Our first stop was to stay at the famous Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora. Upon arrival at the airport in Bora Bora we were warmly greeted by the Four Season attendant at their kiosk in the airport. It was a it of a cloudy day with a little rain, but that did not detract from the beauty of Bor Bora or our excitement of being there.

After greeting us and confirming our reservation she had our luggage collected and directed us to the boat that would transfer us to the resort.

The boat was quite nice and they also provided us with bottle water and towels with which to refresh ourselves. It was quite warm that day and after our brief flight, it was very much appreciated.

As we arrived at the resort, the clouds were covering the peak of Mt. Otemanu, luckily the clouds would be gone the next day providing a beautiful view of this famous site

Upon arrival at the dock, we were let off the boat right next to the Lobby of the resort. This boat transfer to the resort has to be the best airport to hotel transfers that I have ever experienced. When traveling to Bora Bora, if you have the option between a water or land transfer, I highly recommend taking the water route as it is a very rare opportunity and you should take advantage of it if possible.

If you would like to receive more information on the Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, or to book your stay there, you can contact me here.

As a Virtuoso member agent, and a Preferred Partner with Four Seasons, my clients also receive special amenities only by booking through me. The Virtuoso amenities available to you can be found here.

The post Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora - Airport Boat Transfer appeared first on Luxury Experience Travel.

The St. Regis Bora Bora was our final stop on our visit to the French Polynesia, and could not have been more perfect. This expansive luxury property provided us with an abundance of activities complimented by a friendly and eager to please staff that had us truly understand why this property is so extremely popular. From our luxurious over-water bungalow, to the fantastic restaurants, and the abundance of water activities, we were never at a loss for something to experience and enjoy.

Our Overwater bungalow was everything we were hoping for! Beautifully situated overlooking the iconic mountain of Bora Bora, with the crystal clear waters underneath creating a definite sense of anticipation to go snorkeling and explore as soon as possible. We were driven to our bungalow by one of the staff on a golf cart, a definite necessity with the immense size of the resort.

Although guests themselves cannot drive the carts, St. Regis Bora Bora has created a great alternative for their guest by providing a large number of bicycles available in a variety styles to meet your specific requirements. Here is a picture of our bungalow, with my bike parked out front:

The interior of the bungalow was well laid out and had all the comforts and amenities that you would expect. The only slight negative would be that the furniture could use with a little updating as the couches and chairs, although comfortable and clean, were beginning to look a little worn. Here is a visual tour inside the bungalow:

The living room:

In the pictures above, you can see that there is a glass window under the living room table that allows you to see the water below. There is also a light that you can turn on at night which provides a great ambiance in the room.

The bedroom:

The bathroom:

The toilet (not pictured) was located in it's own room with a door for privacy next to the bathroom.

There was also ample closet space and a safe for our valuables:

Of course, the highlight of the bungalow was the deck and the private access to the ocean. Visible in the pictures above, you can see that there is access to the deck directly from both the living room and the bedroom:

The St. Bora Bora also provides free rentals of snorkeling equipment that can be stored on your deck:

We were also happy to receive some great welcome amenities when we arrived in our bungalow:

As mentioned the property is quite large and, although walking (depending on your destination) is possible, I recommend either taking advantage of the bikes available or calling reception to have a golf cart come and pick you up. Here are some of the sights and features around the resort:

The path leading to our bungalow:

A smaller, but beautiful pool are located near our bungalow:

The main beach:

The main pool:

Perhaps the highlight for us was the private little beach that we discovered by the spa at the St. Regis Bora Bora. It seemed that not a lot of guests were even aware of this ideal location at the resort. It provided us with privacy, spectacular views, and awesome snorkeling. Take a look:

My favourite discovery was this large blue fish that must have easily been 4 feet in length:

The restaurants were also fantastic. With a wide variety of cuisine choices available, there is something for everyone. Ou dinner on our first night was at the Lagoon Restaurant by Jean-Georgeswhich is The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort’s exclusive signature restaurant. The food here was spectacular, with a definite treat being the glass bottom floors where you can see fish, and even sharks, swimming around while you eat:

The St. Regis Bora Bora also provides a free boat and bus shuttle service from their resort to the main town on Bora Bora:

In the picture above, you can see a cruise ship in the background. This is the m/s Paul Gauguin, a luxury cruise ship that sails around the islands of the French Polynesia. To read about amazing experiences aboard their Tahiti and The Society Islands cruise, you can visit our blog here.

Breakfast at the St. Regis Bora Bora resort was buffet style, with some items that could be ordered a la carte. The main breakfast restaurant, the Te Pahu Restaurant, is located just off of the main beach, meaning thet your breakfast is enjoyed while viewing the sparkling ocean and the island of Bora Bora in the distance

The resort also provides free transportation, by boat, to and from the airport. They even checked us into our flight prior to leaving the hotel. The staff while we were there were amazing and definitely made sure that everything we needed was attended to with a smile. Even as we departed for the airport, their farewell was both warm and sincere.

