim with sharks. Go out on a boat while you're here. You must.
We went for our honeymoon last November. We were there during off season and it only rained one day, while we were in Tahiti. It was beautiful every other day.
Tahiti - We stayed one night at Manava Suites. It was actually really nice. We were only there a few hours so I don't know about any amenities or service. Great stop over place.
Moorea - 3 nights at Sofitel. We had a lagoon view bungalow. It was so pretty and nice! The food there was out of this world. Its a little bit smaller resort but very very nice.
Bora Bora - 4 nights at St. Regis, overwater bungalow. I am not lying when I say St. Regis Bora Bora ruined travel for me. lol. It was hands down, the most beautiful, luxurious place I've ever seen (part just BB itself and part the resort). The rooms and service were amazing. My H got hurt while we were there and they boat shuttled him to the main island, got an ambulance, got him to a dr, fixed him up and brought us back, and it only took about 2 hours out of day. They footed the bill AND upgraded us to a royal overwater villa and gave us champagne. They treated us like royalty from the time we stepped on the shuttle to the time they dropped us back off at the airport.
Travel Agent - We used Pacific for Less. Our package included airfare LA - Tahiti, 8 nights, breakfast and dinner at Sofitel Moorea, breakfast at St. Regis, ATV tour in Bora Bora, a couples massage and all shuttles and was around $4400-$4500 per person. Food and drinks were expensive in BB (think $35 for a hamburger and $22 for a mixed drink) but we ended up spending only about $600. We budgeted around $1500 for food and drink I think. We took a lot of snacks and alcohol though and drank a lot of Hinano beer (local).
If you have any questions or anything, feel free to PM me!