We are planning our honeymoon to FP in early Feb. 2003 for 12 days 11 nights. We are having quite the difficult time deciding. Overwater in Bora Bora and Beach or Garden in Moorea. Looking at Pearl Beach Resorts, Soiftel Motu, and Bora Bora Lagoon resort. We are absolutely overwhelmed. Want romance, great water, nice open rooms. Please provide any details that would be helpful...room details, service, price, location desription, etc.<BR><BR>Thanks! Heather

Heather..We honeymooned in April 2001 in Bora Bora at the Le Meridien. It was perfect!! Very beautiful, never wanted to leave the resort! Try the web site tahiti-explorer.com, its a great forum and people answer right away!!Or let me know if you need anything!<BR><BR>All the resorts you named are great Im sure, either way you will love your experience.

Thanks Vanessa. I will checkout the site. Anyone else have feedback.

Hi Heather: Can't comment on resorts for Bora Bora but just returned from Moorea. Stayed at both the Pearl Beach in a garden bungalow and the Sheraton in a horizon Overwater. Did not enjoy the PB. Found the resort lacking in atmosphere and some room & resort ammenities. Not worth the price charged. Did experience 2 other PB properties in the Marquesas Islands and enjoyed them very much but not the new resort on Moorea. Did however enjoy the Sheraton. If you can afford an OWB it is well worth the extra expense. The water there was cleaner and clearer than at the PB with more fish. The grounds were lovely and our experience with staff and service was fine even though I have read that others have not experienced the same. Sometimes it all depends on how friendly and personable the guest comes across to the staff. Usually the response is very positive. I wouldn't recommend the Sofitel as we heard from a number of local people that it is quite rundown. Anyway I'm sure wherever you choose to stay you will have a wonderful time and enjoy this very beautiful island. Also some good restaurants outside the resorts. Try the Te Hono iti. We ate there a number of times. Paid for a taxi ride to the restaurant and then they pay for the ride back to your resort after dining. Price very reasonable. Enjoy.

The Sofitel Motu on Bora Bora is great. I would return in a second. www.tahiti.wunschl.com

Here's another vote for Le Meridien in Bora Bora - it was gorgeous - very creative decorating....

I just returned (3 days ago) from honeymoon on Bora Bora, Huahine and Moorea. <BR><BR>We used Samantha with Millineum travel and she was great and the prices were good.<BR><BR>We stayed at Le Meridian on Bora Bora. This hotel is great. I highly recommend staying here. We stayed in a deep overwater (242) and were the farthest out on the pier. We had a great view of the mountain. The hotel was clean, staff was friendly and it was not crowded. Perfect. We spent much of the time on our balcony just watching the world go by and the birds catching the fish. We even had a reef shark around our bunglow one morning. <BR><BR>On Moorea, we stayed at the Sheraton. I did not like this hotel at all. The room was a garden bungalow and was nice, but ALL rooms (even ow) are all really close together. We could hear our neighbors walking around. The Sheraton makes you feel like a $$ instead of a guest. They have an overbooking policy so they rush you in and out. We met other couples along the way that told us the Sheraton were putting people at other hotels since they had overbooked. The food at the main restaurant was awful. Go out for dinner. The grill had good burgers. Most of the waitstaff, porters and groundstaff were very friendly and we had no problem with room service. The front desk and activities desk, however, cannot get their act together. <BR><BR>If you want rommance and open rooms, try Huahine. This was my favorite island. It is not overrun like Moorea and it gives you a true sense of what FP is all about. There is not much to do on the island, but there are great archeological ruins to see and the resort Te Tiare was beautiful and the staff amazing. The rooms are huge! I felt like we were in the garden of Eden where as on Bora Bora and Moorea, the resorts "own" the island. Here you were able to see families farming, children going to school and playing in the streams, basically the people living their lives instead of catering to the resorts. It is not very populated so there aren't many stores around.

Just had friends return from the two islands. They recommend the new hotel, Bora Bora Nui on Bora Bora. On Moorea, they liked the Sheraton. Pearl Beach was good for deep overwater bungalows. They spent a fortune on food however, and said they would do the Radisson cruise next time (all food and drinks included).

Heather,<BR><BR>we just returned from our Honeymoon and we stayed in both Moorea and Bora Bora at the Intercontinental Beachcomber Resorts, and they were amazing for romance, scenery, water the only thing they really lacked was the food, but we found places around to eat off the resort. We stayed in overwater bungalows and they are definately worth the little extra money. We talked to several other people when we went on excursions who were staying at other resorts and they all seemed to have complaints about something, but we basically had an unbelievable time, so I would highly recommend these two resorts, but I am sure no matter where you choose to stay you will have a great time. How could you not you will be in paradise!

I know that you are looking at hotels, but I cannot recommend the Radisson cruise enough. The food and service are outstanding, many cocktail parties and wine with dinner are included in the price, and you get to visit several islands. They even have a special get together for the honeymooners. You can also do a pre or post stay on one of the islands.

February is the hottest month of the year in FP. We stayed at the Parkroyal in Bora Bora in an overwater bungalow and it was hot! There is no a/c in the overwater bungalows and if the wind ain't blowin', it's gonna be uncomfortable.<BR><BR>BB is also extremely expensive and very little to do other than kick back. We rented a car for four hours to tour the island and returned it in two hours.<BR><BR>I agree with the poster who recommended a cruise. My wife and I aren't cruise people, but if we were to go back to BB, that would be the only way. The things that we don't like about cruises is that you don't have time to take in the local culture, or to eat at local restaurants. In the case of BB, the culture is its beauty and the population is very laid back. The restaurants are good, but not spectacular in any way, and very expensive. <BR><BR>Feel free to e-mail me with any questions.

Doesn't anyone else want to recommend the grande dame of the all - Hotel Bora Bora?!? Yes, it's a bit pricey, but how many times in your life are you going to go to Bora Bora? The resort is owned by the Aman group - a name that rivals the Four Seasons chain.<BR><BR>My husband and I honeymooned there a few years ago. One thing to consider no matter what resort you look into - the overwater bungalows look romantic but are often lined up like a trailer park. Many of the resorts offer more private and often larger bungalows just a few steps from the water so you still have that on-the-water feel but with more privacy.

I just returned from my honeymoon in New Zealand and the FP Islands.<BR><BR>If you go to Bora Bora, my advice is to stay anywhere but le Meridian. In addition to the horrible service, we had roaches in our over-the-water bungalow, they had roaches in their restaurant (two fell on me while I was eating), and they had no A/C in the room. On a brighter note, I hear that The Bora Bora Lagoon Resort is very nice.<BR><BR>As far as Moorea is concerned, we stayed at the Pearl Beach Resort. The hotel rooms and service was great, but the beach/ocean was terrible. It was virtually inaccessible, as the ocean floor was covered with sharp coral. Also, it smelled bad. I did, however, hear AMAZING things about the new Sheraton. If had to do it again, I would skip Bora Bora and spend my entire vacation in Moorea's Sheraton.<BR>

I have to agree with Tiffany. There is no hotel on earth (I'm sure of it) quite as wonderful as the Sofitel Motu. THanks so much for the pictures on the website - they brought back wonderful memories!!!!

We stayed at the Sofitel on Moorea and loved it. The only thing we would change would be to get a room with A/C. <BR>I spent hours and hours just snorkeling their lagoon. Have fun.