If you would like to receive more information on the St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, or to book your stay there, you can contact me here.

As a Virtuoso member agent, my clients also receive special amenities only by booking through me. The Virtuoso amenities available to you can be found here.

The post St. Regis Bora Bora Resort appeared first on Luxury Experience Travel.

The Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora seems to be on everyone's radar as a must visit destination. We had the immense pleasure of visiting this resort and it definitely proved to us that it deserves to have the reputation as a premier luxury destination. In this entry, we will showcase our Overwater Bungalow and provide you with an personal look inside.

We flew from Tahiti to Bora Bora and were met at the airport by staff from the Four Season Resort Bora Bora. As they took our bags, we were escorted to their boat for the quick transfer to the resort. Having experienced many trips from an airport to a hotel/resort in a taxi, I must say going by boat off of a tropical island such as Bora Bora will be hard to top.

As we neared the resort, the already existing excitement and anticipation of the Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora doubled as the overwater bungalows came into site.

After quickly checking in, we were driven to our overwater bungalow on a golf cart. As we drove through the property, our hostess provided a brief overview of some of the highlights which I will cover in my next post on the the spa, restaurants, and property. After winding through the property we made our way onto the pier that connected to our bungalow.

Upon entering, we were delighted to see that the interior well laid out and quite spacious.

Here is the front entrance (interior) and living room:

From the living room, there were large door that opened up to a seating area on the deck.

As you can see in the picture above, the bathroom was situated between the living room and the bedroom.

There were two separate sinks across from each other.

The bathtub was gorgeous; large and deep enough for a great relaxing soak for one or two people.

Beside the bathtub, on the floor, were glass floors from which the ocean under the bungalow could be viewed. It was also equipped with lights for night viewing.

The bathtub also had another great feature thanks to the large sliding doors in front of it... this was a spectacular view.

As seen from the deck outside.

The toilet was located in a separate room across from the bathtub on the opposite side of the bungalow; behind the frosted glass door pictured below.

The bedroom was also spacious with a King bed, plenty of storage space and doors that also opened up to the lounge chairs on the deck.

Of course, the highlight of an overwater bungalow is that you are over the water and have your own personal, private access to the beautiful waters of Bora Bora where you can go for a swim or explore the waters using the provided snorkeling equipment. Let's start with the deck itself.

As mentioned there is a sitting are and lounge area on the deck.

There is also a small chest where you can store you wet snorkeling or other gear, it also had life jackets.

From the deck, there were stairs that led to a lower, smaller deck where you could access a ladder to enter the ocean.

Here is view of our bungalow from the water.

Having been anticipating our stay at the Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, and especially staying in an Overwater Bungalow, we can honestly say that the experience of being there definitely exceeded our expectations.

If you would like to receive more information on the Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, or to book your stay there, you can contact me here.

As a Virtuoso member agent, and a Preferred Partner with Four Seasons, my clients also receive special amenities only by booking through me. The Virtuoso amenities available to you can be found here.

The post Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora - Overwater Bungalow appeared first on Luxury Experience Travel.

After breakfast, we headed down to the Tender Boat to head over to a small secluded beach

The wonderful thing about this beach was the shelf stretched out so far that you could sit comfortably, almost completely submerged in the warm French Polynesian waters.

You could even keep an eye on the ship...

Of course, the crew of the m/s Paul Gauguin made sure that we were able to enjoy complimentary drinks, snacks, and, if so inclined, do a little snorkeling, beach volleyball, kayaking, or do a little paddle boarding while on our secluded oasis:

With our day of relaxing in the warm waters and invigorating sun complete, we headed back to the ship to grab a quick afternoon snack at Le Grill:

Unfortunately, a light rain (sometimes a little heavier) began to fall in the mid-afternoon and we decided to spend a little time indoors. Luckily, there were plenty of indoor activities to take part in. There was a Pareo (traditional Polynesian dress) Tying demonstration, a Bridge/Euchre Tournament, a Galley Tour, an assortment of other games were avaialble to play, or what we did...

Every day there would be a new puzzle in the hallway on deck 6. We decided to see how well we could do. It was incredibly addictive and wouldn't you know it... we finished it.

Having snacked and eaten most of the day, we went to La Veranda to grab a quick bite for dinner:

We had a great time on our 2nd day in Bora Bora and looked ahead to tomorrow as we would be arriving in Moorea.

If you would like to learn more about schedules and different Paul Gauguin Cruises, please visit my Virtuoso page here.

If you would like to receive more information, or book a Paul Gauguin Cruise, you can contact me here.

As a Paul Gauguin Cruises PEARLS Accredited Partner and having experienced the cruise myself, I can provide you with the intimate knowledge to help you get the most out of your Paul Gauguin cruise.

