The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort

I don’t usually write reviews, but this resort and its staff deserve one. Our stay in Bora Bora was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. Unfortunately, while we were there, we got the call that my mother had been rushed to the hospital back in the U.S. We were devastated and needed to get home as quickly as possible. The way the staff responded is something I’ll never forget. The General Manager and the entire team were incredibly kind, compassionate, and understanding. They helped us figure out our travel plans and did everything they could to make a very difficult situation a little less overwhelming. At a time when we were scared and emotionally exhausted, their genuine care meant more than they probably realize. Before everything happened, we had already been blown away by the resort itself. It’s absolutely beautiful, and the service is second to none. Every interaction felt personal, and the staff truly goes out of their way to make your stay special. We didn’t get to finish the vacation we had been looking forward to for so long, but we left with so much gratitude for everyone there. We fully intend to come back one day to finish what we started. Thank you to everyone who showed us such incredible kindness when we needed it most. We’ll never forget it.

The property is wonderful. The villas were spacious and beautiful. The views were magnificent. The resort is large, so prepare to either do some walking, use the bikes they provide, or call for a ride (they come pick you up on a golf cart). The concierge is very on top of things and, based on my interests, even suggested an activity I didn't know about but truly appreciated attending, and worked hard to secure a guide for a hike I was looking forward to doing but could find no luck securing on my own. They also knew my schedule, and cleared some conflicts I didn't even know I had, saving me a lot of hassle. The staff in general is very attentive, and friendly. You really feel they try their hardest to make your stay as pleasant as possible.

When we started doing our research on where to stay in Bora Bora for our honeymoon, we were overwhelmed by the options but landed on the St. Regis through our travel agent Pacific For Less. We were not led astray. We stayed for 5 days and had an incredible experience. The resort property itself is gorgeous. Our bungalow was spacious and had direct access into the lagoon where we could swim in the day and watch fish, rays and sharks swim by at night. The resort is quite big with a lot to do, but they provided free bikes for us to ride around the island and access everything quickly. All of the staff was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and willing to help if we needed anything. Simply put, you get white glove service at the St. Regis and feel like you’re staying in the lap of luxury. Would highly recommend staying here and we hope to be back someday.

One of the most beautiful stays of my life. The resort is exceptional. The atmosphere is incredibly peaceful, luxurious, and relaxing. The rooms are huge, elegant, and very comfortable. The lagoon is absolutely breathtaking—you can see turtles and stingrays almost everywhere, making every walk or swim feel magical. The activities are amazing, the restaurants perfectly complement each other, and every meal was excellent. A special thank you to Charlotte, Hélène and our butler Jenna for their warm welcome and kindness throughout our stay. The entire team made this experience even more memorable.

Magical holiday in Paradise! We stayed 3 days at the beautiful St. Regis Bora Bora in a Lagoon overwater villa. We were stunned from the beauty of the island, the greenery and the amenities. The villa was very spaceous featuromg bedroom, large bathroom, livingroom and outdoor space. It is equipped with high quality bathroom amenities, coffee making facilities etc. The butler service is one of a kind: you can request fresh morning coffee to your villa that we enjoyed from the comfort of our balcony. The personal butler was also kind to book all our activities, restaurants and fulfilled special requests too. The food was absolutely amazing! We loved the Lagoon & Bamboo restaurants for dinner. The Lagoon is an upscale French overwater restaurant while the Bamboo is an Asian restaurant, we had delicious sushi and Asian delicacies. The resort has a marine biologist and its own lagoon conservation projects & activities which is very interesting if you would like to learn more about how to protect marine life. The beach of the resort is beautiful too, fully serviced during the day as well as serving delicious bites during the day. The level of the service was very high, the highest we have ever experienced in Bora Bora. If I had to compare with another resort of a same category, the service and food quality is definitely the highest here. Moreover, the resort feels calm at all times, no crowds, the emloyees are very much professional as well (no rallying with carts etc) We also booked a 2-tank dive with them which was very pleasant, we had so much fun and have seen many manta and leopard rays. We had an unforgettable experience and hope to be back to the resort soon!

