THE MAGAZINE · THE ĖDITURE

Bora Bora Turned Out to Be Many Islands

How we put together ten days in French Polynesia: the stopover that made the trip work, where we stayed, and what I'd do differently.

By Cordelia Garza

Our daughters are leaving to study abroad in a few days, for at least a year. From the moment we knew the date, all I wanted was a long trip, the four of us together, with no rush and nothing pending, somewhere with not much to do other than be together.

Bora Bora had been on the list for years, but in that part of the list you never really plan to get to. It felt incredibly far away, and it carries that honeymoon-destination label, as if you needed an excuse to go. This year, waiting stopped making sense. We started looking into how to put it together, and it turns out it can be done.

First, the geography

This was what confused us most before we left. All of it —Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Raiatea, Taha'a, Huahine— is French Polynesia: one country, one currency, and the islands scattered across a huge stretch of ocean. When you say you're going to Bora Bora, what you're really doing is moving between several of them.

The international flight lands in Tahiti, the big island. That's where Papeete, the capital, is, and the airport is in Faa'a, a few minutes away. That's why your ticket says Papeete even though in your head it says Bora Bora: it's the same route. From Tahiti you get to Moorea by ferry, about half an hour. To Bora Bora by plane, around fifty minutes. And beyond that are Raiatea, Taha'a and Huahine, the Leeward Islands, with far fewer people.

We did Tahiti, Moorea, a stretch sailing through the Leeward Islands and Bora Bora at the end. Ten days that feel like four different trips.

The stopover that makes it all work

Someone recommended stopping in Los Angeles before crossing the Pacific, and it was the best thing we did. We stayed three nights. We live in New York, and New York to Los Angeles and then Los Angeles to Tahiti in one go is an entire day of flying.

The time change ended up sorting itself out. New York and Los Angeles are three hours apart, and after three nights there my body was already on that schedule. Los Angeles to Tahiti is another three. So we arrived with three hours on us, not six, and didn't lose a single day of the trip adjusting.

If you're leaving from Monterrey or Mexico City, the difference with Tahiti is four hours, very manageable. In that case the Los Angeles stopover is worth it for the journey more than for the clock.

What I'd do differently

The flight lands in Tahiti at four in the morning. We had a night there to rest and the ferry to Moorea the next day, and on paper it made sense. Having lived it, I would have gone straight over. At that hour you're already awake and ready, the ferry is short and the crossing is beautiful. That night in Tahiti cost us a day of the trip.

If your flight lands before dawn, cross to Moorea the same day.

Moorea, and a house

In Moorea we stayed at Villa 'Oro Paraoa, and I can't recommend it enough. It's in Maharepa, with the lagoon in front and Moorea's mountains behind, ten or fifteen minutes from the ferry dock and the island's airport.

There are three bedrooms with king beds spread across two villas, so three couples fit with tons of space, plus a separate studio. It has a gym, a movie room, an indoor and an outdoor kitchen, a long pool, an indoor terrace that ended up being where we spent our afternoons, and another terrace that opens onto your own little stretch of beach.

The service was impeccable. They made us breakfast every morning and it was delicious. For lunch and dinner we went out. Of the whole trip, this house is the first thing I'd recommend to a family or a group of friends. You book directly at oroparaoa.com.

The day on the lagoon

Of everything we did in Moorea, the lagoon day with Captain Taina is the one I'd repeat exactly the same. It's a full day on the water: you swim with turtles, get to the spot with the rays and sharks, hear the story of the tikis and have lunch on a motu. It's five hours and they fly by.

Bring water shoes, reef-safe sunscreen, a cap, water and a change of clothes, because you'll spend a good part of the day in the lagoon. And if you can, ask for a good guide: the one we got made the day, he was so much fun, and my daughters opened up with him from the very first stop.

When the plan changes

From there we had three nights on a catamaran sailing toward Bora Bora. We stayed one and decided to look for another option. Finding a hotel overnight in August, which is high season, was quite the challenge.

That's how we ended up at Vahine Private Island (vahineprivateisland.com), and it was the loveliest surprise of the trip. It's a small private motu in the Taha'a lagoon, with three beach bungalows, three beach suites, three overwater bungalows and a royal villa with two master suites and four more bedrooms, good for a big family, a retreat or a group. In total, about eighteen guests on the whole island.

And with so few people, everything feels different. The dining room is more like a home's than a hotel's, and the lounge with the bar is small and very cozy. The gardens are spectacular. From the beach you can see Bora Bora, Huahine, Raiatea and Taha'a.

But the best thing about Vahine was its people. They made room for us when there wasn't any, and from then on they took care of everything, always in a great mood. The food was wonderful. If you're going in July or August, book well ahead; we got lucky.

Bora Bora, and the wind

Nothing about the Four Seasons surprised me, and I mean that as a compliment: we found exactly what we came for, and we didn't have to deal with anything. After Vahine, which is small with very few guests, arriving here is something else. It's a large resort, with lots of activities and lots of different places to be. I loved both, and they're not interchangeable, which I think is the thing to keep in mind when planning the trip.

The bungalow is huge, with beautiful views and a bed you sleep in like a princess. The terrace faces the mountain and has a little plunge pool that I ended up using every day.

We got three windy days. From the terrace you can step straight into the sea, but with the wind there was a lot of current, so I preferred to stay in the terrace pool, chatting, with that view in front of me. The wind doesn't stop you from getting into the hotel pool or going to the beach; the thing is, if you get cold easily, and we do, being wet in the wind makes you freezing. That's why we cancelled two tours, including the lagoon one.

And that's where we found the best part of the hotel. There are two inner lagoons where, for some reason, the wind is much weaker, and there's no current or waves. We spent almost all our time there. If you get wind, that's what saves the days.

Of the dinner restaurants, at Arii Moana I ordered a pluma ibérica that may be the best pork I've ever had; just a heads-up, it's meant for two and I didn't notice. And Vaimiti, the overwater sushi spot, which was the one everyone recommended when we arrived, delivered: everything incredibly fresh and delicious, a beautiful setting, excellent service, and we had a wonderful time. Breakfast, both buffet and à la carte, was very good, and the gym does the job perfectly.

The cancelled tours ended up being the best thing that happened to us. We truly rested and got to know the property slowly, instead of heading out every day. On the way back we had no days in Los Angeles —almost straight from one plane to the flight to New York— so arriving rested from Bora Bora wasn't a luxury, it was a necessity.

We set out looking for time with our daughters before they left, and in the end it was the wind that gave it to us. Three days with no itinerary, the four of us in the same lagoon, with nothing to do.

Our stays at Villa 'Oro Paraoa, Vahine Private Island and the Four Seasons Bora Bora were by invitation. Everything I share here is what we lived and what I would truly recommend.

— Corde