On arrival into Bora Bora we were greeted at the airport by St Regis staff and transported to our resort on their lovely yacht. We were given chilled water to drink while checking in, which was needed as temperatures had already reached into the 80’s. Our greeting and arrival really made us feel that we made the right choice and that their was value for the cost. A very classy way to arrive, however, we were sweaty and tired after a long day of travel and couldn't wait to have a shower and much-needed sleep. Unfortunately, our room was not ready after we checked in. Instead, we had breakfast, and then our butler Yassin gave us a tour of the property on one of the many golf carts you see throughout the property. After our tour, we were offered a space to change into more comfortable clothing and told that Yassin would come and find us once our room was ready. We were so exhausted that we both fell asleep on the beach.
After a few hours, Yassin found us and we were escorted to our villa. While showing us around our villa, Yassin explained various services that were available to us. For example, he offered to arrange to have our luggage unpacked for us, although we declined this service. We were also offered daily delivery of complimentary pitchers of coffee and hot chocolate, which we signed up for. However, there was a mix up and we received this only on the first day. Which was a blessing in disguise given the chocolate was super delicious, very rich and probably not too good for me. :(
The St Regis is situated southeast from the airport on a 44-acre motu or island. It has 100 villas, each with unique features and different price points. We stayed in a Superior Over Water Villa, which was approximately 1,550 square feet that was further along the pontoon with panoramic views of the St Regis beach and lagoon. The villas are luxurious with an enormous bedroom, exorbitant bathroom, lounge room, private deck and outdoor shower. Jumping into the water from your own Villa’s deck is amazing! The water is deep, clear and very warm. Due to the size of the property, the best way of getting around is on the bikes made available by St Regis. If riding is not your thing then upon request someone will pick you up in one of the many golf carts. The St Regis has it's own beach, two pools, an enormous luxury 13,000 square foot spa on it's own island branded by Clarins, four restaurants and a lagoonarium. The lagoonarium has plenty of fish, and feels like swimming in a huge aquarium. There is free snorkel gear available and you can buy fish food to bring the fish closer to you. The fish are used to being fed and will come up to you to say hello even without the food. The beach is just amazing and well stocked with activities. There are paddle boards, canoes, a Hobie Cat and even an ocean hammock. There is a beach service area offering free water, the occasional fruit samplings and complimentary sun tan lotion.
When we were at the St Regis property, we spent a lot of time visiting the lagoonarium, the spa and the beach. St Regis did an excellent job in arranging our activities off property and every night we were provided an itinerary of our scheduled activities for the following day. Every morning, we began our day with the marvelous breakfast at the Te Pahu restaurant by the beach. This included the buffet breakfast plus a set menu of pancakes and different egg dishes. Having a huge breakfast each day was key (which was included in our package) as it fueled us for our active days of exploring and swimming.
When on property we ate the majority of our evening meals and the occasional snack at the Aparima bar. The menu was not extensive but the quality of food was great and so we kept coming back here. There is a pool section that you can swim up to in the pool or a seating area on a patio with panoramic views of the beach and lagoon.
Main Pool
For one of our dinners on property, we had our butler make a reservation for us at the Lagoon by Jean Gorges Restaurant. The restaurant has glass panels on the floor similar to the glass panels in the overwater villa and through the restaurant panels you may catch a glance of the Lemon or Black Tip Reef sharks that call that part of the island home. We started our dining experience with cocktails on the main deck of the restaurant with views of Mount Otemanu, which was spectacular with the dying light, warm breeze and lull of the gentle waves. Take me back! We then went inside the restaurant and enjoyed a lovely Polynesian French Asian infused meal. We feasted on a locally caught Parrotfish, which was artfully presented and tasted delicious. It was a memorable dining experience overall!
We had a few trips to the spa which is situated on it's own island surrounded by the lagoonarium. If this island looks familiar then you've probably seen the movie Couples Retreat with Vince Vaughn, Malin Akerman & Jon Favreau. It is stunning with the clear turquoise blue water surrounded by palm trees and framed by Mount Otemanu. I was expecting to see Salvadore the yoga instructor swim up but Nicole was not that lucky. Funnily enough Couples Retreat the movie plays on loop on one of the TV stations in your villa. The spa was magnificent! It included several massage rooms and luxurious changing rooms along with private relaxation areas and a recovery room overlooking the lagoon. We enjoyed a lovely complimentary couples massage along with another deep tissue massage that helped to get us transition into that relaxed mode.
This part of the island also included the resorts own lagoon with lots of fish; as I mentioned earlier it was like swimming in an aquarium. The fish swam along with you as you circled the lagoon, especially if you are carrying fish food. Our butler showed us a spot where you are most likely to see the resorts two huge Napoleon fish. The resort provides snorkel equipment, which you can carry around with you for your entire stay. The fins and snorkel fit perfectly in your resort bike’s basket and can be stored in a bin on your private deck. We also purchased reef shoes for this trip, which came in handy near reefs and protected our feet against the more coarse corals.
I can't speak highly enough of my experience at the St Regis and I hope one day to make it back to the vibrant waters and hospitality of the St Regis and Bora Bora.
