The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort

I had the best time celebrating my birthday with my sister for a week in Bora Bora. St Regis over exceeded my expectations, from the time we arrived and departed. Everyone was so friendly and helpful with always a smile on their faces. My Butler was so great she surprised me with a delicious chocolate cake in my over water villa for my birthday. It was the best chocolate cake ever. The food at St Regis was so good. Everything was a 10 out of 10. It was definitely worth the prices. I definitely recommend St Regis.

Bora Bora is fantastic! Definitely should be on your South Pacific list. The St. Regis property is magnificent. Not perfect, because this is an island in a remote place - but this absolutely deserves five stars for a fabulous destination. I plan to go back to the St. Regis Bora Bora vs. other options in the area like Four Seasons or Conrad. Would select it over FS overall and even though I think the location of the Conrad allows for interesting snorkel opportunities, I still prefer the St. Regis. Might have to be a cost based decision looking at the rates at the time, but if its close - pick the St. Regis. Also, pay the extra money and get a bungalow over the water. Really. You are going that far, so splurge if possible - it makes a significant difference to have a view of the mountain Otemanu and to be able to dive off of your deck into the aqua blue waters. Ask for a bungalow that is closer to the main lobby for convenience and because the water is friendlier there for swimming. Unless you want to be totally private - then of course, maybe request further out. They give you bikes to ride all around the island - one the best parts of the stay. Some are not the smoothest, switch for a good one! If you think of it - take a ribbon to tie on your bike, so when you get a good one - other people will leave it for you. There is a gorgeous lagoon on the property. Absolutely do not miss hanging out there with the colorful fish. Look for feeding times. Photo opps galore. You can get awesome pictures from the spa lawn by the lagoon - with the famous Bora Bora peak in the background. Exquisite at sunset! With that in mind, the spa is really exceptional and I almost missed it. Even if all you do is lounge in their chairs by the water on the lawn, it will add to your relaxation. There is a bike trail that takes you back to the spa and lagoon - jump off the main trail and check out the back bay and houses where locals live that work there - really pretty views. To manage expectations, I would say to consider everything is on island time - the food service is slow. The costs are very expensive, but the food was good. Take the breakfast included option. The bungalows are very nice, not perfect. This is a remote place. Amazing views. Overall the space looks fantastic. Bed is super comfortable, linens highest quality. Decor is still good, will need refreshing soon though. Bathrooms are large, but a little odd - not the most luxurious. Shower in the middle of the room, things need some updating. Nothing bothered us - we felt like it was heavenly. We loved every single moment of our stay. Make arrangement for a private half day or full day boat tour to snorkel. Super fun! St. Regis can have the orange boat pick you up right from their dock. You can see the flock of sting-rays, the sand bar, go shark swimming, snorkel on a great reef, make the most of your time. They also had a wonderful jet ski tour we enjoyed - take the tour and not the private. It will likely just be you and few others anyway. Private boat tour was the best, though. You might be able to arrange more economically before you go with main island operators. St. Regis offers a boat transfer to the main island town - a great excursion for a day trip or for dinner out. They can also arrange dinner at the other properties for you. The staff is exceptional (as in all St. Regis properties - if by chance you get a butler that is not your personal favorite, ask for another assignment) and we felt like they went out of their way to make our stay magical.

