French Polynesia Trip Report:

1. ATL > LAX in DL Business Class and an over night at the Andaz West Hollywood
2. LAX > PPT in Air France Business Class and ferry to Moorea
3. Hilton Moorea Hotel Review
4. Moorea Activities
5. InterContinental Bora Bora
6. Villa Mahana Restaurant Bora Bora
7. Le Meridien Tahiti
8. Ritz Carlton LAX and LAX > ATL in DL Business Class

The jet ski ride was a great half day activity. The hotel has 4 or 5 available for rent and will provide a guide for the journey around the island. You can share a jet ski with another person or have one to yourself. Most people on our journey chose to share one. There are two stops on the ride so it is broken out into three equal segments giving each rider a chance to drive the jet ski. Before you get to the first stop, you pass a number of hotels and go outside of the lagoon where there are big waves. At the first stop near a deserted beach, our guide broke out the lime and the coconut for a mid day snack. The second stop is where they filmed the “Couples Retreat” movie beach therapy session next to the St Regis. There is a small hut at this location where our guide told us his family spends weekend Holidays since they’ve owned this land for some time. We were given a lesson in how to open a coconut at this location. Overall a very fun way to spend a half day.

View From Jet Ski

Deserted Beach

Stingray Feeding

Everyday in early afternoon the hotel provides a guide to feed the sting rays. At about 1 PM the little stingrays come swimming in from all directions. There were about 15 rays on the few days we saw the feeding.

Sting Ray Feeding

Other Hotel Activities

The hotel had a lot of activities for use, of which I won’t bore you with the details. However there is an abundance of fish to see if you are into snorkeling. But the coral is virtually non-existent as this is a new hotel. There are non-motorized water crafts they provide for guests. You can take these out in the calm lagoon for great views of the Bora Bora.

Paddle Board

Fish

Villa Mahana

The dinner at Villa Mahana was fantastic. We initially read about this restaurant from Gary’s(View From The Wing) trip report back in 2005. Reservations in advance are a must. We made ours about 1 month out and had a choice of 2 days while we were there. We took the evening ferry ride from the Thalasso to Le Moana then the restaurant picked us up at the Le Moana front desk. As I mentioned in my last post, guests from other hotels don’t have free boat service to the main island. The guests we met staying at the Four Seasons ended up paying about $170 ($85 each way) more than us just to get to the restaurant.

When we arrived I was surprised they had a special VIP table reserved for “The Weekly Flyer”. I tried the seafood tasting menu and Mrs Weekly Flyer had one of the best steaks we’ve ever had. This meal was the best meal we had on Bora Bora. While it was not inexpensive, we would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Bora Bora.

VIP Table For The Weekly Flyer (All Guests Are VIPs)

Ahi Tuna Starter

Banana Curry Mahi Mahi Second Course

Shrimp, Scallop, Lobster Risotto Main Course

My Last Meal Wish (Filet Mignon, Potato Gnocchi, Dream Reduction Sauce)

Only A Few Tables Per Night

Upstairs Seating For Larger Parties

Bottom Line

Villa Mahana was the best restaurant we visited on Bora Bora. If you visit Villa Mahana you might run into someone famous while you are there, or atleast you can see their entries in the guest book. I highly recommend getting a reservation (or two) at Villa Mahana while you are in Bora Bora.

In my next two posts I’ll share a review of the Le Meridien Tahiti along with a review of the Ritz Carlton LAX and the 777 Delta Business Elite flight from LAX back home.

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