We returned home from our vacation to Bora Bora last week and wanted to share the incredible experience we had at the St. Regis. We had spent the first 7 days of our trip at the Conrad (see separate review) and I had gotten incredibly sick while at the Conrad. I ended up having to go into the medical center in Vaitape and was diagnosed with cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation). I needed medications and medic assistance at the hotel to recover and essentially did not leave the room for over 72 hours as I could barely get out of bed. Despite being SO sick, no one at the Conrad really seemed to care. I had emailed the St Regis to inquire about the cancellation policy as I had thought there was a very high possibility we weren't making it to the second half of our trip. Luckily for me, the meds kicked in and I started to get better so we decided to keep our trip to the St Regis. What impressed me the most, was that the GM was aware of my medical situation based on the email and personally greeted myself and my husband when we arrived from the Conrad along with the assistant GM. They immediately inquired on how I was feeling and when I noted that I had run out of one of the medications that had helped me so much, immediately sprang into action to go get me a refill , at NO charge. This personalized service, while maybe small, was really emblematic of our entire stay at the St .Regis. Of course it's beautiful. Of course our over water bungalow was incredible, but the SERVICE from all of the employees really stood out. Beyond the GM & assistant GM, we had great service at all of the restaurants and with house keeping. The food at all of the restaurants was better than we could have expected - we had great meals at all of the restaurants and appreciated the variety offered. The over water bungalow was beautiful and well equipped with hair products and shower necessities. Turndown service was fantastic. We were in Bora Bora for our 10 year wedding anniversary and where-as the Conrad didn't even recognize it, we got several different recognitions throughout our 5 night stay at the St Regis. In summary, we had an INCREDIBLE stay at the St Regis and wouldn't hesitate to come back.

We loved our 4-night stay at the The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort. Our Overwater Bungalow with island views was absolutely amazing, and the resort amenities exceeded our expectations. From the beautiful Lagoonarium to the spectacular gym, as well as the outstanding beach and pool experience, everything was first class. The resort enjoys a perfect location with breathtaking views of Mount Otemanu. The atmosphere was incredibly peaceful and relaxing, making it the ideal place to unwind. The attention to detail, thoughtful touches, and special gifts throughout our stay were truly appreciated. We booked our trip through Pacific For Less, and together with the exceptional St. Regis team, they ensured we had the best experience possible from start to finish. Thank you to everyone who made our stay so memorable. We would happily return and highly recommend this resort to anyone visiting Bora Bora.

We chose the St. Regis Bora Bora for our honeymoon, and it turned out to be the most relaxing and peaceful vacation we have ever experienced. From the moment we arrived, everything felt serene, almost dreamlike. One of the main reasons we selected the St.Regis over The Four Seasons was its reputation for exceptional service, and it exceeded every expectation. Every member of the staff was warm, professional and attentive, and genuinely caring. We felt welcomed and valued throughout our stay, and the level of hospitality was unlike anything we have ever experienced before. The team made us feel like family, and by the end of our trip, we did not want to leave. A special thank you to our butler Mila, who went above and beyond to make our stay unforgettable. Her kindness, attentiveness, and thoughtfulness made a wonderful trip even more special. Thank you again, Mila! We would also like to thank Claudia and her team at Pacific for Less for helping make this trip so seamless and memorable. From the initial planning stages through our return home, Claudia's expertise, responsiveness, and attention to detail gave us complete confidence that ever aspect of our honeymoon was perfectly arranged. Thank you Claudia for all your advice and suggestions, they truly made this trip over the top and we look forward to working with you again. While the resort's beach is beautiful, some of our favorite moments were spent relaxing on the crystal-clear lagoon outside our overwater bungalow. Floating at the end of our pontoon with a breathtaking view of Mt Otemanu was pure paradise and a memory we will cherish forever. The trip has been on my bucket list for many years, and it somehow managed to exceed all of my expectations. Even weeks later, I still find myself thinking of Bora Bora and the the time spent at the St. Regis. It certainly won't be our last visit and I am already planning our return!