We spent a week at the magnificent St. Regis Bora Bora. The property was the most beautiful one at which we've ever stayed, and we travel quite a bit. It is ideally situated a short boat ride from the airport overlooking a calm turquoise lagoon on one side and striking Mount Otemanu on the other. The tropically landscaped grounds were perfectly manicured (bikes are available to get around the large property). The snorkeling lagoon was our favorite part of the property. It is a mini ecosystem full of mangroves and coral sheltering a wide variety of colorful fish. The restaurants are all great, and the breakfast buffet is amazing (make sure you have the pain perdu). The spa overlooking the snorkeling lagoon is also beautiful. There are two pools: the larger one near reception with a swim-up bar and the small, unique Oasis pool with private cabanas and plunge pools. The one bedroom overwater bungalows are the perfect size for a couple, with a large bedroom and living room opening onto a two-tier deck overlooking the azure water. You can dive or take a ladder into the water from the lower deck. The bathrooms are also large, with separate shower and bath next to a small walk-in closet/dressing room. The decor is South Pacific high-end casual chic. Oh, and I can't forget the in-floor viewing windows (large ones in living room and bathroom, smaller ones in a few other places). You can turn on the lights under the bungalow at night and watch the fish swim under you. The service was perfect, too. Everyone was so friendly. And the butler service was great: you basically have access to just about anything you could want by simply picking up the phone. Mauruuru to everyone at the St. Regis for a perfect stay.

Our first trip to Tahiti and frankly wondered why we waited so long to visit these beautiful islands and meet the incredible Tahitian people. The staff at the St. Regis went out of their way to make our anniversary truly exceptional. From the welcoming by our gracious butler Guileo at the dock through the thoughtful welcoming champagne in our room, everything was exceptional. It was the perfect end to our 10 day trip of exploring the islands of French Polynesia. Only downside was the evening flying termites we had in our room - management changed our room but still had the same issue - just a minor thing to deal with to be in paradise.

Our review is based on our previous experiences in other exotic/ocean resorts also v.s Conrad Bora Bora, which we stayed previous to this resort. Weather is horrible during our stay here, cyclone nearby and heavy heavy rain with really strong winds. Pro: Butler service! Novi and Po were amazing! They were knowledgeable, courteous, hard working, everything you want and need in a relaxing resort. They also have drink service in the morning that they deliver to the room for fresh Coffee, hot Chocolate etc etc and they are never late. Everyone other than butlers were also amazing, food delivery etc very kind and courteous. Food is way better here at St. Regis vs Conrad, no flies, no mosquitoes during breakfast/lunch/dinner ( see our Conrad review for details.. ). Just a note, breakfast tasted so much better if you go earlier in the morning, not later in the morning. View of the mountain from certain villa or main area if you like. Spa has amazing outdoor sitting area with great views of the mountain. Sharks at lagoon and lagoonarium is a fun activity during the good weather break in bad weather situation. Lagoonarium even though its man made and doesn’t really feel like ocean snorkeling, more like a fun pool with entertainment, still provided a good amount of value. Parents with kids probably enjoy this too since it’s not an ocean setting, safer snorkeling experience? Villa stood up well in a cyclone ish strong winds, we felt the whole villa shake through the night but very little damage outside, more on the inside later. Size of the villa vs Conrad definitely wins, if you like separate living area etc. Cons: Villa feels old and not updated, this is comparing to other older 5 stars Maldives resorts and Mooreas too. It doesn’t feel like a 5 stars resorts, you feel the age, scratches on floors, doors, outside you can see the age as well with some wood exterior missing from railings etc.. The bathroom ceilings you can see stains from rain leaks etc.. The property itself probably hasn’t been updated for a while, the main pool is filled with kids, floaties etc. Pool doesn't have a view or luxury feel to it. The view is so so if you are on the lower category villas, or island villas. During the storm, the ceiling leaked rain in above the bed. The bed has a canopy above it so we can see water marks getting bigger and bigger and starting to wet the bed. Called maintenance, someone came and said he’ll come back never did. It also leaked in the living room, sofa was damp. You can’t see pouring water but drops of water. To be fair, the wind was really strong as well as the rain, maybe he had worse cases and ours was just damp bed on one side and damp sofa so low priority on his list? Definitely not the kind of villa where you go down the steps and snorkel in the water. There’s pretty much no snorkeling anywhere else than the lagoonarium. There’s no sea life to view outside of your villa vs Conrad. Also kayaks and other water toys are confined to the area vs Conrad you can kayak anywhere and see ocean life right beneath your kayak.