One volcanic peak, one vast turquoise lagoon and a ring of motu hotels built over the water: the honeymoon island.
Bora Bora is a small volcanic island in the Society Islands, north-west of Tahiti, wrapped in a wide lagoon of every shade of blue. The hotels sit on the motu, the low sandy islets on the reef, looking back across the water to the twin summits of Otemanu and Pahia.
It is the island we plan for honeymoons and milestone anniversaries. Days are simple: swimming from your villa steps, a boat trip to snorkel with rays and reef sharks, a massage, a long dinner. Five to seven nights is right, ideally at the end of a trip through the other islands.
The honest caveats are cost and crowds. Everything is expensive, and the main lagoon sites are busy with boats by late morning. Choose a hotel on the quieter eastern motu and go out early.
The experiences we plan most often, with the months they are at their best.
A half-day lagoon tour by small boat stops in shallow, sandy water where stingrays glide around your legs and blacktip reef sharks patrol at a respectful distance. Then on to a coral garden near the southern motu. Book a private boat and leave early to have each stop to yourselves.
Mount Otemanu, the jagged remnant of the old volcano, is the island's signature. Its crumbling summit is not a hike, but a guided 4x4 tour climbs the lower ridges for views over the lagoon, and stops at American cannons left from the Second World War, when Bora Bora was a supply base. Half a day is enough.
Most of Bora Bora's sand is on private motu, but Matira Beach on the southern tip of the main island is public, long and shallow, with views across to the motu. It is where islanders swim at weekends. Walk out along the sandbar at low tide, then stop for lunch at a snack bar under the trees.
Inside the eastern lagoon, near the village of Anau, manta rays visit cleaning stations in relatively shallow water. Local dive centres run guided dives here for certified divers, and experienced snorkellers can sometimes see them from the surface. Sightings are frequent but never guaranteed.
Outrigger canoes, or va'a, are the national sport of French Polynesia. Most hotels lend them or arrange a lesson with a local paddler, and it is a lovely way to see the lagoon in the evening calm. Some resorts will deliver breakfast to your villa by canoe, a small piece of theatre that people love.
The overwater villa is Bora Bora's real attraction: glass floor panels, a ladder into the lagoon and a deck facing the mountain. Plan at least two days with nothing else booked. Choose the orientation carefully: Otemanu views at sunset, open reef views at sunrise.
Almost every hotel is on a motu reached by boat. The Four Seasons and the St Regis have some of the most spacious overwater villas, the Conrad has a quiet south-west setting, and the InterContinental Thalasso faces Otemanu. Choose by view first, then by how far you want to be from the airport motu.
We match each trip in Bora Bora to hotels, lodges and villas chosen for the way you travel. Tell us what matters and a specialist will suggest two or three that fit.
Ask for hotel suggestionsBora Bora is warm all year, generally between about 22°C and 32°C. The dry season from May to October brings sunnier days, lower humidity and light breezes, and it is when we suggest most honeymoons. June to September is the high season, especially July and August.
From November to April the air is more humid, showers are heavier and the FCDO notes that tropical storms, including cyclones, can occur. The upside is warmer water and lower rates. September to November and February to April are the quieter windows.
A week built around an overwater villa, with a lagoon tour, a 4x4 afternoon, a manta dive and plenty of time with nothing booked. 7 nights.
Connect in Papeete for the 50-minute flight, then a hotel boat across the lagoon to your villa.
An early private boat to swim with rays and reef sharks, then a coral garden snorkel.
A morning 4x4 tour of the main island, then an afternoon swim at Matira Beach.
Nothing planned: breakfast by canoe, a spa treatment and snorkelling from the deck.
A guided dive or snorkel in the eastern lagoon, where manta rays visit cleaning stations.
Paddle a va'a in the evening calm and take a private dinner on the sand.
Boat to the airport and fly to Papeete for your onward or overnight flight home.
Practical notes checked against their sources. For entry and safety, the FCDO advice for Bora Bora (opens in a new tab) is always the authority.
Fly from Heathrow to Los Angeles, about 11 hours, then to Papeete in about 8 hours. From Tahiti, Air Tahiti flies to Bora Bora in 50 minutes, and hotel boats meet you at the airport.
UK passport holders do not currently need a visa for a holiday. If you connect in the USA, you will also need US travel authorisation. Read the FCDO entry requirements (opens in a new tab) before you book.
Read the FCDO entry requirements for Bora Bora (opens in a new tab)
Wear reef-safe sunscreen and a rash vest when snorkelling, and use insect repellent. Check TravelHealthPro (opens in a new tab) and the FCDO health page before you go.
The currency is the Pacific franc. Tahiti Tourisme advises that US dollar cash is not accepted, but Visa and Mastercard work at most hotels and shops. Exchange cash at Tahiti airport if you want some for tips.
Vini is the local mobile network, with roaming or local SIMs available. Hotel wifi is common, though not every room gets a strong signal.
Tipping is not customary in French Polynesia, though it is appreciated for exceptional service.
Five to seven nights is right for most couples. Fewer, and the long journey dominates; more, and you may want variety. Many people spend three nights on Moorea or in the Tuamotus first, then finish on Bora Bora, which puts the most restful part of the trip at the end.
For a honeymoon or milestone, most people say yes. The lagoon and the view of Otemanu live up to the photographs. To manage the budget, combine a few nights in an overwater villa with a garden or beach villa, and eat some meals off the resort in Vaitape or at Matira.
Bora Bora is the most developed island for luxury hotels and overwater villas. Elsewhere, you find emptier atolls for diving, the steep, remote Marquesas and the cultural life of Tahiti and Moorea. See our [French Polynesia page](/destinations/australasia-pacific/french-polynesia) for those islands.
Yes, though it is designed for couples. Some hotels welcome families with larger villas and kids' clubs, and the shallow lagoon is good for young swimmers. Check each hotel's policy on children in overwater villas, as some restrict it.
Tell us a little and a specialist will reply with ideas, dates that work and a price. Best months: May to October.
Tahiti, Moorea, the coral atolls of the Tuamotus and the wild Marquesas: 118 islands across a vast stretch of ocean.
Island resorts on clear lagoons, soft coral reefs and a warm village welcome, an easy add-on to Australia or New Zealand.
Twenty-six coral atolls, one resort to an island: here the reef and the transfer decide the holiday, so we start there.