Our second visit to Bora Bora, we chose St. Regis due to past experience at a St. Regis Maldives and some measure of Bonvoy “brand loyalty”. Thanks to well-designed facilities, talented staff, and of course breathtaking backdrop, it did not disappoint! Booking/Coordination. Booking though the Bonvoy site we found the best rate for our needs and at a total lower cost than other sites/options. Pre-arrival coordination was conducted through e-mail with the St. Regis Liaison. Transportation, experiences, and dinner reservations were all quickly and accurately coordinated with expert advice. Check-in. Coordinated the boat transfer with Liaison from the airport, we checked-in with the greeters and they give us tags for our bags and after grabbing them we returned to the kiosk and they took us and the bags to the boat. We didn’t have to wait for the 15-minute ride over to the resort. They use different boats, some branded, some not. Pleasant and comfortable enough. Our assigned butler was present on our arrival. St Regis Bora Bora does not make a “production” of arrival and departure short the butlers welcoming and bidding farewell. Pleasant and simple. Check-in is where we spent the most time with our assigned butler, unlike St. Regis Maldives. A nice personalized tour of the grounds, a short visit to reception for an efficient and friendly check-in, then we grabbed a light lunch awaiting our villa becoming available. They provide an option of course for bags and a place to change but we were fortunate that our room was ready early and before finishing lunch Emma was there to take us to our room and give us the rundown. Our bags were already in the villa. Overall one of the smoothest resort check-ins we have had. Room. We booked the Overwater Superior. For overwater, the category of room is really based on view and whether or not you have a deck hot-tub. The layout is the same. Our third time staying in an overwater bungalow we have learned that view is not always “better” on the upgraded rooms and this visit proved our point. With that, looking out from your room at Mount Otemanu is inspiring but for us not worth the extra dollars. Same for the deck hot-tub. Looks nice though. Of the three bungalows we have enjoyed, this was our favorite layout and although some say the interior “antiquated” we quite liked it. Only real comment is the closet space is rather small but adequate. It was immaculately maintained and we really enjoyed the porch and gazebo, the depth of water perfect for easy entry and floating in the lagoon. Most of the time sea state and wind were idyllic to that end. Facilities. The undeniably inspiring grounds are expansive but walkable and with provided bikes easy to get around. When fancy shoes demanded, they had plenty of golf carts available for a ride. The longest wait was 20-minutes. The main swimming pool and beach areas are fantastic with pretty views of the lagoon and island however not of Mt. Otemanu due to the geography. They have an “adults only” oasis which looks terrific but service was limited to “room service” and likely due to the delays and additional charges that implies it was virtually empty. The Lagoonarium was a very nice bonus and although certainly not complex snorkeling, rather wonderful. We did not take advantage of any of the spa services but of course was full of tempting options. We enjoyed much of our time at the resort pool-side and chairs were always available both at he pool and the beach not requiring any kind of annoying morning “chair grab”. Dining. Breakfast is served at Te Pahu, a beachfront open air dining area offering a nice buffet and a la carte options. Highlight was Eggs Benedict. We generally had lunch poolside with a limited but nice menu. Highlight was the pizza. Dinner is our favorite meal, and to us a critical to our overall resort experience. Although they offer four named restaurants for dinner, only Lagoon can be considered a distinct restaurant with front and back-end staff that could stand-alone outside the resort. The other three are more like different places to sit to eat themed cuisine. Like many resorts, using common serving and kitchen staff, and even moving the location of the “restaurant" based on demand, the only distinct part about it is the menu and your place setting. That said, with the exception of one of the evenings, we enjoyed the quality of food and friendliness of the staff when eating at them. - Lagoon. With truly talented front of house, kitchen, and engaged chef, St Regis has a terrific restaurant in Lagoon. Fine dining with a price-tag to match we enjoyed it three times and would have not gone wrong if we ate every meal there. Offering Polynesian inspired modernist cuisine tasking menus, expansive wine-list, and superb front of house staff to bring it all to life in their intimate overwater dining room with stunning views of Tuuraapuo Bay. From our first to third we had a unique and wonderful dining experience. St. Regis Bora Bora provided plenty of reasons for us to return, but we will come back for Lagoon alone. - Aparima Grill Night. Aparima is the pool restaurant with open air dining room beachside (next to and connected to Te Pahu, the breakfast spot). A few evenings a week they feature a “grill night”. Top quality meat and fish with excellent preparation. Highlight was