Take Me Back to… Bora Bora

I wasn't sure we were going to make it through Easter Monday after such a great weekend but after the initial struggle to get out of bed we bounced right back.  Probably because it was GORGEOUS here yesterday. 70's and sunny and beautiful. The weather had me so happy.

Another nice weather scenario that makes me happy is vacations! 

I'm super pumped that we've got a vacation coming up in a couple weeks with a couple little adventures this summer as well (crazy that summer will be here soon!)

Today I'm linking up with Andrea to share my favorite vacation ever.

Traveling is probably my favorite hobby.  We're so blessed that we've been able to take some great ones.  Once one trip is over, I start looking for the next spot… even if the trip won't be for a while.  I love the researching/planning aspect of vacation too.  Of course I especially love when the time for the actual trip rolls around.
I caught the travel bug at a young age and can never get enough of it. My family goes on at least one vacation together usually each year and being long distance at first, Derek and I found a common interest in traveling to make the distance easier to handle and have something to look forward to.  We bonded so much on our travels and I look forward to both many factions with my family as well as my new little family of Derek and I in the years to come.  

Okay, without any more tangents… my favorite vacation was…

Our honeymoon in Bora Bora!

I can't say enough good things about Bora Bora! I feel so lucky that we made our dream vacation a reality and for our honeymoon, it couldn't have been better! The water is gorgeous, the scenery is beautiful, the people are so nice and the location is so relaxing - nothing ever looks crowded!

When we decided on our honeymoon location about last year at this time, I was so excited every day until the time actually came for the trip.  It was a dream to look forward to, a dream once we arrived to that gorgeous water and just the ultimate dream vacation for us.

Interestingly, Bora Bora wasn't the first place that came to mind when we started honeymoon planning - initially I thought it was way too far away and wasn't super excited about flying over all that water.  My initial thought was "a beach is a beach and I'd rather go somewhere closer."  It was prime hurricane season in early September and I just wasn't feeling the risk, we knew we didn't want to do Mexico and then it was time to look out west and once we looked into it just a little bit - I was SOLD! Derek was sold, we were going to a dream location!

To read my full recaps/details/more photos of the trip - scroll to the bottom of the post.  If you want the short version - below are some of my favorite parts!

We planned a nice mix of relax/beach time as well as exploring/excursion time.  Our favorite excursion was renting this catamaran for an afternoon to sail over the water.  The Best!  We also loved a jeep tour of the island as well.

Views from the jeep tour were fabulous - you could really see the beautifulness of the water from higher points on the island.

All the employees went over and above with their jobs and made everything special.

They were also SO nice - since there's not that many people on the island, they love getting to chat with tourists! 

The villas were amazing! From the view with the floor to ceiling window you see when you wake up, the magnificent tub, the balconies, everything was the best.

The trip to get to Bora Bora is l o n g like about 15 hours long but I think we broke it up pretty well.  The Monday after our wedding we flew to Los Angeles and spent that day/night there and the entire next day there with our long flight (nine hours) that night.  We stopped in Tahiti for two days and then took the hour flight over to Bora Bora for eight days.  We broke up our stay by staying part of the time at the Intercontinental and part of the time at The Four Seasons.

The one aspect Bora Bora is not fabulous in is the hair! In Tahiti the converter wasn't strong enough for either my straightener or curler and actually shorted my curler and broke it!

In Bora Bora we borrowed another converter from the hotel that would have worked for either appliance but at that point I was down to just the one.

Everywhere you look is beautiful.

The sunsets were gorgeous - some nights we'd have happy hour on our little deck to get a good view.

The drinks were of course delicious - I'm not a big fan of pulp so we always had to specify that when ordering, ha! They were probably like "oh that no pulp girl is here again."  Your also able to buy two bottles each at the duty free shop at LAX so we did that and it was great to have it in our room to use too.

 Feeding the stingrays and having them swim right up by you to pet them was such a cool experience.  They just know to swim up at 2pm each day - it's really an experience.

 We always went in to the beach and pool but also loved just jumping off our dock to swim too.  One day we saw a huge stingray swim under our dock so luckily I wasn't in the water for that! 

 The sun got hot so we made sure to always claim a little hut because the sun was also super strong and we didn't want to burn.

 Crazy that most of the transportation is by boat! 

I definitely didn't mind having my toes in the sand for a few meals.

Having food brought to our hut for lunch some days was a favorite of ours too.

 Even though we did the same thing most days, we never got bored.  It's so beautiful and so relaxing, you can always fill your time!

 I could spend hours out on the deck reading and just watching the beautiful water.

Fun fact - Ashley Tisdale was on her honeymoon the same time and was next to us on the beach two days - we noticed both her and especially her husband and knew they were famous but couldn't quite put our finger on who they were until we saw the article that they were there that night.

