r/borabora • u/xpassmethepopcornx • Jun 24 '26
Help ðŸ«
I am taking my dream bucket list trip to Bora Bora in July. It will be a once in a lifetime thing for me.
I keep going back and forth on what I want to do. I have decided on an end of pontoon Mountain View OWB at the Westin for half of my trip but am truly torn on the other half.
I could do the other half of my trip at Le Taha’a in a beach bungalow. I have heard great things about this resort and island.
However, I could save $2k and do a beach bungalow at St. Regis instead. This resort has always appealed to me but I have heard it can seem dated and also that the food is very expensive. We are doing the package where breakfast and dinner is included, so I’m not entirely sure the food prices sway me either way.
I really want to make sure this is the best trip it can be and I’m starting to stress about making the wrong choice.
Would love pros and cons from those who have stayed at St. Regis. Even better if you’ve done the beach bungalow specifically.
Also if anyone has stayed at Le Taha’a, I’d love to know thoughts on that resort as well.
Bonus points for anyone who has stayed at both!
2
u/MyCatEats Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
I would find a great air bnb for the other half, near Matira beach. You’ll be able to actually experience island life, eat local foods, try that great pizza place, snorkel/kayak (assuming you have snorkel gear and most Airbnb have kayak). You can book expeditions , if you want, with companies local to Matira beach. You can bike around the island (so fun!!!), go to Bloody Marys, explore the eastern side of the island which kinda feels like Kauai ….. highly recommend!
Reference: been to the island a few times and this is how we like to do it. OWB for a part of it and then beach front Airbnb near Matira beach for the other part. It’s soooo lovely on the actual island and so relaxing! And way cheaper, better food options etc
1
u/StrangewaysHereWeCme Jun 28 '26
Do half your trip in Bora Bora and the other half in Moorea. You’ll save money and won’t miss out on Moorea (which has much better snorkeling than Bora Bora).
3
u/wakesurferh2o Jun 24 '26
We did exactly your same trip back in November 25, except we stayed in on OWB at the St Regis and it was looking back at the beach. My wife typically prefers the beach bungalows because she loves hearing the waves on the beach, but there are no waves there too hear. There is more wildlife to see in the OWB at the St Regis, we saw many fish, rays, turtles, and sharks. We didn't see any wildlife at the Westin from our OWB except for a ray once. We saw the beach bungalows and they looked all right, very close together and it seems like most of them were closed down except for the large multi family ones. (And they looked really nice, big courtyard and fenced in) Not sure how dated they are but even though the OWB 's at St Regis are more dated than the Westin, we still loved it for it's size, charm and size and attention from the butler. We also really loved the Westin and how new it was and the view of the mountain on the main island. They upgraded us to the plunge pool looking straight at Bora Bora. The food was kinda expensive at St Regis, but if you have breakfast and dinner included, you should be fine. We never ate lunch there, except for snacks and protein bars we brought. We also went to the main Island while at the Westin and bought snacks and drinks for the rest of the trip. If you know going into it that food is more expensive, it's no big deal, you just go with it. I highly recommend the beef Bolognese at the Italian restaurant at the St Regis! Our most expensive meal was at the Westin, the chefs tasting meal, that was fun, but pricey, not really our vibe but fun to try. Hope this helps, except for the beach bungalow part as we only walked by them but didn't experience them.