Our Travel Journal: Bora Bora

It’s known as the most beautiful island in the world for a reason, so it’s hard to describe Bora Bora without understating it pretty dramatically. ‘Crystal clear water’ sounds trivial compared to the reality of the transitioning blues and greens of the islands lagoon – not dissimilar to a Monet.

In a little under a week, Bora Bora has managed to scramble itself to the top of A Bikini A Day’s ‘Most Beautiful Locations’ list. Who am I kidding..? It went straight to number one the second we arrived at the airport – which, by the way, is its own tiny little tropical island paradise.

One important thing I want to emphasise here, is that Bora Bora isn’t just a Honeymoon destination. Of course, if you’re looking for a romantic getaway after the big day I probably wouldn’t look much further. However, it’s also an amazing place to travel to with a small group of your closest friends – the way we did!

It’s fair to say that Bora Bora has made an indelible change to our vacation standards and we’ll be reserving a spot for this French speaking paradise in our annual ABAD trip calendar. Here’s what you need to know:

Accommodation 

Obviously, the Four Seasons Resort.

Incase you missed it, the most magical part of our trip was our Over Water Bungalow at the Four Seasons Resort.
Waking up every morning to the turquoise waters of the lagoon was a pretty surreal experience. Having the ability to literally roll from the bed into the water was something else, and enjoying a glass of wine from the bath while watching the sunset over the lagoon was another thing entirely. There really is nothing that beats a luxury bungalow situated on the water, so if your budget allows it (even if it doesn’t advise it – we do) book the bungalow. It’s a memory you’ll treasure forever.

Four Seasons offer a range of different rooms, but another we had the privilege of staying in the was Private Beach Villa. It looks out towards the bungalows, as well as Mt Otemanu, a backdrop that makes this place look like the set from a movie – which makes sense considering it’s been the set for several films, including the 1962 classic Mutiny on the Bounty starring super hunk Marlon Brando. It’s quite a large property, with direct access to a private beach, jacuzzi, swimming pool and about a million other things that make it completely amazing and unforgettable.

Did we mention the Over Water Bungalows, though? **sigh.

Restaurants

There are 4 main restaurants in the resort – not including room service, or special dining services like having breakfast brought to you on a traditional Tahitian canoe, a Polynesian show, or a romantic dinner for two on a private island.

Ari’i Moana is one of the main restaurants in the resort offering a French Polynesian cuisine with beach front dining under the stars. The Pan-Seared Spiced Beef Tenderloin was definitely a favourite, as well as the Morel Mushroom Risotto – a great vegetarian option.

The Sunset Restaurant & Bar has more of an asian fusion about it, serving fresh sashimi (straight from the lagoon, of course), sushi rolls and Japanese favourites like Miso, Teriyaki and Nigiri.

Activities

Activities on the island range from fitness style tours, water sports, snorkelling & diving, mountain hikes, and ocean bikes. Yes, ocean bikes.

But there was a little more on the cards for us during our time in Bora Bora #WerkWerkWerkWerkWerk
We were shooting our new campaign for Monday Swimwear‘s Resort ’17 Collection! We are so excited for you all to see our designs for the latest collection and honestly could not have been in a better suited destination. We made sure to have our fave photographer, Nicole Hill, on location with us for the shoot which made things that much more exciting.

How to get there

Air Tahiti Nui flies direct from LA, which will have you delivered safely to French Polynesia in a little over 8 hours. The best part about Air Tahiti Nui (Check out their IG page here) is that your Tahitian experience starts the second you board the plane, and if there’s one thing in the world we love, it’s Island Vibes. Tahitian tunes and cocktails were preparing us for what was quite an anticipated trip and we were far from disappointment.

You’ll land in Papeéte – the main town of Tahiti. Inter-island flights frequent between the hours of sun up and sun down, and our advice is to book smart for this journey. You want to allow about an hours interval between your arrival and departure, to leave room for short delays or long lines. However, if time allows it, try and book for a same day flight to Bora Bora. Although Tahiti is a beautiful place, Bora Bora is heaven and you’ll want to feel like you appropriately allocated enough time for the most important part of this trip – relaxing.

Once in Bora Bora, you’ll be transported to your hotel (again, obviously, Four Seasons) via the cutest boat in history. See below:

Local Lingo

Both French and the traditional Maori language of Tahitian is spoken in Bora Bora – not by everybody, but by most. However, if your French or Tahitian isn’t really up to scratch, fret not my Bora Babies – the staff are well acquainted with the English language. If you do choose to show off your worldly charm by adopting a small portion of their local lingo, here are some of the most important words/phrases for your practising pleasure:

French:

Hello – Bonjour

Goodbye – Au revoir

Thank you – Merci

Please – S’il vous plaît.

Yes / No – Oui / Non

How are you? – Ça va?

Well, Thank you – Je vais bien.

Tahitian: 

Hello – Ia Orana

Goodbye – Nana (women only) Men say: A parahi

Thank you – Mauruuru

Please – Na (there actually isn’t a real term for please – but this is commonly used in sentences)

Yes / No – E / Aita

How are you? – Maita’i oe

Well, thank you – Maita’i val, Mauruuru

What To Pack 

As per usual, we advise you to pack the absolute necessities:

• Bikini
• Sun Dress
• Wide Brim Hat
• Sandals
• White Linen Shirt
• Denim

To shop Tash’s style, click here.

For Devin’s, click here.

It’s also imperative you remember to pack sunscreen. For a list of our favourite sunscreens that won’t make you break out, click here. 

This was with out a doubt one of my most memorable trips so far, and aside from the obviously beautiful elements Bora Bora has to offer, it was the star gazing, magical sunset sessions from our bathtub, the smell of seasonal flowers in the air and being with my best friends that really made this trip unforgettable. Everything else was a bonus.