Bora Bora or Moorea?

[sonnyjane]

Hello all!

You were quite helpful when I was planning my vacation to Kauai earlier this year. Now I'm focusing on our next big trip either later in 2013 or early 2014.

We live in San Diego, so the flight to French Polynesia is actually not too bad at all. We want to do an overwater bungalow in either Bora Bora or Moorea. Any of you been to either, or both? I'm leaning toward the Hilton properties, but I'm open to suggestions if you stayed somewhere else that you loved. I'm somewhat leaning toward Moorea because I've read it will be cheaper (less expensive food, no expensive flight from Tahiti to Bora Bora, etc.), but I also feel like people wouldn't talk about Bora Bora so much if it wasn't absolutely amazing!

Any tips? It's just my husband and I... we really just want to lounge, drink, snorkel, kayak (lightly), and rest. Not big on much else! Also, if you don't mind talking numbers, if you have gone recently, about how much should we plan to save for a week-long trip? I'm coming up with about $10,000 for the hotel and flights, so what do you think would be reasonable for 7 days worth of drinks/meals? I'd like to start saving aggressively now so we can really enjoy it when we go next year.

Thanks guys!

 

[fleur-de-lis]

I've been to both. Bora Bora hands down.

 

[sonnyjane]

I've been to both. Bora Bora hands down.

Where did you stay?

 

[webdiva]

Was just in Fiji and one thing other guests who had been to Bora Bora and Fiji voiced is that they preferred the overwater bungalows in Fiji due to being over coral - much more interesting to watch. Likuliku is the only overwater resort and the service and food are INCREDIBLE. It's like eating at a five star resort every day. The culture is very similar to that of Hawaii (polynesian) and some of the long time yachters at our first resort (stayed at two) mentioned that they prefer Tahiti for more of a "foreign" flavor. They also loved the Cook Islands for a more budget friendly stay.

 

[sonnyjane]

Was just in Fiji and one thing other guests who had been to Bora Bora and Fiji voiced is that they preferred the overwater bungalows in Fiji due to being over coral - much more interesting to watch. Likuliku is the only overwater resort and the service and food are INCREDIBLE. It's like eating at a five star resort every day. The culture is very similar to that of Hawaii (polynesian) and some of the long time yachters at our first resort (stayed at two) mentioned that they prefer Tahiti for more of a "foreign" flavor. They also loved the Cook Islands for a more budget friendly stay.

Wow that resort looks AMAZING! I've bookmarked it! That's about 30-40% more than my current budget for Bora Bora/Moorea and is considerably longer as far as travel-time goes, but I'm not ruling it out. New Zealand is on a bucket list for a longer trip, and flights from here go through NZ to get to Fiji...so I'm wondering if I shouldn't just save all of that for one big 3 week trip or something a few years down the road. My DH and I are not big fans of flying. We aren't afraid or anything, it's just we are both pretty tall (especially him at 6'5") but we can't afford to fly first class, so air travel is really a chore for us. We like to keep flights within 8 hours or so.

 

[snoopkat]

Mr snoopkat and I are going to Tahiti for our honeymoon and we were also tossing up between Bora Bora and Moorea. The feedback we got from others who have been is that Moorea is better in terms of coral life and variety (something about how there are different channels of water feeding Moorea so the water is warmer and coral life is better whereas Bora Bora has only 1 water opening) but Bora Bora is more popular with honeymooners because it's more well known. There's more to do in Bora Bora and Moorea is really all about R&R. If budget allows, why not stay a couple nights at each place and get the best of both worlds? That's what we'll be doing

 

[sonnyjane]

Mr snoopkat and I are going to Tahiti for our honeymoon and we were also tossing up between Bora Bora and Moorea. The feedback we got from others who have been is that Moorea is better in terms of coral life and variety (something about how there are different channels of water feeding Moorea so the water is warmer and coral life is better whereas Bora Bora has only 1 water opening) but Bora Bora is more popular with honeymooners because it's more well known. There's more to do in Bora Bora and Moorea is really all about R&R. If budget allows, why not stay a couple nights at each place and get the best of both worlds? That's what we'll be doing

Thanks, snoopkat!! If you don't mind me asking, what hotels did you choose?? The pictures of each place are all great so it's hard to compare, and of course 90% of the reviews are from blissful honeymooners so it's hard to nail down which hotels really stand out!

 

[justginger]

Excellent topic, DH and I have discussed exactly this in the last week - good timing! I'll be checking back to see what sort of new opinions come along.

