Another day in paradise

Bora Bora is most definitely the island paradise of dreams and the front page of travel brochures. The scenery is stunning – you could sit and look at it for hours with the turquoise of the sea in the lagoon and the deeper blue of the ocean beyond the reef. We are in probably the best spot on the island, just across the lagoon from the mountain on a ‘motu’ or long island which forms part of the barrier reef around the whole island. Our villa, at the extreme edge of the walkways that connect the overwater bungalows, has an uninterrupted view of the lagoon and is designed to provide this view from the deck, the bed and even the bath. Fortunately the only passing traffic is the occasional canoe. We can swim in the lagoon direct from the villa via a small pontoon and the coffee table is hollow so you can admire the water below.
The hotel is beautiful, The Intercontinental Thalasso Spa, with gracious areas in palm covered halls, a lovely pool and lots of walkways through gardens and by the lagoon. Walking through you can also admire the ocean crashing at the back door, on the other side of the thin island. There are some great fish, including a group of rays who come to be fed every day at 2pm and you can stand in the water feeling their huge, soft fins flapping around you.
It is very expensive though, even the little coffee packs for the nespresso machine come at an extra charge and when our adapter finally gave up the ghost we had to buy a new one rather than be leant one. Absolutely everything has to be shipped in from Tahiti, or even further afield so I guess they have to limit consumption. Strangely enough the very decent French wine is no more expensive than it would be in France so, since breakfast and dinner are included, eating, drinking and swimming, which are our favourite activities are not proving too expensive! We met some jovial Americans on the boat from the airport who were laden down with aperitif type drinks in their duty free bags. Henry and Alberta had been before and wisely come prepared, the mini bar drinks are extortionate so, if you want to enjoy a pre dinner drink on your deck, which is quite the loveliest place to have one, you really need to have brought your own! Fortunately the view is so lovely you don’t really need a gin and tonic to enjoy it!
There is a huge spa, covering acres of impressive treatment rooms with prices to match, so we’ve passed on its delights for the simpler pleasures of sitting on our deck or by the pool and wandering along the shore of the ocean or the lagoon. The food is really good (well we are in a part of France after all!) and the tuna and Mahi Mahi are especially delicious. Probably due to the huge numbers of Japanese guests and relative proximity the sushi and sashimi are also lovely. A couple of nights they put on a show of Polynesian dancing and singing during dinner. We both agree that we prefer tango but it’s good fun watching the young men and women from the island shaking themselves around in beautiful costumes and embarrassing being led onto the floor for a turn!
We took a Jeep tour of the main island which was bone shakingly fun, being driven up tracks with a party of very polite Japanese tourists. Ironic to visit, with them, the large guns left behind by the American GI’s to fend off the Japanese in the South Pacific – though they were never fired in anger. We saw lots of beautiful vistas as well as the strategic defence points. We also watched a husband and wife team hand painting pareos and visited the oyster farm where the famous Tahitian black pearls are grown – it takes one oyster over 3 years to ‘grow’ a pearl. Our guide Etienne, told us that every year visitor numbers are dropping and it is a struggle now to manage the economy on an island where everything has to be shipped in which makes it an expensive destination, especially without direct flights from anywhere but Tahiti and the other islands. Children have to go to Tahiti for high school and there is no hospital. Two of the older luxury hotels are now disused and unlikely to be repaired anytime soon. It’s such a beautiful place but not without its 21st century challenges. We have found it a perfect relaxation stop after the hectic tour of South America and a spot of luxury before the camper van tour of New Zealand and I could sit and look at the view forever.