Bora Bora?

[CaymanDiver]

Bloody Mary's is still around. We stopped in for a drink (they weren't serving lunch on the day we stopped) and the token T-Shirt. Very fun place ! You definately need to stop in.

There is a restaurant on Bora Bora that is absolutely fabulous ! La Villa Mahana. They only have seating for 6-7 tables, so reservations are a must. Food is excellent and service is outstanding ! Your hotel/resort should be able to make a reservation for you, however, I had my travel agent (located on Moorea) make it for me before I arrived in Tahiti or you can email the owner...... damien@villamahana.com.

 

[mbs]

Bloody Mary's was pretty good. They have some amazing fish! We went there Monday night when the restaurant at topdive was closed (actually we went with the chef and the lead dm). I can also highly recommend the restaurant at topdive. The food is excellent, the place is absolutely beautiful and if you are lucky the mantas will come by to feed just outside. The week we were there they came by 3 or 4 nights! One night I watched a couple for a least an hour. Magical!

 

[pwhipple]

My wife and i stayed at the bora bora hotel, which we absolutely fell in love with during our 5 day stay. there are 'fancier' hotels, but none in our mind that have the simple luxury of an extremely attentive staff, daily manicured grounds, and 5 star food. we were met at the dock by the 2d in command, and instead of having to check in, were taken directly to our room, where our hostess took care of the administrative chores. this hotel also has the advantage of a very good dive shop about a hundred yard walk down the beach from the hotel.
some people call it 'boring' from what perspective, i don't know. the diving is very good. however, there really is no night life to speak of, so be prepared to spend lots of time together.
i would also recommend a trip to one of the other islands...we chose rangiroa, which was phenomenal (altho' very much out there) and moorea which, in comparison was somwhat disapointing to us, or maybe we were just spoiled by then.
one word of caution: take medicationis THAT YOU WILL need. there are no pharmacies on the outer islands, and a request for something simple like aspirin will be met with a total blank stare.

 

[jfcl01]

A word of warning about topdive: if you pre-pay for dives that you end up not being able to use because of weather, topdive equipment failure, or because the dive master has something else to do that day(all of those happened on my 2 week trip to FP) you will not get a refund.

 

[Christine in OC CA]

I would recommend Island hopping just because the South Pacific has so much to see. We did 2-3 nights on each, Moorea, Bora Bora, Tahaa, Raiatea, and Tahiti. Checked out Tahiti Iti too. The diving wasn't good there (surf was), but it was beautiful; just the drive down there allows you to explore the island and get a good feel for the culture and way of life. Definitely bring your underwater camera for the dives. If you are really into the water, bring your own snorkle gear so you can jump in the water anytime. Everywhere you go, there will be something to see. We backpacked the entire trip so we did a lot of walking which seemed the best way to get to know the locals and see the land.

Oh, ,most public buses don't run on Sunday!! We learned that the hard way when we needed to get to the ferry, but hitch hiking there worked well. I wouldn't dream of doing it in the US, but their way of life is much different than ours. The locals are the nicest people in the world. The don't accept tips, but seemed to appreciate the small gifts we brought from the US.

Don't pack a lot...lots of bathing suits, shorts and t's, a visor, water shoes, (Keens were great) and maybe a one sweatshirt and your basic necessities.

Last piece of info... try their Taro and Coconut ice cream sold at the Le' Snack and grocery shops. Ahhhhhh, just to be there again... but the Rarotonga and Fiji are next!!

Hope you have a wonderful wedding and a terrific honeymoon! Best wishes.