All I can offer up is information about the Cook Islands - we were there for a couple of weeks last year and loved it. Speaking with others on Aitutaki who were well travelled in the South Pacific, we were told that Aitutaki is 10% less beautiful than Bora Bora, but 80% cheaper. So if budget is a concern at all, Google Aitutaki and see what you think.

 

[snoopkat]

We're staying at the Sofitel but only coz mr snoopkat gets staff rates.

 

[ForteKitty]

We stayed at the Hilton Moorea a few years ago and the snorkeling under our owb was fantastic. Tons of coral and all sorts of fish. We even "fished" for sharks at night with leftover steak! We visited the Intercontinental, and while the resort was impressive, their owb don't appear to be true owb. They barely go over the shallow sandy part of the water. Sofitel didn't let us go in to snoop around.

I posted some pics and info in this thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/honeymoon-in-bora-bora-please-share.147740/

 

[calibali]

I've been to both. Bora Bora hands down.

Agreed! Thought Bora Bora was much nicer than Moorea.

Stayed at the Four Seasons Bora Bora and the Hilton Moorea.

 

[sonnyjane]

We stayed at the Hilton Moorea a few years ago and the snorkeling under our owb was fantastic. Tons of coral and all sorts of fish. We even "fished" for sharks at night with leftover steak! We visited the Intercontinental, and while the resort was impressive, their owb don't appear to be true owb. They barely go over the shallow sandy part of the water. Sofitel didn't let us go in to snoop around.

I posted some pics and info in this thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/honeymoon-in-bora-bora-please-share.147740/

Awesome! Thanks for the link!!

 

[webdiva]

Was just in Fiji and one thing other guests who had been to Bora Bora and Fiji voiced is that they preferred the overwater bungalows in Fiji due to being over coral - much more interesting to watch. Likuliku is the only overwater resort and the service and food are INCREDIBLE. It's like eating at a five star resort every day. The culture is very similar to that of Hawaii (polynesian) and some of the long time yachters at our first resort (stayed at two) mentioned that they prefer Tahiti for more of a "foreign" flavor. They also loved the Cook Islands for a more budget friendly stay.

Wow that resort looks AMAZING! I've bookmarked it! That's about 30-40% more than my current budget for Bora Bora/Moorea and is considerably longer as far as travel-time goes, but I'm not ruling it out. New Zealand is on a bucket list for a longer trip, and flights from here go through NZ to get to Fiji...so I'm wondering if I shouldn't just save all of that for one big 3 week trip or something a few years down the road. My DH and I are not big fans of flying. We aren't afraid or anything, it's just we are both pretty tall (especially him at 6'5") but we can't afford to fly first class, so air travel is really a chore for us. We like to keep flights within 8 hours or so.

NZ to Fiji was three hours. We loooooved Auckland, did a wine tour on Waiheke Island, which is a 1/2 hr ferry ride away - it was soooo fantastic! http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g285729-d2043993-Reviews-Waiheke_Island_Wine_Tours-Waiheke_Island_North_Island.html The guide (owner) customized the trip to our travel time since we had to catch a flight later that evening. I would have spent much more time in NZ, it was awesome! I honestly wouldn't do Fiji again. That resort was fantastic but you can go to Hawaii for much less money and travel time. Same gorgeous water.

 

[LittleSparkle]

Bora Bora!!!!! 100%. My husband and I went to NZ/Bora Bora on our honeymoon a few months ago and stopped over in Moorea for two days. Bora Bora was much, much nicer, in my opinion. We stayed at the Intercontinental Thalasso Spa and loved every second of it.

 

[Mara]

We did Moorea for our honeymoon 7 years ago and loved it. We stayed in a beach bungalow and it was great. Totally recommended. I have heard from people who have visited both and many liken it to Moorea as Kauai and BB as Maui in relation to the Hawaiian islands, so a similar vibe/feel. Moorea is smaller and quieter and BB is more lively like Maui. Anyhow, I would totally do the trip again and we are hoping to go back to Moorea soon. We stayed at the Sofitel I think. No complaints.

 

[sonnyjane]

We did Moorea for our honeymoon 7 years ago and loved it. We stayed in a beach bungalow and it was great. Totally recommended. I have heard from people who have visited both and many liken it to Moorea as Kauai and BB as Maui in relation to the Hawaiian islands, so a similar vibe/feel. Moorea is smaller and quieter and BB is more lively like Maui. Anyhow, I would totally do the trip again and we are hoping to go back to Moorea soon. We stayed at the Sofitel I think. No complaints.

