A brief overview of the place
We have all seen the pictures on Instagram of this spectacular place. I can confirm that heaven does exist and as Belinda Carlisle said, “Heaven is a place on earth, and it’s in the Pacific.
I can see why James Cook christened the island the ‘Pearl of the Pacific’.
With the crystal of crystal sea’s, powdery white sands and an array of exhilarating activities, you can see why its the ultimate destination!  At the islands, centre stands Mount Otemanu, a 727-metre dormant volcano, which adds to the spectacular scenery. 

What I did there.
Leading up to Bora Bora the excitement throughout the ship built up to such a point, that it was an explosion of smiles when we finally docked.

We thought of a few things we could do, like swim with stingrays, renting out a villa, but, in the end, we made the fantastic choice to rent out an island for the day. 

There was only one way we could afford to do this.  Every crew member who had a day off put in $30 and the total came to enough to rent out the island.

We all got off as soon as possible which worked out to be about 8am. The tender took us across the turquoise water to the island of Bora Bora, where we were welcomed by locals singing and each given a Lei to wear around our necks.

There were a few boutique shops dotted around, so as we waited for our boat to arrive, I mooched around and had a look at the shell necklaces and home-made island treasures.

An incredible looking boat came to take us all to the island.  It had a bar in the middle and seating all around the edge of the boat.  The upstairs also had seating around the edge, and in the middle were sunbeds for those who wanted to catch the Bora Bora bronzed look. 

This boat was the ultimate party boat, full of crew members that work extremely long hours, who now had a day off in paradise. With feel-good music blasting out of the speakers, we set off to our island. I sat at the front of the boat leaning over the side, looking down at the sapphire blue water.

We passed the Four Seasons Hotel, which is a collection of luxury huts that perch on the water.  Our boat slowed so we could all get a good look at the unbelievable hotel, which was made famous with Kim Kardashian losing her diamond earring. 

After the 20-minute boat ride, we arrived at the perfect beach which was completely empty.

we practically all ran off the boat onto the white sands, as if we had all been in prison and now finally released. I didn’t waste any time getting into the water. 

I am struggling to find the words to explain to you how perfect this place is.  Whilst a lot of the people spent their time dancing on the beach, I spent most of my day with my head underwater snorkelling. I saw stingrays, sharks, the most beautiful fish, and the coral reefs were out of this world. I only came out of the water because we had a local lunch prepared for us which consisted of fish, bread, rice, veg.  Very simple really, but it tasted unbelievable.

I walked along the powdery sand and enjoyed the feeling of bliss that filled me.  After another swim, we then all hopped back on the boat and were taken to a prime snorkelling spot.  So, back in the water I went. I thought the underwater life was impressive at the beach, but this was a wonderland of colours!  The guide kept emerging from the water with different creatures.  First, a starfish that was bright orange and bigger than my head.  Next, an octopus which was a deep purple and so beautiful.  Thirdly a puffer fish.  He didn’t harm them, he just brought them to the surface so a few of us could see & then let them go.

After this, we were dropped back at the port. A lot of people went back on the ship but I was definitely not going yet. A few friends and I got a taxi which took us on a tour of the island.  We passed Bloody Mary’s, a very famous restaurant.  Our driver showed us the board outside the restaurant which listed all the famous people had visited.  Names like Carman Diaz, Tom Jones and Leonardo Decaprio.

He then took us to Matira beach, where we got to watch the sunset.  One of the locals was playing his guitar in the background, which made it feel like a scene out of a movie.

The latest you could be back on the ship was 10 pm and I got back on board at 9:58 pm.  This is very unlike me, I normally leave a good half an hour just to be safe as you can get in serious trouble for being late, but this island was just too good to leave.

Most popular excursions

Glass bottom boat
Explore the water without getting wet.  If you are unable to swim or just don’t fancy it but still want to see the amazing marine life, then you can take a ride on a glass bottom boat and from the surface, you will be able to see right down to the seabed because the sea is just that clear. 

Resort renting
If you want to spend your day in Bora Bora feeling like a ‘Kardashian’, then quite a few people decide to rent out a hut on the water for the day, but you will have to plan for this in advance.

Swimming with stingrays and sharks
Swimming with these amazing creatures is a popular activity here in Bora Bora, so if you want to get up close and personal with the fishes, then this may be the perfect thing for you.

Currency
French Pacific Franc

Language
French

Population
10, 605 people

Things to know
Bora Bora is a tender port. Transportation from the ship to shore will be via the ship’s tender service.