Surrounded by the most stunning aquamarine water I’ve ever observed, Bora Bora is each bit as astounding as these journal adverts and tourism office environment videos make it out to be. I lately spent 5 evenings at this romantic South Pacific desired destination as element of a 12-working day family vacation in French Polynesia. My husband and I deemed it our finest family vacation ever.
We fell in love with Bora Bora for its jaw-dropping beauty, its h2o actions over and below the surface area, its super welcoming people, and, of study course, its passionate and magnificent overwater bungalows — we unquestionably felt like newlyweds once more at this well-known honeymoon location.
That mentioned, Bora Bora is not easy to get to, and it is a rather costly locale. If you are preparing your first journey to Bora Bora, in this article are a number of points you must know just before you get there on this amazing and exclusive island destination.
1. Bora Bora Is Really Produced Up Of Numerous Islands
Bora Bora, fashioned by volcanic eruption tens of millions of yrs ago, is composed of a major island which is only about 12 sq. miles. It is surrounded by a attractive turquoise lagoon and a ring of motus, or islets. Some tourist lodging are observed on the primary island, whose principal city is Vaitepe, when other folks, which includes the most upscale resorts showcasing multiple overwater bungalows, are on the a lot more distant islets.
2. You Need to Fly To Tahiti First
All international travelers who get there by air will have to land at Tahiti’s Faa’a International Airport (PPT) initially. Dependent on your flight arrival time, you may possibly transfer instantly to a domestic flight to Bora Bora. Or you could remain for the night time (or longer) on the island of Tahiti.
If you are arranging just a quick overnight on Tahiti, consider a person of these homes near to the airport: the finances Tahiti Airport Motel (bare bones and simple) or the more upscale InterContinental Tahiti Vacation resort & Spa (a lovely assets with multiple swimming pools, overwater bungalow possibilities, and a terrific oceanfront site for looking at the sunset).
3. The Bora Bora Airport Is On A Motu
On landing at the Bora Bora Airport (BOB), you’ll cast your eyes on the crystal-very clear water that the island is identified for. Then, once you are carried out gaping and make your way into the airport (you are going to deplane on an open-air tarmac), you are going to glance for your resort’s representative amongst the many lined up at water-taxi stands.
That is because the airport is on one of the very long skinny motus and the broad greater part of accommodations on Bora Bora are only reachable by boat. The fanciest resorts charge an arm and a leg for a h2o taxi. For example, the InterContinental Le Moana Bora Bora Resort prices $70 for every person for water-based transportation from the airport to the hotel.
There are means, however, to pay a portion of that rate if your lodge, like the InterContinental Le Moana Bora Bora, is found on Bora Bora’s major island. Rather of booking the resort’s water taxi, we took the no cost Air Tahiti Bora Bora Navette to the primary island’s town of Vaitape, and then hailed a waiting taxi to get us on a 12-moment journey to the vacation resort. That only price us $24 whole, as an alternative of $140!
4. The Area Forex Is The Pacific Franc
I quote transportation expenses in bucks over, but the neighborhood forex is the Pacific franc. I’ve also seen it identified as the Central Pacific Franc or French Pacific Franc. It’s abbreviated CFP, but its international abbreviation is XFP, so you may well see it referenced a range of ways.
Before our journey, we requested a couple hundred pounds worth of CFPs from our hometown financial institution so we’d have some obtainable to us instantly once we landed in French Polynesia. But you can also withdraw nearby money from an ATM (I observed them frequently at grocery stores) or at the Tahiti airport on arrival. Your hotel’s front desk may well not supply the finest price to exchange revenue, so I’d only do that in a pinch.
Credit cards are recognized on a regular basis at dining places, grocery shops, regional tour corporations, and of course motels. You may perhaps uncover that souvenir retailers and grocery stores settle for U.S. bucks, but the exchange level available in all probability will not be excellent. I’d try to use a credit score card as normally as doable (make confident yours doesn’t charge overseas transaction service fees) and the neighborhood CFP currency for hard cash transactions like taxi rides.
