Tahiti Cruise--Day 8 (Bora Bora)

Day 8—Bora, Bora (February 3, 2015)

We had the most incredible day, and it was the highlight of the cruise!

I’m getting ahead of myself, so let me back up.  I was up as usual before the sun rose and was out on deck with my coffee and my laptop, watching the sun rise as I typed up my daily blog and posted.  I watched as the ship approached and anchored near the port town of Vaitape on the island of Bora Bora. 

Some facts about Bora Bora (taken from the Princess port guide):  Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia.  The island is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef, and is 6 miles long and 2-1/2 miles wide.  In the center of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano rising to two peaks, Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu.  The name Bora Bora means “First Born” and legend has it the first-born son of King Hiro of Raiatea, Prince Ohatatama, once controlled this ancient territory.  The first European to sight the island was Jakob Roggeveen (who I’ve never heard of) in 1722, and the first European to actually land in Bora Bora was James Cook (I’ve definitely heard of him) in 1770. 

I can’t imagine crossing the Pacific back in 1770, and I’m feeling very fortunate I can sail the Pacific on a beautiful cruise ship with all the amenities.  We’re not likely to get scurvy, there’s plenty of water on board, not to mention all the food, and there’s no danger of mutiny (although we may have come close when some of the passengers found out the Super Bowl wouldn’t be broadcast).

Our ship was scheduled to remain overnight in Bora Bora and would leave the next evening at 5:00pm.  With two days here, I had made reservations for the night in an overwater bungalow (OWB) at the Intercontinental Le Moana Resort.  The prices of these OWB anywhere in French Polynesia were exorbitant going for anywhere between $600 and $900 per night (almost half the cost of this 10-day cruise!).  Since the hotel’s dining room was undergoing renovation, I was able to get the OWB for a lot less, and decided to splurge for this once-in-a-lifetime, bucket list experience.  After all, visions of these over-water bungalows is what comes to mind when I think of places like Tahiti and Bora Bora. 

After a light breakfast, I headed back to the cabin to pack a few things for the overnight stay, and to let my cabin steward know he didn’t need to provide the usual turndown service that night, or to make up the room the next morning.  We had already notified passenger services yesterday that we would be remaining overnight on Bora Bora.

I sat out on the Promenade Deck and read, then went to play Trivia, and finally met my parents for lunch.  After lunch we boarded the tender to the pier.  I had read there was a shuttle to Maite Beach next to Le Moana Resort for $5 per person, and sure enough there was a man standing on the pier holding a sign for the beach.  I asked if he would take us to Le Moana and he agreed.  Just about then, it started to rain really hard, and by the time we got to his van, we were pretty well soaked.  But it was only a quick shower and was over as quickly as it had begun.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted by the desk clerk with the Tahitian hello, La Orana, and were asked to please take a seat in the lobby while she prepared the paperwork.  The porter took our luggage (what little there was), we sat, and then were presented with cold washcloths rolled on a tray of palm leaves—it was so refreshing.  We were then presented with beautiful leis along with another “La Orana” greeting, and then given a wonderful drink of various fruit juices with a fruit and flower garnish.  Wow—talk about a welcome. 

The desk clerk came over with the registration paperwork to sign, then offered us a tour of the hotel as we proceeded to our bungalow.  She pointed out the different grass thatched buildings indicating the pearl store (of course), the concierge, the bar, and the breakfast room if we wanted to go there.  I asked about the breakfast by canoe, and she told us that was available as well, and that we just needed to let them know.  As we walked out toward the beach, she then pointed out where we could get canoes, kayaks, and snorkel equipment (which was complementary for hotel guests).

Beautiful Beach

Outside bar and lounge

Walking out onto the elevated walkway, we passed a few bungalows, then came to ours.

Walkway to the overwater bungalows

Our bungalow

We were shown the features of the room, then she bid us a pleasant stay and we explored the bungalow.  All I can say is “Wow!”  From the outside they were square with bamboo sides and a thatched roof.  Once inside, there was a small living room with a couch (which was made up as a bed for me), desk and TV, and a glass coffee table that slid open so you could feed the fish, although we didn’t see any. 

Sofa bed, and glass coffee table open to the ocean below

The coffee table top slid open so we could feed the fish below

Desk and TV in the living area with bedroom beyond

There was a bedroom with a king-sized bed, and a very large bathroom with a tub, shower, two sinks, a closet, and a separate toilet room.

King-sized bed in the separate bedroom

Very large bath with separate toilet area, double sink, and separate shower and tub

The sliding glass doors in the living room led to an open deck with two loungers, and a wooden table with wooden chairs built into the deck.  Stairs led to a lower platform, where there was a ladder straight into the water. 

View from our deck

We took lots of pictures of the bungalow, then walked around the hotel area and took more pictures, and finally decided it was time to go for a swim.  The water was warm and shallow, coming just to my shoulders.  Under each bungalow was a coral reef, which had been “planted” under the glass coffee table above, and was home to the many tropical fish.  We didn’t see any fish while swimming, but had a wonderful time.

Coral "planted" under and around the bungalows

After spending some time in the water, we finally got out, took showers, and got dressed, then enjoyed the deck and decided we really were in paradise. 

Since the dining room was closed for dinner, we went to the bar where light food was available.  My parents each ordered a Caesar salad and club sandwiches and I ordered a club sandwich with a side order of French fries.  We obviously didn’t understand the menu since the Caesar salads were not side dishes, but large enough for a meal by itself, and the club sandwiches came with French fries, which means that I had another entire bowl of French fries.  They must have thought we were crazy ordering so much food, and we definitely didn’t finish it all, despite the fact that it was really good.  Afterward we sat on the patio near the beach and ordered pina coladas.  We may have ordered pina coladas, but what we got wasn’t quite the same.  It was a bright, almost neon, yellow, and not the whitish color of normal pina coladas, and it was strong, and made with something other than pineapple and coconut milk.  Still, it was nice to sit and enjoy the view of the over-water bungalows stretching across the ocean in front of us.

View from the beach

We wandered back to our bungalow and sat out on our deck and started to see some of the tropical fish we had been told lived in the coral around the bungalows.  We enjoyed the light breeze as we sat watching the light faded from the sky and the moon rise up in front of us. 

View from our deck

View of the walkway from our bungalow door

What an incredible sight to end a truly incredible day!