Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora

The boat from the airport motu takes about twenty minutes across the lagoon, and for most of it the twin peak of Mount Otemanu grows larger ahead until the jetty of Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora comes into view beneath it. The resort opened in 2008 on Motu Tehotu, one of the ring of islets on the north-eastern side of the lagoon, with its bungalows built over the water on the side that faces the mountain.

History

The overwater bungalow was invented in French Polynesia in the 1960s by the Californians behind the Bali Hai hotels, and Bora Bora's lagoon became its home; by the 2000s the lagoon's motus had become the address for the island's newer resorts, with the St. Regis opening in 2006 and the Four Seasons two years later. The Four Seasons was built on Motu Tehotu by a Tahitian owning group with the Canadian company as operator, and it opened in the autumn of 2008 as the group's first resort in French Polynesia. It took the overwater model and gave it larger bungalows, a beach along the outer reef and a sheltered inner lagoon kept for marine conservation.

Architecture and design

The bungalows are strung along piers in groups, each with a thatched roof of pandanus, a deck with steps into the lagoon and, in most categories, a plunge pool. Glass panels in the floors show the fish below. The main buildings on the motu are open-sided pavilions of timber and stone with high roofs, set among coconut palms, and the beach villas stand on the sand of the inner lagoon with their own pools and gardens. The arrangement keeps the mountain in view from almost every public room.

Rooms and suites

The overwater bungalow suites face either the mountain or the outer reef, with the mountain-view bungalows at the end of the piers the most sought after. The larger ones have two or three bedrooms and their own pools. The beachfront villas, a small group on the inner lagoon, are the resort's biggest keys, with private pools and lawns, and are taken by families and for honeymoons that want privacy from the piers.

Dining

Arii Moana is the fine-dining restaurant, open in the evening with a menu that leans on lagoon fish and French technique. Tere Nui serves breakfast and dinner with Polynesian dishes and a terrace facing the mountain. Fare Hoa Beach Bar & Grill is on the sand by the main pool for lunch and sunset, and the Sunset Bar, at the end of a pier, is the place for a drink as the light leaves Otemanu.

Wellness

The spa has treatment rooms built over the water with glass floors, along with a steam room and a fitness centre. The resort's inner lagoon is a marine sanctuary where a resident biologist runs a coral nursery, grafts coral onto frames and takes guests snorkelling among the reef fish, rays and reef sharks. Kayaks, paddleboards and outrigger canoes are kept on the beach, and the resort runs boat trips to the outer reef.

Weddings and events

Weddings are held on the beach and on a pier over the water with the mountain behind, Polynesian-style ceremonies included, with dinners in the restaurants or under the stars on the sand. The resort hosts small incentive groups and board retreats in its meeting space and in private dining settings; it is not built for large conferences.

Location

Motu Tehotu is on the north-eastern rim of the Bora Bora lagoon. Guests fly from Papeete to Bora Bora airport, which sits on its own motu, in about 50 minutes, and the resort's boat meets each flight for a 20-minute crossing. The main island and Vaitape, the island's village, are reached by the resort's shuttle boat. Among luxury resorts on Bora Bora it is the one most often cited for the view of Mount Otemanu from the bungalows, since the piers point directly at it.