The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort

I am sure that there are places in French Polynesia equally as beautiful as St. Regis. The food is very good and our beach side villa with pool is large and comfortable. I expected all that from other reviews. However I did not expect the level of service that our butler Lydia has provided. Thank you Lydia and your team.

We returned home from our vacation to Bora Bora last week and wanted to share the incredible experience we had at the St. Regis. We had spent the first 7 days of our trip at the Conrad (see separate review) and I had gotten incredibly sick while at the Conrad. I ended up having to go into the medical center in Vaitape and was diagnosed with cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation). I needed medications and medic assistance at the hotel to recover and essentially did not leave the room for over 72 hours as I could barely get out of bed. Despite being SO sick, no one at the Conrad really seemed to care. I had emailed the St Regis to inquire about the cancellation policy as I had thought there was a very high possibility we weren't making it to the second half of our trip. Luckily for me, the meds kicked in and I started to get better so we decided to keep our trip to the St Regis. What impressed me the most, was that the GM was aware of my medical situation based on the email and personally greeted myself and my husband when we arrived from the Conrad along with the assistant GM. They immediately inquired on how I was feeling and when I noted that I had run out of one of the medications that had helped me so much, immediately sprang into action to go get me a refill , at NO charge. This personalized service, while maybe small, was really emblematic of our entire stay at the St .Regis. Of course it's beautiful. Of course our over water bungalow was incredible, but the SERVICE from all of the employees really stood out. Beyond the GM & assistant GM, we had great service at all of the restaurants and with house keeping. The food at all of the restaurants was better than we could have expected - we had great meals at all of the restaurants and appreciated the variety offered. The over water bungalow was beautiful and well equipped with hair products and shower necessities. Turndown service was fantastic. We were in Bora Bora for our 10 year wedding anniversary and where-as the Conrad didn't even recognize it, we got several different recognitions throughout our 5 night stay at the St Regis. In summary, we had an INCREDIBLE stay at the St Regis and wouldn't hesitate to come back.

We loved our 4-night stay at the The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort. Our Overwater Bungalow with island views was absolutely amazing, and the resort amenities exceeded our expectations. From the beautiful Lagoonarium to the spectacular gym, as well as the outstanding beach and pool experience, everything was first class. The resort enjoys a perfect location with breathtaking views of Mount Otemanu. The atmosphere was incredibly peaceful and relaxing, making it the ideal place to unwind. The attention to detail, thoughtful touches, and special gifts throughout our stay were truly appreciated. We booked our trip through Pacific For Less, and together with the exceptional St. Regis team, they ensured we had the best experience possible from start to finish. Thank you to everyone who made our stay so memorable. We would happily return and highly recommend this resort to anyone visiting Bora Bora.

We chose the St. Regis Bora Bora for our honeymoon, and it turned out to be the most relaxing and peaceful vacation we have ever experienced. From the moment we arrived, everything felt serene, almost dreamlike. One of the main reasons we selected the St.Regis over The Four Seasons was its reputation for exceptional service, and it exceeded every expectation. Every member of the staff was warm, professional and attentive, and genuinely caring. We felt welcomed and valued throughout our stay, and the level of hospitality was unlike anything we have ever experienced before. The team made us feel like family, and by the end of our trip, we did not want to leave. A special thank you to our butler Mila, who went above and beyond to make our stay unforgettable. Her kindness, attentiveness, and thoughtfulness made a wonderful trip even more special. Thank you again, Mila! We would also like to thank Claudia and her team at Pacific for Less for helping make this trip so seamless and memorable. From the initial planning stages through our return home, Claudia's expertise, responsiveness, and attention to detail gave us complete confidence that ever aspect of our honeymoon was perfectly arranged. Thank you Claudia for all your advice and suggestions, they truly made this trip over the top and we look forward to working with you again. While the resort's beach is beautiful, some of our favorite moments were spent relaxing on the crystal-clear lagoon outside our overwater bungalow. Floating at the end of our pontoon with a breathtaking view of Mt Otemanu was pure paradise and a memory we will cherish forever. The trip has been on my bucket list for many years, and it somehow managed to exceed all of my expectations. Even weeks later, I still find myself thinking of Bora Bora and the the time spent at the St. Regis. It certainly won't be our last visit and I am already planning our return!

