Travel
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Travel to Bora Bora!
Hello! My husband and I are planning a delayed honeymoon/1st anniversary/2nd anniversary trip to Bora Bora for May 2013. Since we will be coming off of 2 full years of separate deployments, we are planning to go all out and have saved $5000 for this trip - and another year to save more. Has anyone been to Bora Bora or can give me some general advice for planning, packing, etc. for a wonderful vacation? We are both over 21 and ready to have some fun! Any suggestions or advice is appreciated! Thanks in advance!
"What would you do today if you knew you could not fail? Go out and do it."
Re: Travel to Bora Bora!
I have been a few times. I definitely recommend saving more- a typical week there, depending on where you stay and in what room category, will easily run you $8K-$10K. Pricing may even be more depending on when you travel. I highly recommend contacting a travel agent to book this for you. There are some great ways to save money there, including staying at a place like Le MaiTai, which offers a limited all inclusive, or choosing to stay in a garden or beach bungalow. Also, to save money on food while there (it will run you around $200/day easily), bring some snacks, like granola bars, and head to the market in Vaitape and pick up some juice and baguettes, as well as other snacks. Buy liquor at duty free at LAX as well. Drinks are expensive too!
As for packing, I'm assuming you have quite a ways to go, but just google "French Polynesia Packing List" or "Tahiti Packing List". quite a few options show up!
To find a travel agent, especially one that specializes in Tahiti, go to tahiti-tourisme.com and enter in your zip code. Certified agents will pop up!
No matter where you stay- each resort is unique, as is each island!- you will have a fantastic time. I have seen so many brides on The Knot demand to have the best overwater bungalow and when they realize it's twice their budget, they get upset and don't go. It's worth the trip no matter what type of room you are in. Just a side not as well- ALL of the islands are fantastic, so you may want to look into those as well depending on what type of vacation you want. You could end up having a similar experience at a lower cost.
Our wedding on Wilson Island!
Ditto this and pretty much all of Jells advice above. We got back from Moorea and Bora Bora last week. We loved it. But it is quite pricy compared to our Caribbean and Hawaii vacations. We were prepared for this in advance and therefore didn't have to worry about prices, which I think is important. You don't want to travel all that way and have fabulous opportunities and experiences around you, but be worried about how much the activities and meals will cost. Research the hotels/activites/restaurants that work well for your budget (with the help of a travel agent if you like), then just relax and enjoy the experience when you get there.
Yay!! We went to Bora Bora and Moorea this past March - last night I started to put together our photo album and...sigh!
It was a fantastic trip, definitely worth the long flight and the cost. However....I don't think $5,000 is going to cut it even if you just plan to go to BB. All in, we spent around $10k for our trip. The food is very, very expense (but well worth it - oh my!) not to mention the flights have gotten more expensive due to rising gas prices. Also, based on your post, it appears you may want some nightlife and BB doesn't have that either - the place shuts down at 9pm.
Restaurant recommendations:
*Absolutely book a reservation for La Villa Mahana. It only seats 7 tables and they fill up quickly - we booked our reservation several months in advance. They will pick you up at your hotel.
*Kaina Hut is also pretty freaking fantastic - you will also need to book a reservation in advance.
Excursions:
*Bora Bora Photo Lagoon - a man and his wife picked us up in his boat and took us around the exterior of the island and told us all about the history. He also took pictures of us during the sunset - the pictures were fantastic. One of my favorite excursions.
*We did a snorkeling excursion but sadly, I received a message on TA that a woman who did the excursion several days after we did was sexually assualted by the owner. Yes, makes me sick. With that being said, I have heard great things about Patrick's excursions, so I would go with him. Spend more time doing water excursions as the interior is nice but nothing compared to the water.
*You can also take a ferry to the other islands near there but it usually takes a good 12 hours - the ferries leave at night so you would sleep on the ferry.
Pleasant Holidays and Costco appear to have some pretty good deals right now. It is such a fabulous island....sigh.....
