InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa
InterContinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa appears like a happy accident amid a tangle of a thousand hues of blue. The French Polynesia hotel hardly seems real at first glimpse — it’s more like a fantastical mirage rising from the sea.
You arrive to the resort by boat transfer, already seduced by the clarity of the mirror-like lagoon. Perhaps en route, you spotted a leaping manta ray or a school of dolphins.
Now, the resort beckons, a fantasy island with undulating piers stretching from the shore, each holding a collection of spacious overwater villas. With 88 suites on stilts, this luxury hotel caters to those seeking romantic seclusion.
Each capacious room with a living area (complete with a see-through floor beneath the coffee table), an ocean-view bathroom and floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom (which leads to a two-tier deck) sits above what can only be described as your personal swimming pool.
A stylish hotel with Tahiti’s signature French twist, the posh, but laidback escape has three restaurants, an inviting pool and beach and a lavish spa.
- The four new Brando Suites, ranging from 2,335 to more than 3,400 square feet of indoor/outdoor living space, are the ultimate hideaway. Choose the two-bedroom version (which has an upstairs nook, ideal for families) to enjoy butler support, an infinity pool, a kitchenette and a private location at the end of a long pier.
- InterContinental Bora Bora makes luxury travel guilt-free. The sustainable resort was the first in the world to utilize an eco-friendly air-conditioning system; it deploys frigid deep-sea water to cool the property.
- The hotel’s Deep Ocean Spa stands out as a destination in itself. The first seawater-themed spa in French Polynesia, it uses minerals and nutrients mined from the deep realms of the Pacific Ocean in every treatment.
- French Polynesia shares France’s obsession with good food and wine. This shows at InterContinental Bora Bora Resort, where you’ll find the region’s largest vino cellar and fresh, bistro-style cuisine.
- By far the best place to eat breakfast is on the deck of your overwater bungalow. Instead of conventional room service, the resort will canoe breakfast to you from across the lagoon and set your table outdoors for a morning meal with a view.
- The Bora Bora hotel is accessible via a 20-minute boat ride from the airport.
- When packing for your trip, it will be helpful to bring light, cotton clothing and rainwear. A pair of reef shoes also is four-star to avoid coral cuts in the water.
- It may be tempting to never leave the comfort of your overwater bungalow, but a range of quintessential activities should lure you out. Don’t miss a snorkeling and shark-feeding expedition or a picnic on a deserted island.
- Unique to most resorts on Bora Bora — which usually include beach and garden suites in the mix — InterContinental offers only overwater villas.
- Each thatched-roof villa embodies chic and casual elegance. Local handicrafts and Polynesian design motifs, such as pandanus leaf elements and mother-of-pearl inlay, reflect a sense of place.
- While most suites appear the same inside and out, they do fall into distinct room categories based on their location on the various piers and the type of view. Rest assured: every villa has stupendous vistas.
- A handful of villas boasts personal plunge pools, but all offer a furnished sundeck with direct lagoon access and an alfresco freshwater shower.
- Le Corail Restaurant is an upscale spot with a dress code and the largest wine cellar in French Polynesia. The resort’s signature dining venue, it focuses on a seasonal, ever-evolving degustation menu, which may include French favorites from escargot to foie gras.
- Stylish, open-air Reef Restaurant features international plates and bistro-style French cuisine. Guests rarely miss its weekly Polynesian dance performance and lavish buffet dinner.
- Set on the beach, Sands offers the staple comfort foods many crave while on vacation — hamburgers, salads and Bora Bora’s classic poison cru, a ceviche-like specialty.
24-hour room service 
Babysitting services
Bar
Beach
Fitness classes
Gym
Outdoor pool
Restaurants
Spa
