The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort

Mount Otemanu, the black volcanic tooth that gives Bora Bora its profile, rises across the lagoon from the villas at The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort. The resort covers 44 acres of Motu Ome'e, one of the coral islets on the reef that rings the main island, and it was built so that the main lagoon lies on one side and a private inner lagoon on the other.

History

The resort opened in June 2006 as Starwood's first St. Regis in the South Pacific, at the height of a building boom that brought several international brands to Bora Bora's motus within a few years. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban spent their honeymoon there in the month it opened, which fixed its reputation at once. Marriott International took over Starwood in 2016 and runs the resort under the St. Regis brand, with the butler service that the brand carries from its New York original.

Architecture and design

The villas were built in the Polynesian manner, with thatched pandanus roofs, hardwood decks and walls of local timber and stone, on stilts over the lagoon or on the beach. The overwater villas have glass floor panels for watching the fish and steps down into the water. The site plan separates the resort into zones: overwater villas on the outer lagoon facing Otemanu, beach villas and the Royal Estate along the shore of the inner lagoon, and the restaurants and spa between them. A St. Regis butler is assigned to every villa.

Rooms and suites

The resort has around 90 villas, the majority over water in several categories distinguished by size, position and whether they have a plunge pool; the largest overwater villas have two bedrooms. Beach villas on the inner lagoon have private pools and gardens. The Royal Estate, the largest accommodation in French Polynesia at about 13,000 square feet, has three bedrooms, its own pool, a spa room, a gym and a private beach, and has housed heads of state and film stars.

Dining

Lagoon by Jean-Georges, the fine dining restaurant, was opened with Jean-Georges Vongerichten and stands on stilts over the lagoon facing the mountain, serving the fish and French-Asian dishes of his New York kitchens. Te Pahu is the all-day restaurant by the pool; Far Niente serves Italian food; Aparima is the beach bar and Bam-Boo the lounge bar. Private dinners on the beach and picnics on a motu are arranged by the butlers.

Wellness

The spa stands on its own islet in the private lagoon, with treatment rooms over the water reached by a footbridge. There is an oceanfront pool with sunbeds, a second pool, a gym and tennis courts. The lagoonarium, a fenced section of the inner lagoon stocked with rays, reef fish and turtles, is for guided snorkelling and is one of the resort's main draws for families.

Weddings and events

The resort hosts weddings with Polynesian ceremonies on the beach or on a motu, often with a traditional priest, musicians and an arrival by outrigger canoe, and receptions in the restaurants or on the sand. For meetings it has a function room and the capacity to take over restaurants for groups; incentive groups from Japan, the United States and Europe are regular. The Royal Estate is used for private celebrations.

Location

Bora Bora is a 50-minute flight from Papeete on Tahiti. The airport sits on its own motu, and the resort collects guests by boat for a 15-minute crossing of the lagoon; a helipad also serves the property. Vaitape, the main village, is reached by resort shuttle boat. Among the handful of resorts on Bora Bora's motus, this one has the largest site and the most direct view of Otemanu, which is why it is so often used for film and advertising shoots.