Thanks everyone for the great advice - I will definitely start saving more! Luckily I have a little under 12 months to plan and save - I am looking into the travel agent as soon as I am stateside again. Luckily my DH is on board with stopping at the grocery store and eating simple lunches. Is it worth the splurge to get the cottage over the water or would it be better to just save my money? Honestly it looks so beautiful I doubt it is gonna matter that much to us - we are going to reconnect with each other and be newlyweds :-)
Anything that made your trips truly stand out to you? We are both avid travellers but have only really been inside the US and our respective deployed countries. Should I bring traveller's checks and my debit card or transfer money to the local currency in the US and bring it with us?
We stayed at the Sofitel Private Island (the motu) and of the hotels on the island, it was definitely one of the least expensive. There is a Sofitel actually on the island of BB and it seemed nice but the private island was definitely more...well, more for um, reconnecting with your hubby. It only has 30 bungalows (most of which are over water), so it is a very small property and the bungalows are spaced far apart. We stayed in an OWB that had this perfect, unobstructed view of Mt Otemanu...sigh. In Moorea, we had a lagoon bungalow and an OWB and to be honest, I wouldn't have paid for the OWB in Moorea (we got a free upgrade), we really liked our lagoon bungalow. But in BB, I would say that an OWB is a must have.
There is also a grocery store within walking distance of the Sofitel that is, as you put it, perfect for small lunches. Just keep in mind - EVERYTHING there is super expensive - a six pack of beer was more than $20.
As far as money, use your cc or debit card. We brought some cash with us to pay for our excursions, but we charged everything else.
As a side note, if you book a hotel that is NOT on the main island of BB, check the cost of boat transfers. For instance, we had to take a boat to and from the main island everytime we wanted to go to the grocery store or eat dinner since that stuff is on the main island. Quite a few of the hotels charge a very expensive fee for this transfer, especially at night. The sofitel had free transfers and that was one of the reasons we chose that particular hotel.
Le MaiTai Polynesia has overwater bungalows and is a smaller reort with a limited all inclusive package. It's around 4 stars, though. Also check out the standard overwater category at places like the Bora Bora Pearl or the Hilton Nui. You still get to stay in an overwater bungalow, but at a reduced cost. Mostly the difference between the premium category is the view (standard will most likely have a semi-obstructed view). The resort where Puppy stayed is gorgeous! If you stay on the main island side, you have a pool and good access to the main island. You can take a shuttle to the private island, but there isn't much to do there unless you are staying on that side. It does have some of the best snorkeling on the island, though! On the private island side, if you want to save some money, they do have rooms called "island luxury lagoon bungalows". They are perched up along the mountain and have awesome views, but they are not overwater. the private island also has a fantastic look out point where you can just go and look out over the gorgeous lagoons. Honestly, the best part of my trips has always been just sitting on my deck or on a raft and enjoying the lagoon!
Our wedding on Wilson Island!
Le MaiTai Polynesia has overwater bungalows and is a smaller reort with a limited all inclusive package. It's around 4 stars, though. Also check out the standard overwater category at places like the Bora Bora Pearl or the Hilton Nui. You still get to stay in an overwater bungalow, but at a reduced cost. Mostly the difference between the premium category is the view (standard will most likely have a semi-obstructed view). The resort where Puppy stayed is gorgeous! If you stay on the main island side, you have a pool and good access to the main island. You can take a shuttle to the private island, but there isn't much to do there unless you are staying on that side. It does have some of the best snorkeling on the island, though! On the private island side, if you want to save some money, they do have rooms called "island luxury lagoon bungalows". They are perched up along the mountain and have awesome views, but they are not overwater. the private island also has a fantastic look out point where you can just go and look out over the gorgeous lagoons. Honestly, the best part of my trips has always been just sitting on my deck or on a raft and enjoying the lagoon!
Our wedding on Wilson Island!