the tenderloin. - Polynesian Night Buffett. Taking place in the Te Pahu dining room, it features a nice quality buffet and fun cultural performance. For us it was much more about the show than the food. I am never a fan of buffet and this didn’t change my mind but again….nice. - Farniente. Italian cuisine, the dining room is located set back behind the pool next to Bamboo. They have an open air and indoor dining room option but to us, no clear idea where Farniente ends and Bamboo begins in the open air area. They had a nice Italian menu with solid preparation and friendly service. Highlight was the Tiramisu. - Bamboo. Perhaps circumstantial but this dining experience was a complete failure. Bamboo and Fariente share a building, open air dining area, serving staff, and I would assume kitchen. On the night of our reservation it seems demand had them expand Fariente into the entire seating area and move “Bamboo” into Te Pahu (the breakfast area). A shortage of staff was readily apparent with 45 minutes from seating to appetizer, us only seeing our server once when we ordered, us running out of drink, and finally after waiting at a table with empty plates for way too long, got up to find someone to get us a check. Worst part was the sushi quality (rice particularly) was on-par with cheap grocery store sushi. Extremely disappointing seeing management choose quantity over quality but thankfully a departure from the other six meals on property. Staff. St. Regis Bora Bora has attracted some of the brightest and enthusiastic staff, ensuring they provide an industry leading experience. Certainly the life-blood of the resort they make the experience and gifted us with may lasting memories. St. Regis is known for their signature butler service, toted as anticipatory and personalized. We experienced this in the St. Regis Maldives and it is truly remarkable with the butler knowing what we wanted before we knew it, and just “showing up” with what we needed; orchestrating our stay based on their requested and gleaned knowledge of our preferences and desires. Our experience in Bora Bora was much more typical of a high-end resort, with services/assistance provided "on request" via a phone call (unfortunately no WhatsApp and Bonvoy App Messenger not dependable). The St. Regis Bora Bora butlers were much more reactionary and impersonal (some folks may prefer that). To be clear the individual Butlers were experts and very sweet but short of a nice greeting and tour, daily “check-in”, and being present at the departure, service was provided by whomever answered the phone and cannot be considered “anticipatory”. I believe this is an organization choice, not a reflection nor indictment on the individual butlers skills. That said, staff around the pool and restaurants really did attempt to make a connection, remembering names and preferences, and making us feel special. These kinds of interactions really “make the experience” for us. Although our list is long we want to say a personal "thank you" to a few of our standouts. “Tim” at the pool, his enthusiasm infectious. Roxanne, the “boss” at Lagoon, she runs a tight ship and knows how to make every guest feel the most important. Numa, two-times our server at Lagoon, orchestrated our culinary experience with friendly and personalized attention to detail. Finally Pierre, the sommelier that is much more than just a qualified expert but exudes a personal connection to the wines he recommends and serves. Nice job St. Regis Bora Bora, you have an amazing staff - take care of them! Tips. Intensely contested and personal decision. Facts - 5% service charge and a tip line on each check. The additional tip is divided among the staff (no specifics provided on who is qualified for the distribution). There is no taboo or cultural offenses with tipping but not expected nor compulsory as it is in the states. That said, for us, being at a US owned resort, ourselves clearly being from the US, we tip. We tipped via the “tip line” and had cash for transactional moments (rides, cleaning, etc.) and individualized for some servers. If you want your server to have the cash, hand it to them directly. If left in bill folder, will be divided. We gave a “lump-sum” to our butler at the end of our visit based on number of days we stayed. Generally not a fan of the custom but I believe to refrain is to punish the wrong people. At St. Regis Bora Bora is was always graciously received and never expected. Membership/Loyalty Program. A Bonvoy property, they honored all published program benefits in keeping with St. Regis brand. As a Platinum Member we enjoyed the complimentary Buffett breakfast, points multiplier, and late checkout. No upgrade however St. Regis Bora Bora has very few room classes to upgrade into. Although late check-out was quoted as being due to our status, I believe if they can provide it, they will provided it regardless of status. There is no such thing as a perfect property but St. Regis Bora Bora strives for it thanks to the staff it attracts and fosters. Although it would have been nice to have more anticipatory butler service and zero flaws in their restaurant management, we had a wonderful time, and when returning to Bora Bora it will be the top of our list. Thank you to the men and woman of St Regis Bora Bora, you gave us a memorable holiday!