Yes, the water really is that fantastic!

To read the full recap with better details and more photos; click below:

Los Angeles // Tahiti // Bora Bora Part One // Part Two // Part Three // 

Part Four // Part Five // Part Six // Travel Tips

My current (pretty much domestic) travel bucket list: here

Bora Bora Travel Tips

There's a different way of life out in the French Polynesia and lots of differences.  If your traveling there or plan to; here's some tips that could help you out…

 

Packing Must Haves:

Bug Spray or Wipes

Outlet Adapter(s)

One outlet adapter will work for one item so if you plan on charging your camera, iPad, cell phone, using a hair appliance, etc. you might want to either bring at least one or borrow from the front desk

Conversion App on your Cell Phone

Inflatable Rafts 

You can either blow them up or have them blown up once you arrive - we brought little one person ones but the people in the hut across from us brought a 5-6 person raft; anything is possible

Water Shoes

Your phone might not work for international calls even if you have international roaming - texts, emails, internet use will work just fine especially on hotel properties - most offer free internet

You can bring two bottles of liquor per person from the duty free shop in LA and get mixers at the local stores to make enjoying your deck for Happy Hour easier

Don't over plan - pick a couple excursions you want to do and spend the rest of the time enjoying the resort - just bouncing around from your bungalow dock, to the pool, to the beach can easily fill a day

 

 

Definitely leave time for naps on the first day and do an early dinner.. You will need time to adjust to the time zone especially after a nine hour flight

If you stop on other islands, it's great for the experience but make sure Bora Bora is your longest stay

We met some people who spent more of their time in Moorea and to each their own, but they mentioned they wished they stayed in Bora Bora longer

Research the bag requirements before you go - but don't let it scare you.  Flying from the states to Tahiti there is a very heavy bag allowance but on the inner island flights there is no

t and the requirements can make you think your bags won't make the cut - they most likely will - we had to only pay $40 roundtrip for the extra weight and were traveling as "divers" to make it easier

Use a travel agent for the flights, hotels, transportation - it makes things so much easier with the slight language barrier and price difference.  Set excursions and meals up with the hotel concierge when you arrive or over email before you go - the locals are super nice and happy to help

Pack extra bathing suits and cover ups/tshirts - you might go swimming off the dock in the morning and want to be dry to go in for breakfast, etc.

If you're able to stay at one of the hotels on the outer motu, do it - they are more private and reserved, less choppy and tend to be pretty 

Split your trip up - ourselves and many couples we met opted to stay at two resorts while in Bora Bora (possibly more depending if they stopped at other islands) because each hotel has pluses and minuses, different scenery, different activities and an over all different experience

Don't waste your time exchanging money at the airport - just get to the hotel and they can easily do it for you

Check the voltage on your hair appliances ladies - if they are high voltage, bring a smaller one

*note* my beloved nume wand didn't work AND shorted out

You might very well look like this sometimes a lot of the time; embrace it

Water shoes are a must - the water is beautiful but the sand is not soft - there are shells and coral everywhere

Bring plenty of sunscreen (it can be expensive out there) 2-3 bottles should be good - probably bring a little bit higher than what you usually use

The staff is super friendly if you take the time to talk to them; they love sharing about their island

Don't be surprised if a quick rainstorm pops up for an hour or so - you are on a tropical island

 

Take lots of photos - they don't quite do the beautiful island justice, but they come pretty close

Where We Stayed 
All of which we would highly recommend 

In Los Angeles we stayed at The Beverly Wilshire and can't wait to go back to celebrate many anniversaries (can't go to Bora Bora for all of them)

http://www.fourseasons.com/beverlywilshire/

In Tahiti we stayed at the Intercontinental Tahiti{If you stay at any of the intercontinental hotels on the islands - there's four - join the ambassador program before you go, the two free bottles of water each day are worth it but also a room upgrade, welcome gifts, late check out, early check in, fresh fruit, etc.

http://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/gb/en/faaa/pptpf/hoteldetail

In Bora Bora we stayed first at the Intercontinental Thalasso Resort & Spa

http://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/gb/en/bora-bora/bobhb/hoteldetail

And we finished the trip at The Four Seasons Bora Bora 

http://www.fourseasons.com/borabora/

Differences between the Intercontinental Thalasso and 

the Four Seasons Bora Bora:

{Intercontinental Thalasso}: Better activities and more planned things to do, better beach huts, bigger mini bar, one big fish hole to look at fish (coffee table), bigger lower dock and better to swim off of, people really use their docks

{Four Seasons Bora Bora}: Like all Four Seasons; you can't beat the service, plentiful water all over, Better upper dock, snorkel stuff on your dock, very long beach, four smaller holes to look at fish in room - more for nighttime use, people really use the resort main areas - beach, pool, etc.

Xo CHS