Our second visit to Bora Bora, we chose St. Regis due to past experience at a St. Regis Maldives and some measure of Bonvoy “brand loyalty”. Thanks to well-designed facilities, talented staff, and of course breathtaking backdrop, it did not disappoint! Booking/Coordination. Booking though the Bonvoy site we found the best rate for our needs and at a total lower cost than other sites/options. Pre-arrival coordination was conducted through e-mail with the St. Regis Liaison. Transportation, experiences, and dinner reservations were all quickly and accurately coordinated with expert advice. Check-in. Coordinated the boat transfer with Liaison from the airport, we checked-in with the greeters and they give us tags for our bags and after grabbing them we returned to the kiosk and they took us and the bags to the boat. We didn’t have to wait for the 15-minute ride over to the resort. They use different boats, some branded, some not. Pleasant and comfortable enough. Our assigned butler was present on our arrival. St Regis Bora Bora does not make a “production” of arrival and departure short the butlers welcoming and bidding farewell. Pleasant and simple. Check-in is where we spent the most time with our assigned butler, unlike St. Regis Maldives. A nice personalized tour of the grounds, a short visit to reception for an efficient and friendly check-in, then we grabbed a light lunch awaiting our villa becoming available. They provide an option of course for bags and a place to change but we were fortunate that our room was ready early and before finishing lunch Emma was there to take us to our room and give us the rundown. Our bags were already in the villa. Overall one of the smoothest resort check-ins we have had. Room. We booked the Overwater Superior. For overwater, the category of room is really based on view and whether or not you have a deck hot-tub. The layout is the same. Our third time staying in an overwater bungalow we have learned that view is not always “better” on the upgraded rooms and this visit proved our point. With that, looking out from your room at Mount Otemanu is inspiring but for us not worth the extra dollars. Same for the deck hot-tub. Looks nice though. Of the three bungalows we have enjoyed, this was our favorite layout and although some say the interior “antiquated” we quite liked it. Only real comment is the closet space is rather small but adequate. It was immaculately maintained and we really enjoyed the porch and gazebo, the depth of water perfect for easy entry and floating in the lagoon. Most of the time sea state and wind were idyllic to that end. Facilities. The undeniably inspiring grounds are expansive but walkable and with provided bikes easy to get around. When fancy shoes demanded, they had plenty of golf carts available for a ride. The longest wait was 20-minutes. The main swimming pool and beach areas are fantastic with pretty views of the lagoon and island however not of Mt. Otemanu due to the geography. They have an “adults only” oasis which looks terrific but service was limited to “room service” and likely due to the delays and additional charges that implies it was virtually empty. The Lagoonarium was a very nice bonus and although certainly not complex snorkeling, rather wonderful. We did not take advantage of any of the spa services but of course was full of tempting options. We enjoyed much of our time at the resort pool-side and chairs were always available both at he pool and the beach not requiring any kind of annoying morning “chair grab”. Dining. Breakfast is served at Te Pahu, a beachfront open air dining area offering a nice buffet and a la carte options. Highlight was Eggs Benedict. We generally had lunch poolside with a limited but nice menu. Highlight was the pizza. Dinner is our favorite meal, and to us a critical to our overall resort experience. Although they offer four named restaurants for dinner, only Lagoon can be considered a distinct restaurant with front and back-end staff that could stand-alone outside the resort. The other three are more like different places to sit to eat themed cuisine. Like many resorts, using common serving and kitchen staff, and even moving the location of the “restaurant" based on demand, the only distinct part about it is the menu and your place setting. That said, with the exception of one of the evenings, we enjoyed the quality of food and friendliness of the staff when eating at them. - Lagoon. With truly talented front of house, kitchen, and engaged chef, St Regis has a terrific restaurant in Lagoon. Fine dining with a price-tag to match we enjoyed it three times and would have not gone wrong if we ate every meal there. Offering Polynesian inspired modernist cuisine tasking menus, expansive wine-list, and superb front of house staff to bring it all to life in their intimate overwater dining room with stunning views of Tuuraapuo Bay. From our first to third we had a unique and wonderful dining experience. St. Regis Bora Bora provided plenty of reasons for us to return, but we will come back for Lagoon alone. - Aparima Grill Night. Aparima is the pool restaurant with open air dining room beachside (next to and connected to Te Pahu, the breakfast spot). A few evenings a week they feature a “grill night”. Top quality meat and fish with excellent preparation. Highlight was