Bora Bora and the Pearl Beach Resort
Written: Sep 10 '00 (Updated Feb 26 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Incredible beauty, Great swimming, Warm warm water
Cons: Cost
The Bottom Line: Perhaps the most beautiful and exotic place on earth.
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| LordBalfor's Full Review: Bora Bora |
In March of 2000 my wife and I had the great pleasure of visiting the island of Bora Bora in French Polynesia. Before we left I had spent over a year investigating and deciding where to stay and what to do. I had read guidebooks. I had seen hundreds of photos and maps. I'd visited literally thousands of web pages on the subject. I knew the name of every major hotel on the island and where it was located. I could draw a map of the island freehand from memory. I really knew exactly what to expect.
Wrong!
I'm going to tell you this right up front. No picture ever taken, no painting ever painted, no verbal description no matter how eloquent, can ever prepare you for the amazing beauty of Bora Bora. An IMAX film perhaps might come close (providing that you were soaking your feet in 84 degree water at the time) - No, I take that back… even that wouldn't do it. Guidebooks will tell you that Bora Bora is one of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth. That is NO exaggeration!
We traveled to French Polynesia from Hawaii, where we had just spent ten days split between Oahu and Kauai. I loved Hawaii. I loved Oahu (especially the windward shore) and I really loved Kauai. In fact, I loved Kauai so much, I'm feverishly thinking of a way to retire there. The reason I'm telling you this is for comparison…Bora Bora made Hawaii seem plain. Hawaii was absolutely beautiful, but Bora Bora was almost unearthly in its beauty. It simply did not look real. Even being there, standing in warm, waist-deep water, we simply could not believe what we were seeing. The colors of the lagoon are literally indescribable- amazing shades of turquoise, blue, and green as well as other colors I cannot even put a name to. I'm trying hard in this Epinion to give you a picture of what it is like, but the simple fact is, my efforts are doomed. There is no way to really understand what I'm trying to describe other than to personally experience it - perhaps not even then - for to this day, my wife and I agree that the whole experience was like a dream, that it didn't seem quite real being there. We stare and stare at our photos and we still can't believe it really happened (sigh!).
But enough of poetic prose, time to get down to the facts. One of a vast number of tiny islands strewn across the South Pacific from Australia to Easter Island, Bora Bora (like the rest of the islands of French Polynesia) is very small and very tropical. In the same time zone as Hawaii (and at roughly the same latitude only in the Southern Hemisphere instead of the Northern), it enjoys the same wonderful climate. Most of the "island" of Bora Bora is in fact, water, for the vast lagoon takes up most of its volume. A thin necklace of reefs and motus (flat sandy islets) separates the lagoon from the open sea, and the lagoon in turn separates the main island from the motus. The water outside the motus is very deep while the water of the lagoon is often very, very shallow (and very, very warm). In one place you can supposedly walk from the main island all the way out to the reef; a distance of about a mile at that particular spot, and never encounter water more than 5 feet deep.
The main island is roughly 18 miles around its sandy shore (and only a mile or so wide in many places) with an incredibly rugged mountainous interior covered with lush, green jungle. Except for the main 2 lane road that hugs the narrow serpentine shore, it is almost completely without roads other than extremely rough tracks into the interior that are really little more than dry (or sometimes not so dry) creek beds littered with boulders and pockets of deep, gooey mud. Other than this thin coastal strip, there is in fact almost no flat land whatsoever, not even room for an airstrip. Fortunately, as I have said, the island is surrounded by a picture perfect collection of flat, sandy, palm-studded islets that that enclose the lagoon and it is on one of these motus that the airport lies; a legacy from U.S. Seabees of World War 2. The terminal building is very small, and (like many buildings in tropics), largely open to the elements, with a roof but few walls. To travel from the airport motu across the lagoon to the main island (where most of the hotels are, though not the one where we stayed), you take a modern high-speed catamaran that looks like the offspring of a bazaar mating between a spaceship and a speedboat.
Our hotel, however; was not on the main island, but rather on one of the motus. We stayed at the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort, and I cannot say enough good things about our choice. My wife chose the Pearl Beach because she liked the idea of viewing the island from across the lagoon on the balcony of an overwater bungalow- first class cabins, built on stilts above the warm crystal-clear (and I DO mean crystal-clear) waters of the lagoon. These accommodations were first-rate- absolutely brand, spanking new and made of the finest materials. The décor was tastefully simple. They featured a large, walk-in corner shower as well as a tub situated in an enormous bathroom equipped with plenty of storage drawers. The bathrooms' only drawback was the tiny, claustrophobic water closet (apparently a typical feature in French Polynesia).
