The Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa

We spent 5 nights at the Westin Bora Bora and couldn't have enjoyed it more. If you've gone to the trouble to get there, you already know about the stunning views and pristine lagoon (and they are exactly as advertised if not more breathtaking in person). The resort itself is goregous, with first-class accommodations (we had an overwater bungalow with a plunge pool), fantastic food, and beautiful landscaping. Highly recommend trying all of the restaurants and ordering room service while you're there -- we didn't have a single meal we didn't love and the menus had a lot of variety. But even with all of that going for it, the people there are what really make the Westin shine. Every member of the staff we encountered--reception, housekeeping, maintenance, waitstaff, management, landscaping, etc--greeted us warmly, showed genuine care for their guests and their work, and were endlessly helpful and engaging. Special thanks to Arthur for showing us around our new favorite resort and ensuring that everything was perfect for the entirety of our stay, to Heitiare for making sure every breakfast at Tipanier was amazing (be sure to try all the fresh fruits and juices!!), and to Ariivai the concierge for helping us get our week planned exactly the way we wanted it. If you're into cocktails, you'll be well taken care of at the Westin. Jasmina at the pool bar makes the best Mai Tais you'll ever have and is a blast to chat with, Quentin always has a great drink suggestion if you're on the fence about what to order, and Varua goes out of his way to make sure you have everything you need when you're lounging poolside. If you have an overwater room, be sure to leave your water light on at night and keep an eye on your "ocean TV" - we saw sea turtles, stingrays, and so many different kinds of fish. Everything about our experience was magical, and we can't wait to go back!

We stayed at the Westin for Valentines and I was shocked at how nice it was. The rooms were clean, the AC worked great, all of what we expected and more. Being able to ride bikes around the property was awesome. We went to their dinner restaurant Maeve twice and we had Maxime both nights who was awesome. Maxime was always ready to get me another tropical ice tea or a bucket of ice! We are already thinking of going back! Maxime you rock!

The Westin Bora Bora runs like other Westins. Efficiently. Effectively and precisely. The location is the only exception. If you weren’t in an overwater bungalow you’d think you were at any other Westin property. It’s a large resort and spread out. First - the issues and how they were addressed. We initially requested an overwater bungalow and were brought by our check in person (she was lovely) after confirming we had a quiet room ‘yes, this room is quiet’ to rm 247. At the apex of all the golf cart traffic (read: not quiet) and more importantly - unimpressive. It’s a modern contemporary hotel and the bungalows reflect that. But we had just come from a beautiful Relais Chateaux property that was elegant and refined so our small bungalow was unimpressive. Equally unimpressive was how crowded it felt outdoors too (you see one bungalow after another, and barely notice the volcano). The next day we requested a move and at an obnoxious cost, we were upgraded to an overwater bungalow with pool and view. If you can, book these from the start. They are significantly larger and feel more private - however, the water is much deeper and you get a lot of boat traffic right in front of your suite and therefore wake. You might just end up using the pool. Housekeeping does a great job. Laundry also - while very expensive they did a nice job on my clothes. Restaurants - all are ‘ok’. The morning breakfast buffet gets tired after having the same selection everyday. Service manager is great. You will notice the ‘managers’ are all from away but the locals do all the work and they are kind. We went to the set menu dinner and it was a ‘fish’ theme. It was ok. Dessert was the best. Service was good. Food - ok. Beach restaurant is the most reasonably priced. The service was good. Food - ok. You will have sticker shock unless you’re made of money. Everything costs. And alot. Water. Yes. Snacks. Yes because there are none in your bar fridge. Everything is very expensive so be prepared for that. I’ll say this: if you prefer smaller, more reflective of local culture and quieter (but expensive regardless), go elsewhere. If you stay at Westins and are comfortable with their contemporary design when you travel back home, stay here.

Despite our general inclination for hotel hopping in most destinations of the world, in Bora Bora we like Conrad so much that it got the lion's share of our stays in the past: we stayed something like 55 nights at Conrad, 5 at St.Regis, and none at the two InterContinental hotels. We also never stayed at the old Le Meridien because it was aging. Months after I booked at Conrad they cancelled on us due to renovations so I reconsidered all options including the new Westin which was Le Meridien but fully renovated and reopened under new brand. It got quite good reviews so far and we don't like StR much so I decided to pick 10 nights at Westin and none at StR (or IC). Little did I know that Westin has the same owner as Conrad and it shows, it’s a very well-run hotel. Bora Bora remains one of our preferred beach destinations anywhere in the world despite the inconvenience of reaching French Polynesia geographically speaking; the natural beauty crushes Maldives or other places and there is also more sea life than elsewhere. Westin has the big advantage over Conrad of having straight views of the iconic Mt Otemanu and luckily our upgrade at Westin as Bonvoy Ambassador Elite was the trifecta: the larger variety of overwater villas, unobstructed view of the mountain, and a plunge pool. At Conrad they were always generous with upgrades but I don’t think more than 10% of our nights there were overwater AND pool, usually it was overwater only. Also I would say the OWV having the glass floor is a big plus at Westin and something lacking at Conrad. However Westin also some features inferior to Conrad such as less inspirational dining and the water in the area near Westin, St.Regis, InterContinental and Four Seasons is a bit more cloudy and less clear than at Conrad because Conrad gets fresh water straight from the ocean due to its location whereas the other hotels have more “interior” water. Overall we liked our stay at Westin enough that I can see splitting future stays in Bora Bora between both Westin and Conrad to enjoy the different strong points that each offers.

Unbelievably beautiful. This is where I will try to go instead of Hawaii, when I'm up for a long flight. About 8 hours from LAX, but air tahiti generally flys it overnight both ways. Was worried about January being in the rainy season. Weather was gorgeous. If it did rain an hour or less, sunny or partly cloudy most of the day. Sun is so strong in January, the clouds were a break. The Westin is very nice, but I don't think you could go wrong with the other big 3 or 4 chains. Will definitely go back, but will visit Moorea, or similar islands also.