the tenderloin. - Polynesian Night Buffett. Taking place in the Te Pahu dining room, it features a nice quality buffet and fun cultural performance. For us it was much more about the show than the food. I am never a fan of buffet and this didn’t change my mind but again….nice. - Farniente. Italian cuisine, the dining room is located set back behind the pool next to Bamboo. They have an open air and indoor dining room option but to us, no clear idea where Farniente ends and Bamboo begins in the open air area. They had a nice Italian menu with solid preparation and friendly service. Highlight was the Tiramisu. - Bamboo. Perhaps circumstantial but this dining experience was a complete failure. Bamboo and Fariente share a building, open air dining area, serving staff, and I would assume kitchen. On the night of our reservation it seems demand had them expand Fariente into the entire seating area and move “Bamboo” into Te Pahu (the breakfast area). A shortage of staff was readily apparent with 45 minutes from seating to appetizer, us only seeing our server once when we ordered, us running out of drink, and finally after waiting at a table with empty plates for way too long, got up to find someone to get us a check. Worst part was the sushi quality (rice particularly) was on-par with cheap grocery store sushi. Extremely disappointing seeing management choose quantity over quality but thankfully a departure from the other six meals on property. Staff. St. Regis Bora Bora has attracted some of the brightest and enthusiastic staff, ensuring they provide an industry leading experience. Certainly the life-blood of the resort they make the experience and gifted us with may lasting memories. St. Regis is known for their signature butler service, toted as anticipatory and personalized. We experienced this in the St. Regis Maldives and it is truly remarkable with the butler knowing what we wanted before we knew it, and just “showing up” with what we needed; orchestrating our stay based on their requested and gleaned knowledge of our preferences and desires. Our experience in Bora Bora was much more typical of a high-end resort, with services/assistance provided "on request" via a phone call (unfortunately no WhatsApp and Bonvoy App Messenger not dependable). The St. Regis Bora Bora butlers were much more reactionary and impersonal (some folks may prefer that). To be clear the individual Butlers were experts and very sweet but short of a nice greeting and tour, daily “check-in”, and being present at the departure, service was provided by whomever answered the phone and cannot be considered “anticipatory”. I believe this is an organization choice, not a reflection nor indictment on the individual butlers skills. That said, staff around the pool and restaurants really did attempt to make a connection, remembering names and preferences, and making us feel special. These kinds of interactions really “make the experience” for us. Although our list is long we want to say a personal "thank you" to a few of our standouts. “Tim” at the pool, his enthusiasm infectious. Roxanne, the “boss” at Lagoon, she runs a tight ship and knows how to make every guest feel the most important. Numa, two-times our server at Lagoon, orchestrated our culinary experience with friendly and personalized attention to detail. Finally Pierre, the sommelier that is much more than just a qualified expert but exudes a personal connection to the wines he recommends and serves. Nice job St. Regis Bora Bora, you have an amazing staff - take care of them! Tips. Intensely contested and personal decision. Facts - 5% service charge and a tip line on each check. The additional tip is divided among the staff (no specifics provided on who is qualified for the distribution). There is no taboo or cultural offenses with tipping but not expected nor compulsory as it is in the states. That said, for us, being at a US owned resort, ourselves clearly being from the US, we tip. We tipped via the “tip line” and had cash for transactional moments (rides, cleaning, etc.) and individualized for some servers. If you want your server to have the cash, hand it to them directly. If left in bill folder, will be divided. We gave a “lump-sum” to our butler at the end of our visit based on number of days we stayed. Generally not a fan of the custom but I believe to refrain is to punish the wrong people. At St. Regis Bora Bora is was always graciously received and never expected. Membership/Loyalty Program. A Bonvoy property, they honored all published program benefits in keeping with St. Regis brand. As a Platinum Member we enjoyed the complimentary Buffett breakfast, points multiplier, and late checkout. No upgrade however St. Regis Bora Bora has very few room classes to upgrade into. Although late check-out was quoted as being due to our status, I believe if they can provide it, they will provided it regardless of status. There is no such thing as a perfect property but St. Regis Bora Bora strives for it thanks to the staff it attracts and fosters. Although it would have been nice to have more anticipatory butler service and zero flaws in their restaurant management, we had a wonderful time, and when returning to Bora Bora it will be the top of our list. Thank you to the men and woman of St Regis Bora Bora, you gave us a memorable holiday!