The bungalow (# 32 - I think) also included a large sleeping area equipped with a very comfortable king-sized bed and sofa. There was a small TV (which we never really watched). I believe they showed movies in both English and French, though I can't be sure. The bungalows were also equipped with a small writing desk and chair. The floors throughout seemed to be made of beautiful, highly polished bamboo flooring. There was no air-conditioning, but rather a large ceiling fan suspended from the high thatched roof and plenty of louvered windows. Combined with the fan, the constant trade winds blowing through the windows provided plenty of ventilation. If we got really warm, we simply opened the large sliding glass door that led out to the deck on the back side of the bungalow. This deck, equipped with 2 wooden lounge chairs and a small built-in breakfast nook, led down to a lower sun deck built just above the water. Here was an outdoor shower for rinsing off, and a short ladder leading down to the soft, sandy bottom of the lagoon.
The water around the bungalows was wonderful. Though undoubtedly a little cooler during the winter months (June, July, & August), when we were there (March) the water temperature must have been in the mid eighties and felt literally bath water warm. The water was about waist deep in the immediately vicinity and gradually deepened as you moved away from shore until you were well over a hundred meters out (where it finally dropped off into the depths of the lagoon). The bottom everywhere was made up of soft coral sand and was absolutely flawless. It was uniformly warm, safe, and crystal clear: not deep enough to dive into (unless you want to hurt yourself), but perfect for wading and swimming, especially for rather poor swimmers like myself.
Brightly colored fish darted about, providing hours of viewing even from within the bungalows, for glass topped tables throughout provided great views of the water below and the central coffee table even opened to allow us to feed the fish while spotlights provided illumination at night and helped to attract them. There were even glass sections next to the tub so you can watch the fish swarming below as you soak. In the daytime, a large glass section set in the surface of the bathroom vanity provided an almost florescent lighting effect as the brilliant sunlight reflected up through the water from the white sandy bottom. At night, the spotlights beneath the bungalow bounced back up through the water and bathed the entire cabin with a wonderful blue-green glow.
Connected by a series of wooden catwalks suspended over the warm tropical water, these bungalows were like something out of Myst: absolutely surreal and providing comfort, elegance and great views (not to mention swimming off your doorstep). We were totally enchanted: and it didn't hurt any that we were there during their "slow" season (March) and had the place virtually to ourselves. I'm absolutely serious, most of the time there was not another human being to be seen anywhere. The first night we were there, there were perhaps half a dozen guests staying in a complex built to handle 120, and by and large, most of the time we didn't see ANYONE AT ALL! Other than the members of the staff (who are experts at remaining unobtrusive) it was as if we were the only people on earth and the only sound was the quiet creaking of the catwalk and the gentle lapping of the water. Talk about romantic!
I had a wonderful experience my very first evening: Much too enthralled to sleep, I arose around two in the morning and went out onto the rear deck, absolutely mesmerized by the incredible surroundings. A mile or so away stood the craggy peaks of the main island, surrounded by a horseshoe of towering thunderheads that reached up thousands of feet overhead. Occasionally, silent lightning flashed far off in the distance, where another collection of thunderheads loomed far to the south. Eventually the dim muffled rumble of thunder would arrive. Everything (the jagged peaks, the towering thunderheads, and the sparkling water) was brilliantly lit by a bright half moon suspended directly overhead in the center of the horseshoe of clouds. After my eyes adjusted, it seemed almost as bright as day and the view was absolutely breathtaking. Below me, gentle waves lapped quietly at the piers, driven by a warm tropical breeze. For quite some time I stood at the rail and looked down into the water, studying the pattern of ripples on the smooth, sandy bottom and pondering how lucky I was to be in such a beautiful place... and then (quite unexpectedly) a pair of graceful stingrays glided silently out from under the bungalow, passing almost directly beneath me, clearly visible by the light of the moon. The moment was absolutely magic and has been forever etched in my memory.
Besides the overwater bungalows, the resort featured several beach bungalows strewn along the shore and some garden bungalows. We asked for and were given a tour of both of these types and found them to be just as nice as their overwater counterparts. Both featured TOTALLY PRIVATE gated and walled courtyards with either an outdoor plunge pool or spa. The beach bungalows boasted unique indoor-outdoor bathrooms, with the toilet in its own little room and the sink & vanity open to the private courtyard (but under cover of a breezeway) - an arrangement only possible in the tropics. The whole effect was luxuriously exotic.
