Conrad Bora Bora Nui

We just returned from our trip to the Conrad Bora Bora and overall had a quite disappointing stay. Our disappointment started even prior to arrival. Where-as the St Regis proactively reached out ahead of time to set up dinner reservations, I had to reach out to the Conrad concierge to get menu's and opening dates. I promptly replied back with what days we'd like reservations at each restaurants and then never received a response back despite follow up emails. This lack of communication prior to arrival was frustrating. I had also shared with both the concierge and GM we were traveling for our 10 year wedding anniversary and upon arrival to the Conrad, this wasn't acknowledged at all. We didn't get a note in the room acknowledging it, and only got a "complimentary" bottle of water and juice but again no recognition of why we're traveling. What maybe disappointed me the most was the overall upkeep of the Conrad. I understand they're still going through construction but we were put in a room at the far end of the resort where there was constantly a standing pond of water that smelled like sewage. We couldn't even sit out on our patio because it smelt so bad yet nothing was done about it. On the various walkways to the main part of the resort were damaged and cracked tiles and walkways that were literally falling apart. The views from the beach were disappointing as the ocean view is primarily blocked by bungalows. I was disappointed by the lack of beach service - I think only 1 time in our entire time did someone come up and ask if we wanted anything to drink. Only 1 day was food served on the beach (odd?). While there during our 7 night stay, I got incredibly sick. So sick that a medic had to be called and I had to be transported to Vaitape to the ER and was ultimately diagnosed with cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation) requiring fluids and prescription medication. To the Conrad's credit, they navigated this system incredibly to facilitate transportation via boat and then via taxi once we arrived in Vaitape. However, I was disappointed that after we returned no one from management reached out to inquire how I was doing or to see if I needed anything. (Essentially management felt entirely absent and that they didn't care). Last disappointed was the so called "Coffee House". We went for coffee one morning and ordered an iced latte. The person working had no idea what we were asking. Initially said they couldn't do iced (despite it being listed on the menu). Then said they couldn't do any flavorings (again despite it being listed on the menu). We were ultimately just given plain iced coffee that tasted terrible yet were still charged in full. Why have a "coffee house" if it doesn't operate as such. Additional things we DID like about the hotel: 1. Snorkeling was great - a lot to see with regard to fish and the reef 2. Food was better than expected - we really enjoyed the Chinese and French restaurants. I do wish they offered more seafood options for lunch and/or dinner being on an island. As well as nightly entertainment, even just local polynesian music would have been nice on a regular basis. Overall, we were disappointed by our stay.

This is my second stay at the Conrad Bora Bora and I’ve got to give Christophe the GM all of the credit in the world. We were not happy with our room this year (felt like we got downgraded) and Christophe (who has only been in the role for a week) went absolutely above and beyond and after a day of coordinating managed to get us into a sunset facing overwater villa. He’s just the nicest person with an awesome demeanor. Thank you Christophe, you’re great!

*We just returned from a week stay here. We were disappointed by the amount of construction still going on at the resort. It definitely takes away from a relaxing atmosphere. We thought most of the construction would be finished by the time we arrived. The hotel was closed for several months for renovations and reopened May 1st. So, we booked our bungalow for the end of May. *We stayed in one of the refurbished overwater bungalows. The room is beautiful and so is the view. However, they are still refurbishing many of the surrounding bungalows so there is some construction noise (hammering, saws, nail-guns). I would say half of the bungalows are being refurbished, so there is no way to escape construction noise. *The French Restaurant IRIATAI was closed for renovations. *All of the shops were closed except the pearl shop. *The TV stations are mostly in French and there is no streaming service. *PROS - The staff and service are wonderful. The food is excellent, but expensive. The new rooms are beautiful, but the TV cabinet at the end of the bed intrudes on the ocean view from the bed. It’s a beautiful resort and very clean. Since only half the rooms are available, it never felt crowded. The beach was our favorite part of the resort. The spa is beautiful with amazing views. * I think the staff is doing their best to accommodate the guests and work around the construction. The concierge team was wonderful. We probably would have stayed somewhere else or booked for next year had we known about the ongoing construction. We made the best of it and had a nice stay, but it wasn’t worth the $25,000 we paid to stay here.

Stayed at this hotel for 5 nights. Could not fault it in any way. Outstanding facilities, staff and food. Crystal clear waters under bungalows. Great to chill at the resort or use a base for excursions.

This is going to be one of the most difficult reviews I have ever done. Why, you might ask? The reason is there is much to like and much to dislike about my stay here. A perfect example is with my contact prior to staying. They were great about contacting us, but despite me including my confirmation numbers, they had our arrival date wrong. The lei greeting at the airport was great as was the boat ride to the Conrad. The views are incredible. Sweet Sophie with her adorable Scottish accent was our personal concierge. She was great and very attentive. We then met Ricky (Not Ricky Bobby but Ricky). He is a treasure. A very common thread is the very sweet, kind, helpful people here. I did not encounter a single bad apple. The views of Bora Bora and the sunrises and sunsets from here cannot be beat. The food while very expensive (e.g. $10.50 for a bottle of water) is excellent. We really enjoyed our breakfast each day. The Strawberry Granita is the best breakfast drink I have ever had anywhere in the world. The omelets and French toast are superb. Coffee drinks are included with breakfast. Every evening meal including the Polynesian buffet was delicious with fantastic service. Now I have to address the facility itself. I had already heard that construction delays had happened here and tried to cancel my stay planning to return another time. Hilton would not allow the cancellation. Our initial bungalow was spacious and beautiful, but there were issues. 1. The floor was quite dirty. 2. There was no conditioner. 3. The bicycle seat was pointed upward (not good for an older man in particular). 4. We could not cast to the tv, and the tv had no streaming apps. 5. The curtain was not on the rod properly. 6. Worst of all there was loud construction noise and an unsightly crane. 7. The stores and one restaurant were all closed due to construction. 8. Having come from the Hilton Tahiti and its perfect landscaping we immediately noted the numerous bare areas in the grass and the missing tiles in the walkway. I met with Skyano the manager and shared my concerns. To his credit he listened and tried to fix everything he could. We were moved to a new bungalow. It was very nice, but we lost our view of the sunrise and mountain. We also gained a 24/7 clicking noise that we heard everytime we went out on the deck. The tv here did not cast and had no apps as well. Given the amount of rain and that most channels are French the ability to stream would have been great. The bicycle would not roll without great effort. We also had a strong sewage smell from yesterday afternoon until this morning. They have the thermostat set so that only a mechanic can lower it below 71 degrees. That is inconvenient, because I and my daughter have conditions where we need the temperature low at night. So you might ask why do I still highly recommend the Conrad Bora Bora Nui after all of these problems? There are 3 reasons. 1. The people are incredible. Sky and the whole team are friendly and do their best to help. Kindness goes a long way. 2. The natural beauty here cannot be beat. Very few Bora Bora resorts have the views of this place. 3. The mechanical, construction and landscaping issues are temporary and will be resolved once the construction is through. I should have been allowed to cancel my reservation though, for I paid way too much for things not having been completed.