InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

Outstanding service, outstanding food, outstanding location. The upcoming June 2026 shutdown for 1 1.5 year renovation will be a challenge to all employees but I am confident the resort will be better then ever. This was a dream come true of a vacation .

Incredible scenery and beautiful villas, but disappointing food, very expensive drinks, and no special touches for our honeymoon. My partner and I stayed at the InterContinental Bora Bora Thalasso for 5 nights on our honeymoon and I have very mixed feelings about the experience. First of all, the location and scenery are absolutely breathtaking. It genuinely looks like a postcard in every direction. The lagoon, the mountain views and the colours of the water are something I will honestly never get over. It is simply stunning...easily 100/10 for scenery. It’s hard to believe a place can look that beautiful in real life. Our overwater villa was also fantastic. It was very spacious, beautifully decorated and had the most incredible view out toward the island and mountain. Waking up to that view every morning was unforgettable. The villa had a lovely living area and a great deck with sunbeds and a dock which we used a lot. A really nice touch was that the mini bar was refilled daily and included in the cost, which we appreciated. No fish food though, they don't that anymore, you have to buy it now! The main pool area was also very nice. It had a relaxed, peaceful atmosphere and never felt crowded. The design of the pool area is lovely and fits perfectly with the surroundings. There were always fresh towels and water available and sometimes a staff member would play the ukulele which created a really special vibe. However, there were a few things that really left a bad taste in our mouths, especially considering this was our honeymoon and we were paying around $2,000 per night. When we booked the stay we told the hotel it was our honeymoon and we mentioned it again when we arrived at reception. Yet there was nothing in the room to acknowledge it....not even a flower, a small note, or a glass of champagne. I know this might sound like a small thing, but when it’s your honeymoon, those little gestures matter. You only get one honeymoon and after spending so much money it felt disappointing that nothing at all was done to acknowledge it. It honestly made me quite sad. They even have a “love garden” where couples place padlocks with their initials and honestly it would cost the hotel almost nothing to give honeymooners a small padlock as a gesture to put in the garden. Instead, of course, you had to pay extra for the lock. It’s small details like this that can completely change how guests feel about their stay. The food was unfortunately very disappointing and was probably the biggest let-down of the trip. It is extremely expensive and, in our opinion, very basic and not particularly good. Almost every guest we spoke to (many from the US and Europe) mentioned that the food was the only disappointment of the hotel. Breakfast was actually quite nice. When we stayed there wasn’t a buffet (possibly because it was out of season), so it was à la carte. Once we figured out what to order we enjoyed it more each day. A quick tip: the “roasted potatoes” are essentially hash browns. Lunch and dinner, however, were very underwhelming. For example, a tiny Caesar salad was around £40. Portions were small and the quality didn’t justify the price. On top of that, they charge around £15 just to bring room service to your villa, which felt excessive considering the room rates and then they still expect a tip!! You’ve just got to laugh. The drinks are also extremely expensive. Happy hour runs from 5–6pm, where cocktails drop to about £14 each, which is still very expensive for a “happy hour”. Because of this we noticed that very few people were actually drinking or ordering much lunch at all. Honestly, if drinks were even around £10 during happy hour, people would probably order far more and the hotel would likely make much more overall. Another surprising cost is the boat transfer from the airport, which you have to pay for separately. At these room prices it would feel much better if this was simply included in the stay rather than added on. Another thing we noticed, which I assume may have been because it was out of season, was that there was very little evening entertainment. During our 5-night stay we only saw one night of Polynesian dancing, which was great, but we expected there to be more happening in the evenings. In a destination like this, especially at a resort of this level, you would think there would be some form of entertainment most nights for guests to enjoy. Another slightly frustrating thing was that the staff removed all of the cushions from the sunbeds around 3pm each day. This meant that if you went down to the pool area later in the afternoon or for happy hour, you were left sitting on the bare wooden sunbeds, which wasn’t very comfortable. It felt like a small thing that could easily be improved even collecting the cushions closer to 6pm would make a big difference for guests still using the area. I do want to say that the staff are wonderful and the setting is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The villas and scenery are unforgettable. But unfortunately, the food, drink pricing and lack of any acknowledgement for our honeymoon left us feeling disappointed by the end of the trip. Because of that, while the location is undeniably beautiful, the overall experience didn’t justify the price and I personally wouldn’t return to this hotel, and I probably wouldn’t recommend it specifically for honeymooners expecting those special touches.

I should have written this review much sooner. This was most likely the most beautiful and relaxing place I have ever stayed. It was only 1 night as we were in the midst of a cruise, but I cannot wait to figure out a time to go back for several days. Yes, as you can imagine, the resort and the views were spectacular. However, this did not even come close to how wonderful the staff was and the level of peace I felt in the bungalow. The room was almost as beautiful as the scenery from the massive windows. The changing light of the day heading into night made this view even more engulfing. And again, the staff made this stay even better. I slipped and fell very hard on some stairs (completely my fault). The staff could not have been more caring, helpful or comforting. I cannot wait to return to this very special spot in a very special region. I honestly can't overly stress how good the stay was for my soul.

My husband and I just returned from staying 3 nights at the Intercontinental Thalasso, 5 at the St. Regis, and 1 at the Four Seasons. All were great. Here are some things that stood out at the Intercontinental. 1. We loved floating off our deck. We’d read a tip to bring inflatables (we took floatsilla 2-pack water hammock, packs small and you can use to float on your back or front - Amazon, plus 100’ of parachord which we cut in 1/2). We were in room 123 and the water was a perfect depth for doing this. Could touch the bottom and the water was clear. We did not see a lot of fish here, but we did see some fish and a ray at night through our floor when we turned the lights on. Compared to other places we stayed (which may have also been a reflection of our room location) we enjoyed floating here the best because the water was clear and shallow and calm. 2. We booked a couples massage at the Ocean Spa. They promote big spa packages but you can get just the 50 min massage and what is cool about that is there is a glass floor under the table and you can watch fish as you get your massage 3. The pool is small but nice and we used it as we waited for our room. Kudos to the pool shack guys who played the ukulele even when it rained. 4. For breakfast, be sure to try the raw fish in coconut on the Buffett. And the woman who makes the scrambled eggs and omelets is so nice. Big smile and she always asked me if I wanted my scrambled egg whites. 5. I read another tip to pay for Ambassador status with IHG ($250) and I did. I feel like it was worth it as the manager gave us free breakfast on our arrival day, we got drink coupons, and we got a late 4 p.m. Checkout. Note that only 1/2 the rooms were open as the others are being remodeled and the whole place will close June 2026 as they are renovating and re-opening as a Regent (IHG) property.

We and our guests were treated so well. The staff is amazing. The USB port wasnt working, an electrician was at our villa at 8pm to work on it. Unexpected guests arrived and Steve, asst mgr, immediately offered to pick them up, drive them around to show them the property then bring them to our room. And I am sure thst is way out of his normal duties. The Sands restaurant has the best wait staff. One of our friends is gluten free and the waitress brought her out warmed GF bread along with Balsamic vinegar and olive oil. She felt so special and cared for! This is truly a Christmas gift that will never be forgotten!