If you choose to stay at the Pearl Beach and find you cannot afford the overwater bungalows, don't feel like you are settling for any less by taking one of the beach or garden bungalows. They are just as nice, merely different. The only drawback I could possibly see to them at all was that the courtyards of some of the garden bungalows (which are inland a little and therefor cut off from the cooling trade winds) might be a little warm if you stayed there during the summer months (Jan - Mar) - though I believe the bungalows themselves were air-conditioned. To be honest about it in fact, in some ways we liked both of these types of accommodations even more than the overwater bungalow we stayed in. The courtyard and spa or plunge pool were especially appealing and provided the ultimate in luxury and outdoor privacy - absolutely perfect for honeymooners. For those of you who are interested, check out their web site at:
http://www.pearlbeachresorts.com/
The site provides detailed layouts of each of the types of accommodations as well as pictures. I can testify that the photos show exactly what the units look like.
As I have already mentioned, the hotel was still undergoing some construction while we were there. Highly skilled craftsmen were busy building a poolside cafe and planting flowering bushes and shrubs. As a result, parts of the resort still appeared rather "rough", though that was certain to change as the work was completed. Once the landscaping has had a chance to mature, I'm sure these new areas of the resort will be just as lovely as the completed sections. I hate to say it, but we didn't explore the backside of the resort until the day we were leaving, so we missed a chance to try out the new mini golf course and tennis courts. There is also supposedly a small movie theatre (I think it is beneath the restaurant) but I don't know for sure.
The completed sections of the hotel were wonderful, the service superb. The staff was extremely polite and helpful, especially the two young people who alternated at the tour desk. The main restaurant sits atop a small rise looking out over the pool, overwater bungalows and the main island of Bora Bora beyond. The food was superb (though I understand that the chef who was there has now moved on). I can honestly say, that during the 5 days we were there, we ate the best meals of any consecutive 5 days of our lives. We had signed up for the 3 meal a day (prepaid) plan so I wasn't too sure what to expect. Could we choose whatever we wanted, or would we be limited a smaller menu? To our delight, we could choose anything we wanted. Furthermore, the food was not only pleasantly presented and delicious, the portions were surprisingly generous, so much so, that by the third day we began skipping lunch to save room for dinner. I do recommend some sort of meal plan - it will likely save you a fair amount of money. Service in the restaurant was attentive, though bare in mind that everywhere in the tropics things are on "island time". Plan on dinner as a somewhat leisurely affair - you're there to relax after all, so relax and enjoy the nightly entertainment and your meal.
This brings me to one of the few downsides of Bora Bora (at least to some people) - the lack of nightlife. If you've read much about Bora Bora you've probably already heard this, but I'll tell you one more time, and this time you'd better believe it: There is almost no nightlife there. If you can't live without parties and discos, don't go! French Polynesia is NOT for everyone. It is NOT a partying place. Even finding a place to simply dance can be hard. After dark, they pretty much "roll up the sidewalks". This is true of the Pearl Beach, and (I'm sure) virtually all of the other resorts as well (at least during the "off" season). The appeal of the Pearl Beach is luxury, privacy, quiet (at least when we were there), great food and absolutely drop dead gorgeous views, all combined with wonderful, wonderful swimming and sunbathing. To us at least, that was a more than an adequate trade-off for loud music and hoards of drunken tourists.
The only other downside to the Pearl Beach (and all of French Polynesia for that matter) is the cost. I'm sure you already know about the high prices of everything there, how a can of Coke will cost you five bucks. That is true (sort of). That is indeed what a can of pop costs from the bungalow refrigerator. But Coke in a small "mom and pop" convenience store (there actually are some on the main island) might set you back a mere dollar fifty (depending on the exchange rate) - still pricey admittedly, but not as bad as I expected. Yes, the Pearl Beach is expensive. All the overwater bungalows on Bora Bora are expensive - but you can get pretty good package deals (Costco Travel offers some really great deals) that make the cost of the trip a little more palatable... and the fact is, being there is the experience of a lifetime. Is the price worth it? We think so - but remember, if you crave nightlife this probably will NOT be the case for you. But as far as we're concerned, the memories we have are absolutely priceless.
