Hotel Bora Bora is located on Bora Bora, a French Polynesian island about 260 kilometers northwest of Tahiti. The resort opened in 1961 with 18 thatched-roof huts on a peninsula uncommonly favored by nature. In the beginning, you floated in by seaplane. And when you splashed down on what more than a few writers -- James Michener included -- have called “the most beautiful lagoon in the world," a canoe was there to ferry you to the newly opened hotel. A few things have changed since then, including a recent refurbishment to the resort’s classic overwater accommodations. But Hotel Bora Bora, an Amanresort since 1989, remains the quintessential symbol of French Polynesia.

The region’s 115 islands and atolls are grouped among five archipelagoes: the Marquesas, the Tuamotu, the Gambier, the Tubuai and the Society Islands. The Society archipelago is further divided into the Windward Islands, dominated by Tahiti, and the Leeward group, with Bora Bora as the main island. Bora Bora is only 10 kilometers long and four kilometers wide. Thirty-two kilometers of road rim the island. The hotel is situated on Point Raititi. From this southern peninsula on the very edge of the island’s shimmering blue lagoon, the views run 270 degrees -- from the lagoon and the 40-kilometer barrier reef that rims it, to the green-wreathed volcanic peaks that lend drama to the island. Mount Otemanu (mountain of the bird), at 727 meters (2,385 feet), dominates Bora Bora.

Breakfast and dinner are served in the Matira Terrace Restaurant, which overlooks the lagoon. Lunch and refreshments can be taken at the Pofai Beach Bar . A light menu and tropical refreshments are available in the Matira Terrace Bar, with its open-air, sunset views of the lagoon.

The Matira Bar’s tables are built from monkey-pod trees felled during the occasional South Pacific storm; the roof is of pandanus thatching. Afternoon tea is available from Hotel Bora Bora’s Pofai Beach Bar. Local musicians entertain nightly in the Matira Terrace Bar. Polynesian cultural entertainment highlights Hotel Bora Bora’s weekly beach barbecue. Another weekly resort feature is traditional island singing and dancing, with sunset cocktails and canapés at the Pofai Beach Bar. Polynesian craft is also on show, with coconut fronds fashioned into baskets and other artifacts.

The Raititi Lounge is an activities center as well as a games room and book exchange. It includes a pool table, two card tables and a selection of games. Island and sea excursions can also be arranged at the Raititi Lounge. Hotel Bora Bora’s Boutique offers a selection of local art and craft. There’s also a range of books and island clothing, including hand-dyed Tahitian pareus. Two tennis courts, lit for night play, are located on the resort. Tennis rackets and balls are complimentary. Activities Facing three white-sand beaches , Hotel Bora Bora is made for sea-and-sun lovers. Indeed, the sun sets directly in front of the hotel, just off the main beach. Some of the island’s best snorkeling can be found just a few steps into the lagoon surrounding the resort.

Scuba diving, with full equipment and lessons, is available for both beginners and certified divers. A number of dive sites are easily accessible within the lagoon and beyond the barrier reef. Enjoy full-day or half-day sailing excursions to neighboring islands in the Leeward group aboard a 15-meter sportfishing catamaran. Sea-going charters of up to three days are available, as are nightly sunset cruises of the lagoon. Guests can also take a paddle canoe or outrigger sailing canoe into the lagoon, jet ski around the island or enjoy a combination beach picnic and cruise of the lagoon waters. Watching local experts feed the black-tipped lagoon sharks under water is an island highlight.

Fishing is big sport in the waters surrounding Bora Bora, with typical catches ranging from tuna and wahoo to marlin and mahimahi. In the lagoon itself, troll for the blue and silver trevally using light tackle or try your hand at saltwater fly fishing.

Sightseers will want to take Hotel Bora Bora’s four-wheel-drive safari into the island mountains. The expedition includes a visit to the cannons left behind after World War ll, as well as a ride through the valley to an ancestral plantation. Visitors can also see Bora Bora by helicopter, on bicycle or on horseback. Parasailing 300 meters above the blue lagoon provides yet another fresh island perspective.

For shoppers, Bora Bora boasts a variety of clothing and craft shops, and the black pearls of Polynesia are world famous. A number of painters, sculptors and photographers call Bora Bora home.

Deluxe bungalows are set on the beach, bedrooms facing the sea. With an elevated sundeck built on columns, and steps leading to the lagoon, they have the mood of an overwater accommodation. Deluxe bungalows also include a separate lounge overlooking the sundeck.

Superior bungalows are located on the palm-thick beachfront. Aside from a spacious bedroom and bathroom, they come with a sitting area that leads to a small patio facing the lagoon. The bungalows are set within tropical gardens, and are of the same design as superior bungalows.

Hotel Bora Bora’s 15 overwater bungalows are thatched-roof, tropical-island retreats set directly over the blue lagoon. While some are located in shallow water, the premium overwaters are further out, close by a coral reef flush with marine life. Each overwater bungalow features a large bedroom with a king-size, four-poster bed, a spacious bathroom and a two-tiered sundeck shaded by a roof of hand-tied pandanus. There’s also a shower at water level alongside steps leading to the lagoon.

The deeply thatched farés are set in white-beach sand or surrounded by tropical gardens. The resort’s eight pool farés , each enclosed by a lava-stone wall, come with a private swimming pool and an outdoor sun pavilion for two. Three farés feature a Jacuzzi set into a teak sundeck within a garden setting. Premium farés are located in prime beach areas. All come with a living room, a bedroom with a king-size, four-poster bed, an en suite sitting room, a bathroom and a large sundeck. Each faré embraces an area of 117m? (1,200 ft?), among the most spacious and private of accommodations on Bora Bora.

Climate

Time Difference
French Polynesia is 10 hours behind GMT, two hours behind U.S. Pacific Standard Time and 20 hours behind Australian Eastern Standard Time.

Language
French and Tahitian are the official languages. English is widely spoken.

Getting There
Major airlines service Papeete, Tahiti’s capital. From North America and Europe, fly via Los Angeles, less than eight hours from the Tahitian capital. From Auckland and Tokyo, there are direct flights to Papeete.
Flying time from Tahiti to Bora Bora is only 45 minutes. The airport is located on Motu Mute, an islet that extends to the coral reef in Bora Bora’s lagoon. It’s 20 minutes by private launch from the airport to Hotel Bora Bora. Transportation between the airport and the hotel is complimentary. VIP airport express service is available on request.
Visas are needed by visitors from most countries, except for those with valid passports from E.E.C. countries, the United States, Canada, Japan and Cook Islanders using New Zealand passports.