
Staying at Le Bora Bora by Pearl Resorts
My husband and I stayed at Le Bora Bora by Pearl Resorts for two days on our honeymoon. It is a beautiful resort, and we are so glad we got to experience life in an overwater bungalow!
There are several resorts both on the main island of Bora Bora and the motus surrounding it. The resorts on the motus are more private, as you can only get there by boat. You’ll also get a great view of the mountainous main island. We knew we wanted to stay on a motu, but were between several different resorts, including the Four Seasons and St. Regis. It ultimately came down to price. When we booked (about 9 months before our trip), the prices at the Four Seasons and St. Regis were over $2000 per night for the most basic overwater bungalow. We were able to snag an overwater bungalow at Le Bora Bora for about $1500 per night.


Getting to the resort from the main island
Since the resort is on a private motu, you must arrive by boat. We had stayed on the main island for a few nights before visiting the resort. Le Bora Bora offers a free shuttle to and from the main island. We emailed the resort a couple weeks ahead of time (reservations@pearlresorts.com) to schedule a pickup. They sent us their shuttle schedule, which leaves from the main island roughly once an hour. We planned to be picked up from the main island at 11am.


We scheduled a taxi from our Airbnb to the Le Bora Bora dock. Any taxi driver will know where it is. The taxi ride took about 30 minutes from where we were staying by Matira Beach. There was a nice covered waiting area, where we sat until our boat arrived. They transported Mike and I, along with two other guests checking in. The boat from the main island only took about five minutes.
Getting to the resort from the airport
Most people will head straight to the resort once arriving at the airport. There is a Le Bora Bora desk in the arrivals area that you will check in at and have a boat take you straight to the resort. We took this route when leaving the resort, since we were not going back to the main island. This option is obviously easier, but more expensive. The direct ride to the airport was about $40 USD per person, each way.


Arrival at the resort
Once we arrived at the resort, our bags were whisked away, and we were greeted with flower necklaces and fresh fruit drinks in the lobby. Our check in time was not until 3pm, but they were fairly certain our bungalow would be ready before then. We were given a tour of the property and then we got lunch at one of the restaurants while we waited. Our bungalow ended up being ready around 1pm, so we were glad we got there earlier to make the most of our stay!


Overwater bungalows
Once our room was ready, an employee escorted us to our bungalow, #317. It was actually quite a far walk from the resort. It took maybe 10 minutes to get there. We knew the bungalow would be cool, but it really blew us away! The room was quite large and there were lots of options for storing things, so we were able to put our suitcases away. They let us know that the mini fridge in our room would be restocked each day for free. They gave us two complimentary beers, along with juices and soda, and a few snacks. I thought this was a nice bonus!



While the inside was really nice, our favorite part was the deck with a hammock and ladder to take you down into the water. The net hammock was so comfortable and nice to have a breeze from below since it was very hot outside! Note that you can request a large pillow for the hammocks to make it even more comfortable. I also loved that since we were over the water, we didn’t have any bugs or critters bothering us. We also saw a stingray and lots of fish swim right under our bungalow!



Restaurants and bars
Since you are on a small motu, the only dining options are the restaurants at the resort (unless you want to take the shuttle to the main island). There are three restaurants: one main restaurant, one more casual pool-side restaurant, and one fine dining restaurant. We never visited the fine dining restaurant, but the other two were very good. The pricing really wasn’t too high for a resort; meals were similarly priced to the other restaurants we’d visited the rest of our trip.


I really loved the breakfast buffet, which is included in the cost of your stay. They had lots of options. We ate a large, heavy breakfast, and then were able to eat very light for lunch.


The bar offered happy hour drinks from 5 to 6pm, which we took advantage of one night.
Polynesian show
On Monday night, there was a Polynesian show at the main restaurant. The dinner was a set price for a buffet, and the show started at 7pm. We made reservations for 6:30, which ended up working out perfectly so we could be mostly done eating before the show. I didn’t have high hopes for the show, but we both thought it was pretty good! I was glad we saw it. The buffet food was decent, but I preferred the dinner our other night when it was served fresh.
Spa
On our second day, we had rain off and on, so we scheduled massages at the spa on site. It was expensive, at just under $200 USD per person for a couples massage. The massages were great though, and we got full access to their sauna, steam room, and immersive showers. The spa is away from the beach in a very Zen spot. I recommend visiting the spa here!


Amenities
We didn’t spend too much time using the resort amenities. On our last morning, we took their paddle boards out on the water. The current was very strong, and we struggled to not get carried away. I ended up walking it back part of the way through the shallow water.

They also have some sort of class each day. On our second day, I attended the flower crown making class. They had a couple employees guiding us on how to make the flower crowns and a few flowers and greens to choose from.


Pros
-I liked that Pearl Resorts is fully Polynesian-owned, not a worldwide chain.
-There is a discount if you book at two of their resorts. We also stayed at Le Taha’a later on our trip, so they gave us a 25% discount on both bookings.
-You’ll get great views of Bora Bora from the overwater bungalows.
-The restaurants at Le Bora Bora are more affordable than some of the other resorts.
-Breakfast is included in your stay.
-I thought the complimentary mini fridge was a nice touch.

Cons
-The resort faces east, so the sunset is behind the resort, and sunrise is behind the mountain on the main island.
– There are limited restaurant options if you’re there more than a couple days.

Overall, we LOVED Le Bora Bora and would recommend staying here if you’re looking to stay in an overwater bungalow! This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m so glad we stayed here for our honeymoon.
You may also be interested in:
48 Hours on the Island of Tahiti
Four-Day Itinerary for Moorea, French Polynesia
How to Spend Three Days on the Main Island of Bora Bora

Rob
Wow! What a beautiful place! Great pics and info.
Melissa
Thank you!
Diana Dane
Beautiful photos and great comments! I’m living my dream life through all your advetures.
Melissa
Aww thank you 🙂