5. Consuming And Consuming On Bora Bora Is High-priced, But There Are Strategies To Minimize Charges
It is not abnormal to see $15 cocktails, $20 appetizers, and $40 entrees on lodge restaurant menus on Bora Bora. To conserve revenue, contemplate these guidelines:
Pack Your Have Treats
We loaded our luggage with protein bars, oatmeal packets, and beef jerky to assistance tide us more than involving foods, specifically on times when we’d just take in a big resort buffet breakfast then not sit down for food stuff again right up until delighted hour. The immediate espresso I introduced aided me help you save at the resorts that didn’t offer free espresso in our hotel rooms.
Swing By A Local Grocery Store
This is most straightforward to do if you’re remaining on Bora Bora’s major island if your lodge is on a remote motu, you could want to get a taxi to the nearby retail outlet, if there is even a single close by. We were being capable to stroll from the Intercontinental Le Moana Bora Bora to a community retail outlet for good French wine, super low cost baguettes, and moderately priced cheese and cold cuts for an effortless and pleasurable picnic meal to appreciate on the deck of our overwater bungalow.
Get Gain Of Lodge 2-For-1 Pleased Hours.
All the resorts we stayed at in French Polynesia (a whole of four on 3 islands) supplied acquire-a person-get-a single-cost-free consume specials in the hour or 2 in advance of sunset.
Try to eat At Neighborhood Dining places.
This might not find the money for you great personal savings, as some of the properly-acknowledged Bora Bora restaurants, like Bloody Mary’s, might price you as much as a lodge food, moreover you will need to have to pay for a taxi to get there and again. But if you can walk to an eatery near your resort, take into consideration providing it a whirl to help save a few bucks and assist a neighborhood enterprise.
6. Make Guaranteed You Pack All Of Your Desired Toiletries
Just as food and consume are costly on Bora Bora (other than for individuals amazing 62-cent loafs of baguette-design bread!), other consumer objects are, much too.
My partner and I made a rookie mistake of not bringing sufficient sunscreen with us. Toward the stop of our vacation, we experienced to health supplement with a bottle purchased from a nearby industry — which was not substantially more affordable than what was presented at the resort gift shop.
We paid $24 for a 6.8-ounce bottle of sunblock. Ouch! That said, a distressing sunburn would have hurt even much more — much better safe and sound than sorry.
7. Bora Bora Has A Moist And Dry Year
According to the Islands of Tahiti tourism internet site, Bora Bora has a damp time and a dry season. The most well known time for visitors is from Might to October, the islands’ dry period. You can anticipate mostly sunny and delicate weather in the course of this time.
The soaked year operates from November to April. Fewer travellers stop by through this time, as it’s not unusual to come across rain — together with large downpours — regularly. Temperatures are hotter and humid through this time, as properly.
My partner and I frequented in the initial 2 months of November, and we lucked out in the course of this transition time between the dry and soaked seasons. For the bulk of our excursion to French Polynesia, we liked exceptionally sunny times with vivid skies and heat temperatures — about 80 levels Fahrenheit. We only knowledgeable a person afternoon and a full working day of regular, pouring rain that impacted our out of doors pursuits.
8. English Is Commonly Spoken, But Look at Studying A Few Tahitian Words
All front-facing lodge workforce we encountered spoke fluent English. We had been also able to converse easily with the area individuals we came in get in touch with with at airports, ferry terminals, grocery shops, and local restaurants.
That mentioned, we often read a couple of Tahitian phrases that grew to become cemented in our vocabulary within just just a handful of times of arrival in French Polynesia.
1st, Ia Orana (yo-rah-nah), which means “hello,” and just about every one worker we handed when going for walks on hotel grounds would greet us this way in a sing-music voice. Grocery retailer and cafe staff would do the same as we entered their establishments. With a smile, we happily repeated “Ia Orana” back again to any one we encountered.
We also mastered Maururu (mah-roo-roo), which implies “thank you.” French Polynesians are exceedingly polite, and we had been satisfied to comply with go well with, thanking every person for anything as we created our way through our working day on Bora Bora — from restaurant servers to shop clerks to the fellow who lent us kayaks at hotel action palapas.
The helpful citizens of Bora Bora and the other French Polynesia islands we frequented contributed considerably to our pleasure of our trip in this attractive put. Working with a bit of their indigenous language was the least we could do to accept their hospitality that made us feel so welcomed to their slice of paradise.
For much more Bora Bora inspiration, consider Kara’s acquire on why you must remain in this Bora Bora overwater bungalow after in your lifetime.
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