March 28, 2013
Bora Bora! … Need I say more? No other place in the world is
quite like Bora Bora. A quiet and peaceful island in the middle of the Pacific
Ocean surrounded by a huge lagoon with crystal clear and vibrant turquoise calm
water and blue skies.
This is the most breathtaking place we have ever visited.
From the moment we stepped off the plane (which landed only feet from the
water), we knew we were in paradise. We had only to walk through the small
terminal where the St Regis representative greeted us and led us to their
luxury boat to transport us to their resort. Following a short ten-minute trip
we were greeted at the St. Regis dock by our butler, Masa. First he escorted us
on a tour of this beautiful resort. Then on to our even more beautiful villa,
which was over the water.
Upon arrival at the bungalow, we felt as though we had
entered a different world. This over-water bungalow had three good size rooms
and a deck. There was a muted flat screen TV flashing and Tahitian music
playing from the Bose speakers. The décor was stunning! We loved the double-sink,
stand up open rain shower, and sunken tub. The King size bed was positioned just
so in order to accommodate a perfect view of the water, horizon, and the most
spectacular sunrise, which greeted us daily.
The resort itself is huge. We utilized the complimentary
bikes daily and parked them at the door of our villa at night for us to ride in
the morning to breakfast. The restaurant
was open and positioned for a gorgeous beach side view. Not crowded. Of course
we were first to arrive as we were up early every morning to catch the sunrise.
No photo op was missed. The buffet-style breakfast was included in our package.
The food was awesome! There was a variety of foods to choose from, especially
tasty French pastries. The service was outstanding.
The beach was never crowded. The finely manicured white sand
beach was postcard perfect. The beach attendants were there to assist
with the water “toys” and took care of everything else. They moved chairs, served
drinks, food, and catered to our every need. It was very relaxing sitting on the
beach reading my book.
I spent a lot of time taking photos and video with my Canon
5D camera. It was the first time I ever used my camera for video. Ann took photos and video with her camera as well. I have to
admit, my video technique is less than perfect but the camera was great. For
now I will focus mainly on what I’m good at, which is photography, and leave the video
to Ann.
On our first evening in Bora Bora we had pre-arranged
lagoon-side dinner reservations at the Jean Georges’ Lagoon Restaurant with a
view of Mt. Otemanu and a beautiful sunset. I would recommend this experience
to every honeymoon couple. It was quite romantic. The food and service was
outstanding, not to mention the breathtaking view!
Excursions:
We experienced the Pure Snorkeling by Reef Discovery excursion
with Fabien. Typically, I’m not totally comfortable in the water, but Fabien
was sympathetic and helped me to relax and feel more comfortable. He basically, kept me from drowning. It was
beautiful both above water in the lagoon and under water with the fish and
coral. He took us to four different locations around Bora Bora. We virtually
got a tour of the entire lagoon, which circles the main island.
Later we took the Sunset Dream Tour. Our guide told us the
tour usually includes 3 or 4 couples (primarily honeymooners). But on this
evening it was just the 2 of us on a romantic cruise, sipping champagne,
watching the sunset and the beauty surrounding us, all while being
photographed. It was our very own exclusive photo shoot :-).
We only made it to the main island once. Our dinner reservations
were at the Mai Kai, a very nice restaurant right on the water. They featured
International, French and Polynesian cuisine, which was excellent. We were
unable to visit the main island on Sunday or Monday. Everything is usually closed
on Sundays and was this Monday as well, due to the Easter holiday. Ann said "We’ll just have to go back." :-).
What we enjoyed… Everything!! I especially enjoyed the
Tahitian beer (Hinano), the Tahitian people, the St Regis’s staff, the villa,
the beach, the beach bar and most of all the photo opportunities. Sunrise,
sunset, the lagoon, the resort shots at night.
As for the equipment I took. Not much. One Canon 5D mark II body, one
24-70 2.8 lens and a Gitzo carbon fiber tripod. A much-needed item. I didn’t want to weigh myself down with too much
equipment, as I was careful to observe the weight limits on the inner island
flights. Turns out they didn’t even weigh my camera as I was holding it. I
probably could have carried a second one with a different lens.
This was a trip that others only dream about. We enjoyed it
immensely. Memories of this experience will last a lifetime! I would highly
recommend this destination to any honeymoon couple. As Ann would say and I would agree. It is so romantic!
We are especially grateful to Jackie at Custom Tahiti
for all she did to make our trip absolutely perfect! Every detail was taken
care of by her and their staff. I would definitely recommend them for any
Tahiti trip.
