InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

We absolutely loved every minute our stay. Most people spend a few days at different islands but we chose to stay in one place. After three planes and a boat, we just wanted to get to our final destination. We took a boat ride to IC Moana before a 4x4 tour. Although beautiful, you can't compare it to IC Thalasso. We are so happy we got to spend all 10 days here! The service from the staff was amazing. Everywhere we went, we were greeted by our last name. Concierge was so accommodating and friendly. The men by the pool really engaged everyone for their daily demonstrations and then again for stingray feeding. That is how we met most of our new friends. We went to happy hour every day and loved the bartender, Simon. We drank a lot of different drinks. They were all perfection. Claude, who worked at the pool bar during our stay, was the nicest and attentive person ever. He was off one day and we truly missed him. I cheered when I saw him again the next day. Pineapple mojito by the pool is the way to go. The only issue I had with food might have been a misunderstanding. I didn't ask because it wasn't a big deal. You make reservations every night for dinner. I read in the hotel book that there was a buffet and a show on Monday and Friday. I made a reservation for Monday but the show didn't happen. I thought the price of the buffet was too much for the food we ate (around $110 American Dollars per person). If there was a show that night, then I can see them charging more for the dancers. I could live in the spa. Definitely book a massage. You have access to the spa grounds until 7pm on the day of your treatment. You'll never want to leave. In 10 days, we only went to the main island once. We just never wanted or needed to leave! I don't know when, but we will be back!

You may wonder why Paradise is only rated 4* and I will explain. Bora Bora is quite unique in that the airport is on an island and wherever you are staying you get there by boat which is a lovely way to arrive, we were greeted by someone in local costume blowing a conch shell. Before checking in we were taken a tour of the site in a buggy (do watch out for them, they do rather tend to whizz round the site.) We were then given a welcome drink and cold towel to freshen up before checking in. There is no doubt that the location is stunning and the over water bungalows huge - much bigger than we had expected, everyone with a fantastic view. So why only a 4* review- the food is only average, at breakfast there were often no plates and items ran out and were not topped up unless you asked. There seemed to be a general lack of effective organisation/supervision in the dining room. We ate twice in the main dining room (the reef) one meal was a buffet which also included local entertainment. We also ate at Sands - the food was ok but lacked something in seasoning, the thing we enjoyed most was the club sandwich as a lunch time snack. There is another specialty restaurant with very limited opening.Food and drink were expensive (as seems to be the norm in these islands.). The boat shuttle over to the Intercontinental Moana is a good service, it's free most of the time but you do incur a charge and have to book it at certain times of the day. We were given a day room for a limited time on our day of departure which was very welcome so that we could freshen up before our late night flight. A thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing experience which could be improved if it was a little less expensive and there was some better organisation in the dining room.

We stayed in a Diamond overwater bungalow that faced Mt Otemanu. It was worth it to wake up every morning and see the mountain from our bed. While we were there (5 nights), we had fantastic service everywhere we went at the resort. Two people in particular made our experience even better - Vai at the pool and ice cream shop because she found us each day and took care of our needs through the day; and Simon at the bar and restaurant for engaging with us in conversation and stories and for making great drinks. Everyone else were always smiling and making us feel welcome. We will be back. Mauru uru.

We loved the location of the hotel, right in front on the Mont Otemanu plus it has a section with pilotis facing the breathtaking lagoon without any view on other hotels (not like some of the other 5 stars hotels close by). Due to some construction of pools on certain villas, we got un upgrade of our room to Diamond and got a nice view on part of the Lagoon. Additionally, the hotel offered a certain amount of money credit everyday on food and beverage. That was greatly appreciated, thanks again! Despite that there are quite a lot of international employees, we really liked the contact with the Polynesian pool boys who very friendly and talk about nice stuff about Polynesia. You feel a bit more connected. We had a gastronomic-romantic dinner on the beach but we did not really get what it was aimed for. First, we were not really offered with any food/menu choice. Food was very heavy where we had almost no vegetable and no fish in our plates. One dish was seriously lacking cooking (gratin dauphinois). All of this with a very basic food presentation (like cantine except for the first starter and dessert) nothing really gastronomic and romantic, apart from the view. After complaining, managers took very seriously our disappointment and did everything they could do to correct the situation. Finally, we got invited (as compensation) to the gastro restaurant Le Coral, where we had there a fantastic dinner. This is another world there, great atmosphere, excellent service, impressive food and presentation. We finally got the gastronomic dinner we were looking for! Thanks again to the restaurant and hotel management Team.

Our family of 4 was lucky enough to enjoy 6 nights at this outstanding resort. Everything from our collection at Bora Bora Airport, resort tour on arrival, all our dining experiences and our day to day activities during our stay were faultless. The team at the resort all obviously enjoy what they do and it shows. Our children were treated as special guests but we also made sure they did not impinge on the majority of guests who were couples celebrating honeymoons, anniversaries and those married during our stay. The layout of the resort is excellent which lends a sense of privacy and spaciousness.The three restaurants and two bars all serve a variety of thoughtful, well-prepared food and, although we were there for 6 nights, every meal was unique. Between myself and my son we have multiple food allergies and this was not a problem, both of us ordering easily from the menus on offer. Special mention to some who made our stay extra special -Stéphane (General Manager), who made our last day in particular extra fun. Antoine, for making my husbands day and sharing his passion for wine. Lucie for her warm welcome and professionalism. Plus everyone else who greeted us with a warm Ia Ora Na wherever we went. I could continue but will end with we will be back.