Again, had wanted, there was no shortage at all in the choices for shore excursions in Bora Bora:

• Aquabike Adventure
• Lagoon Excursion & Polynesian Feast
• Lagoon Excursion with Maohi Nui
• Circle Island by Waveerunner
• Helicopter Flightseeing (30 or 15 minute options)
• Bora Bora Island Tour by "Le Truck"
• Bora Bora Off Road Adventure
• Glass Bottom Boat
• Eco Snorkeling
• Aqua Safari-Underwater walk
•  Blue Lagoon Escapade
• Sharks & Stingrays Encounter
• ATV Adventure
• Rays & Snorkeling by Jet Boat
• Catamaran Sail
• Sunset Sail by Catamaran
• Sunset Blue Lagoon Escapade
• Sunset Cruise on Outrigger Canoe
• Shark & Ray Watching by Glass Bottom Boat

The post Paul Gauguin Cruise - Day 5 - 2nd Day in Bora Bora appeared first on Luxury Experience Travel.

Day 4 of our luxury cruise of the Society Islands aboard the m/s Paul Gauguin brought us to the island that I had been looking forward to the most, Bora Bora.  Bora Bora is approximately 29.3 square km in size and has a population of almost 9,000. It is surrounded by a wide barrier reef for which there is only one entrance. The island itself is the eroded cone of a large and extinct volcano.

We were scheduled to spend 2 full days here and we had decided to make them as relaxing and casual as possible. After the cruise, we would be staying on Bora Bora for 3 additional nights so we decided not to sign up for any of the arranged shore excursions on either day. Having no set excursion allowed us to sleep in a little and head to breakfast in La Veranda after most of the passengers had already eaten and left for their excursions. Breakfast is served from 7:30am - 9:30am (earlier and later brekfasts are availble at the other restaurants and through room service).

You honestly can't get a much better view for breakfast...

After brekfast, we made our way down to the Tender Boat and decided to go into the main town on Bora Bora and do a little shopping:

I should mention, the Paul Gauguin would always have a nice area st up on all of the islands where the Tender Boat docked, Typically there was a few staff memebers, light snacks and cold (non-alcoholic) drinks available. Occassionally, as was tha case in Bora Bora, there would be some entertainment as well:

The shops in town were very typical from what you would find in most island tourist areas with items ranging from handmade crafts, clothing, to expensive jewlerey and native art items. We did not take pictures inside the actual stores, but here is a smple of the shops:

Some of our fellow passengers chose to rent a car for the day and tour the island on their own:

Nearby, there was also a grocery store, a pharmacy, a school, and this church:

There was also a nice view of our ship with a bautiful yacht anchored nearby:

After the morning on Bora Bora, we returned to the ship to have lunch at Le Grill:

As I mentioned in a previous post, the crew of the Paul Gauguin would offer a crafts lesson every afternoon in La Palette on Deck 8. On this occassion the lesson was pn making a Polynesian Hair Pick and a Pandanus Headband:

After the class, Pineapple Flambe was served in Le Grill:

After freshening up in our stateroom, we headed to L'Etoile for dinner on Deck 5:

The evening show in the Grand Salon was the "International Crew Show" which was very entertaing and so great to see a lot of the staff that we have gotten to know show off their hidden talents.

We set out to have a casual day in Bora Bora and it was exactly what we did. That is the beuty of the Paul Gauguin cruise, you can tailor your day to your own desires, as busy or as slow as you would like. We were having very similar thoughts for our second day in Bora Bora tomorrow!

If we had wanted, there was no shortage at all in the choices for shore excursions in Bora Bora:

• Aquabike Adventure
• Lagoon Excursion & Polynesian Feast
• Lagoon Excursion with Maohi Nui
• Circle Island by Waveerunner
• Helicopter Flightseeing (30 or 15 minute options)
• Bora Bora Island Tour by "Le Truck"
• Bora Bora Off Road Adventure
• Glass Bottom Boat
• Eco Snorkeling
• Aqua Safari-Underwater walk
•  Blue Lagoon Escapade
• Sharks & Stingrays Encounter
• ATV Adventure
• Rays & Snorkeling by Jet Boat
• Catamaran Sail
• Sunset Sail by Catamaran
• Sunset Blue Lagoon Escapade
• Sunset Cruise on Outrigger Canoe
• Shark & Ray Watching by Glass Bottom Boat

If you would like to learn more about schedules and different Paul Gauguin Cruises, please visit my Virtuoso page here.

If you would like to receive more information, or book a Paul Gauguin Cruise, you can contact me here.

As a Paul Gauguin Cruises PEARLS Accredited Partner and having experienced the cruise myself, I can provide you with the intimate knowledge to help you get the most out of your Paul Gauguin cruise.

The post Paul Gauguin Cruise - Day 4 - Bora Bora appeared first on Luxury Experience Travel.