Now a quick rundown on a few more details:
First of all, don't let all my talk about peace and quiet lull you in to thinking that there is nothing to do there. That is not true at all. You can do as little or as much as you'd like. Besides the wonderful swimming and snorkeling, we:
A) Took a 4x4 safari in the back of a Land Rover. Our guide, an extremely handsome and likeable young man by the name of Joseph was highly educated, extremely entertaining, and spoke excellent English. I think it was $40 a head and lasted half a day or so. It was great fun and I cannot recommend it enough. It gives you an excellent view of the jungle interior of the island as well as great views of the lagoon from some remote lookouts and abandoned WWII gun emplacements.
B) Went on a helmet dive. You remember those old movies where the guys are walking around on the bottom of the ocean with a heavy helmet on their head and a long air hose leading to the surface. That's what we did. Our guide dropped anchor in about 15 feet of water and used a crane to lower heavy helmets onto our heads. We then climbed down a scaffold ladder on the back of the boat to the bottom of the lagoon into a coral "garden". It was wonderful! There were literally thousands of fish of all types and colors. We fed them with pieces of bread we pulled from mesh bags. Bring a disposable underwater camera (or 2 or 3) for this one, and DO NOT pass it up. You have a 100 feet of hose and can walk all over down there. I think it was $40 - $50 each. WOW!
C) Went on a shark/stingray feeding expedition. Gastogne, our guide, an amazingly athletic Polynesian "Tarzan" who could do anything, took us on his outrigger speedboat (the "Shark Boy") out to the middle of the lagoon (a good half mile from both the shore and the reef). There we put on snorkel gear and climbed overboard - only to find we were in water only 5 feet deep. Another boat soon pulled alongside and the 2 were tied together. Gastogne began to spread dead fish guts and soon black-tipped reef sharks (between 4 & 6 feet long) began to show up for the free food. Talk about getting your heart pumping! A shark feeding frenzy 10 feet away from you will sure do that (especially when you're in the water with them). We then sped away to a motu for a quick "lunch" of pineapple, banana, and coconut before herding back on the boat for a stingray feeding. Here (once again way out in the middle of no-where but somehow in a mere 4 feet of water) we hand fed hoards of enormous (and very friendly) stingrays that actually came up out of the water. They were incredibly soft and gentle despite the fact that some of them must have been close to 10 feet long from the tip of their nose to the end of their tail (which we were careful not to touch). What a kick! Once again cost was about $40 - $50 a head.
Plenty of other opportunities abound on Bora Bora. You can scuba dive, rent Jet Skis (very pricey however), even ride horses. The folks at the activity desk at the Pearl Beach can set you up with any activity you want. Frequently scheduled shuttles ran back and forth from the Pearl Beach's motu and the main island, and all the water-related activities came right to the hotel to pick us up.
During our time on Bora Bora we had the chance to briefly check out several of the other resorts and remain convinced that we made the absolute best choice in picking the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort, so if you are serious about traveling there, check it out. You won't be disappointed.
Finally, a suggestion: February - April are great times to go. Yes, it is more humid then. Yes it rains more (and occasionally (very rarely) has typhoons). But (at least in our experience), the rain generally does not last long (and 10 minutes later you'd never know it had rained at all). Besides you can still swim and snorkel in the rain, in fact it's kind of fun - and even when it rains, it's not cold!
Another couple reasons to go then:
First of all the water is at it warmest that time of year (a very, very pleasant plus).
Second, crowds are a whole lot less. The Pearl Beach was brand new & so that might have accounted for the lack of people there, but I also noted that other resorts were pretty quiet too, so I don't think so. It seems that's just a pretty quiet time to go.
Thirdly, I actually found the occasional rains to be very refreshing.
In conclusion, the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort proved to be the perfect choice in an absolutely perfect place. I had dreamed of going to the South Pacific pretty much all my life and had extremely high expectations but Bora Bora and the Pearl Beach Resort not only met them, they exceeded them by a wide margin. One thing I know for sure, we are going back to that part of the world. We are already saving towards a trip to the neighboring Cook Islands in March of 2002 (the end of the "rainy season) - so I really mean it when I say it's a terrific time of the year to go).