Mara, interesting!! DH and I got married on Maui a few years ago, and in April we visited Kauai. I think I really preferred Maui because of the overall "vibe"... so I wonder if I would like Bora Bora more?

Thanks guys! You are really helping me! I'm not sure what I'm going to do but at least you're giving me a lot to consider!

 

[vintagelover229]

No advice to add but after seeing this post I checked out www.vrbo.com and found a few listings The center one has pretty good reviews as well!

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/south-pacific/cook-islands

 

[Snowy]

I'm a little late to the conversation but i'll add my 2 cents. From my point of view and from every single person and travel agent I spoke with before and during the trip Bora Bora was much preferred over Moorea and Tahiti. It seemed to be Bora Bora > Moorea > Tahiti. But the the cost definitely reflects that.

I stayed at the St.Regis in Bora Bora during high season for ten nights in an overwater bungalow the entire time which ended up being extremely pricey. We had a very difficult time choosing between St. Regis and the Four Seasons but ultimately went with St. Regis since it said to be nicer and bigger than Four Seasons after extensive research. The place was simply amazing but it had it's up and downs like any resort.

When you think budget you have to keep in mind to budget in food/drink cost since food and drink at the resort is a LOT more than most places. You can go the mainland for cheaper food and drinks but honestly it's not significant enough for us to continue traveling to the mainland (some resorts charge to go to the mainland from Bora Bora like the Four Seasons. St. Regis is free most days at set times). $40 for an alfredo dish, $22 for a pina colada etc... It all seriously adds up if you don't pay attention. I recommend packages with free breakfast and not the dining packages.

Personally my advice is to split between the two places so it's more budget friendly... and you get to see both! (Just make sure Bora Bora is last which most travel agents will do) Also to keep in mind that one of the travel agents told me that you get sick of a resort after 5 days. I didn't believe it and did 10 nights! But my husband and I actually did get bored of the resort after 5 days there and wished we did split the trip up.

 

[justginger]

DH and I were very seriously considering French Polynesia this year, as it is such a convenient stopover between the States and Australia. However, with minimal research it came to light that FP, and BB especially, has a SERIOUS domestic animal issue that the govt and locals seemingly have no intent to address or remedy. There are now more dogs on BB than people, roaming the island in packs, diseased and starving. None of the islanders see it necessary to care for the ones that have been injured - those that are hit by cars are generally left in ditches to die, unless a sympathetic tourist finds them and takes then to the island vet. The last sterilization campaign occurred in 2004, when the Esther Honey Foundation (based in the Cook Islands) visited and held a month-long clinic. The red tape processes they underwent to be approved for such a trip took YEARS to complete.

Most all-inclusive honeymooners don't see this aspect of BB because there are no dogs on the outer motus, they are main island 'dirty laundry' and many people are only there long enough to get on/off a plane. But in a place making tens of thousands of dollars on a revolving door of price-gouged tourists, I fully expect this issue to be address properly, instead of being chalked up to 'cultural differences.' When 5 star international resorts are the main inhabitants of an island, to the tune of $600-4000/night, they should be showing some basic civic duty and moral fiber, and proactively campaigning for a desexing drive.

The whole thing makes me feel sick and I refuse to spend my money on an island where no one sees an issue with starvation, disease, and severe neglect of their entire domestic animal population. Knowing how many animal lovers we have on PS, I am genuinely surprised this issue was not raised earlier. If you want paradise AND a country that takes excellent care of its animals, head to the Cook Islands instead. The Esther Honey Foundation has singlehandedly sterilized nearly the entire dog population of Rarotonga!

 

[ForteKitty]

JustGinger, I hadn't heard that about the Cook Islands. That's wonderful to know. We had wanted to return to FP to visit BB and some more islands next year, but reading up on how bad it is (thanks TA), that is unlikely to happen. We wont be able to enjoy our vacation.

 

[justginger]

FK, Esther Honey is amazing! They are based on the main island of Rarotonga and are a fluid group of visiting international vets who donate their time and hard work in exchange for hanging out in paradise. They arrange Vet Treks to the other outer islands and periodically to other countries as well. They have a FB page and you can see what they do at estherhoney.org.

We were adopted by a stray cat while we were staying on Airutaki and arranged to have her flown to Rarotonga (imagine DH and I going to the airport on a scooter, clutching a cat carrier on the back!) and desexed. The vet at EHF did the BEST stitches I've ever seen in my time with animal rescue. Best of all? The flights for her were $6 each way and the vet work was completely free! When we got back to Raro ourselves, we stopped by to donate $500 - paying it forward for other kitties to be treated in the future. I can't sing EHF's praises enough!