One last comment: Several of the guidebooks recently have commented on the amount of trash in the water of Bora Bora's lagoon. By and large we found no trace of this. However, just before we left, we had a heavy overnight rain and in the morning there was indeed some trash floating in the water. It wasn't much, but it's very rarity (along with the absolute clarity of the water) actually made it more noticeable. By and large however, we found the water and beaches to be largely pristine. I hope you will find the same. (This might be another good reason to go on the "off" season when there are less visitors there and therefor likely less trash).
Addition as of Sept 15th, 2000:
I have now posted reviews of Moorea (a great place) as well as of Papeete, Tahiti and the Tahiti Beachcomber Parkroyal. Reviews of Kauai and Oahu are also posted. Even if you have your heart set on Bora Bora you might want to take a peek anyway - the review of Moorea includes some (hopefully) useful general information about French Polynesia. The easiest way to find them will be to click on the "View more opinions by LordBalfor" link near the top of this page.
Addition as of April 23rd, 2001: I have now set up my trip photos on Webshots.com - and they are INCREDIBLE (if I say so myself - not that I can take much of the credit, the place was soooooo beautiful it was easy to take amazing photos). To see these terrific pictures, simply cut and paste the following link into a new browser window. There are sections on Oahu, Kauai, Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora:
http://community.webshots.com/user/lordbalfor
(What are you waiting for? Take a look. You'll be glad you did!)
Feb, 2001 Addition: Also, If you are interested in how the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort stacks up against some of the the other resorts on the island I have posted an Epinion comparing them. You can can find it along with my others.
PS: I'm going to let you in on a little secret (for those of you actually planning a trip to Bora Bora). For the best views (during the flight to Bora Bora from Papeete) try and grab a seat on the LEFT side of the plane if you are flying DIRECTLY to Bora Bora and on the RIGHT side if your flight stops at Huahine or Raiatea/Tahaa first. On the way back, you will almost always have the best views on the RIGHT side. This will maximize your chances of getting a good look down at the fabulous lagoons. Remember however, that variations in weather will sometimes change the flight patterns, so nothing is guaranteed. In any event, the views from the air are just astonishing.
Note as of May 10th, 2001: Yael Pasternak (Epinions Userid: yaelcow) has just posted a terrific review of her trip to French Polynesia that is filled with great information. She had read my reviews before going and correponded with me (asking additional questions etc), booked a stay at the Pearl Beach, and pretty much backs up what I say here as well as adding additional info/insights.
You might want to take a look.
The URL is:
http://www.epinions.com/content_21926416004#ow
Update as of June 25th, 2002: There is a new (3-star) Pearl Beach Eden Beach Resort that has opened in the last few months. There are only beach and garden bungalows (no overwater bungalows) and the they are not nearly as upscale as the the units at the main Pearl Beach, but they are also only about half the price, so you may want to take a look. You can find it from the main Pearl Beach Resorts website:
http://pearlbeachresorts.com/default.asp
No matter where you stay on Bora Bora the wonderful lagoon is available to all.
Update as of July 15th, 2002:
An e-mail acquaintance of mine (fellow Epinions writer "twunschl"), has recently returned from French Polynesia and set up an absolutely terrific personal web page full of great photos, information, and even video. I suggest you take a look. It is quite simply the best trip site I've seen.
The URL is:
http://www.tahiti.wunschl.com/
... and if you haven't already done so, take a look at her trip reports here on Epinions. They're terrific. There are links within the personal site to direct you to them, or you can get there directly by going to this URL:
http://www.epinions.com/user-twunschl
Finally, if money is tight, and you just can't swing the cost of a trip to French Polynesia, you might consider the nearby Cook Islands. Take a look at my reviews of the place. The scenery and water conditions are very similar to those found in French Polynesia (though it lacks true overwater bungalows), but it costs a WHOLE lot less. See the first of them here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_63062118020
By the way, you should know that the South Pacific can be addictive. To see what I mean, click here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_1893048452
Note that though the above article is done in a humorous manner, there is some truth to it.
Update as of Feb 26th, 2004:
There is now a REALLY COOL downloadable movie on the Pearl Beach Resorts website. Though you can view it online, I'd recommend downloading it in high resolution. It does a great job of capturing that dreamy, surreal feeling that French Polynesia has (and that is so hard to describe). You can find the video here:
http://www.pearlresorts.com/common/movie.asp?origin=bora
See the world while you can.
Ken
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
LordBalfor
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Member: Ken Klein
Location: Seattle, Wa
Reviews written: 36
Trusted by: 109 members
About Me:
I am in love with the tropics (especially the South Pacific).
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