OH MY GOSH, is all we can say! This place is amazing and we highly recommend you put the entire "Bora-Bora" experience on your Bucket List. Starting with Laure, our "butler". You must request here. She is everything and everywhere. She is gracious, thoughtful and caring and saw to our every need and then some. She speaks French, English and German. Along with her colleague, Julian, we were WELL taken care of. Though we recommend taking day excursions you will find everything you need right on the campus of St Regis to fill your every need. And, by the way, the water color, warm temperature and clarity are true to the pictures. Though we love Hawaii, THIS St Regis experience (a lot of it was due to Laure's expertise) we feel like Bora Bora trumps even the beauty of Hawaii. Pack your bags!!

We stayed for 4 nights from the 13th of April in a beach side villa with pool facing the lagoon including breakfast. We wish we would have stayed for a week. We were allocated villa 402 and our main butler was Emma (she worked from 1400-2200 and Le’Andre was around in the mornings). Emma took us on a tour of the resort on arrival before we checked in, showing us where everything was and explained the resort. The villa was huge, with its own pool and hammock in the garden. The room had slippers, robes, beach towels, umbrellas, ponchos and assigned bikes. There was a safe and a fridge to use and also turn down service in the evenings. We loved having our French press coffee back in the garden after breakfast. Breakfast was good, the only gluten free items on the buffet though were bread, no pastries/cakes/biscuits or cereal/granola, you could ask for pancakes or waffles to me made, so this would be a nice touch to add, all items had allergen labels. We saw no marine life outside of the hotels private lagoon which is in the middle of the resort where you can snorkel and meet Moana, have never seen a fish like him, huge! We took out a canoe and paddle board; there is no time limit restriction placed on you which was nice. You will need your mosquito spray, day, and night. We did the sunset cruise on vitamin sea and a morning half day snorkel tour with manta and then eagle rays, we could not recommend them both enough, the top 2 tours of our entire trip. We ate in Lagoon, the Grill, the Italian and started in Bamboo but I wasn’t feeling well, we had the starter delivered and the mains were about to come out when we asked to cancel them, the staff could not have been more helpful or concerned. They only charged us for the starter, we fully expected to pay for it all as It was ready, this was exceptional service. I found the Italian the most limiting as I am gluten and dairy free, the others were able to accommodate my needs easily whereas the Italian was pasta and tomato sauce, they didn’t even bring out gluten free bread which was a little disappointing as the others had. The food was good in all restaurants, but don’t expect large portions. We were in Bora Bora as a delayed birthday celebration as was meant to go in 2020, Emma had a cake delivered as a surprise to commemorate the occasion, such a lovely surprise (and it was gluten/vegan!) We asked for a late check out, but we were unable to stay in our room as was booked for new guests, this was the morning we went on the snorkelling tour. They did however move our luggage to another room, a beach side villa 509 on the other side facing the ocean whilst we were out so we could use that when we got back from 1200 until 1330 where our boat back to the airport was at 1400. There was no charge for this, and they were very helpful in arranging this for us, it enabled us to make full use of our last morning. Our only tips for improvement on perfection would be to supply refillable water bottles with water stations around the resort (you do get about 4 small bottles of water per person in your room each day) to help save on plastic use, have more gluten free items on the buffet at breakfast that you can help yourself too ( I don’t like feeling like a burden asking for special items) and a washing line in the bathroom to hang wet swim wear on as there was nowhere to do this. We would highly recommend the beach villa over the water bungalow, especially as very little marine life to spot. Having our own pool and hammock to lay in was just bliss. We got to see both beach villas on each side of the resort, the ones on the ocean side were slightly bigger with a larger pool (which was colder) but was windy as fully exposed to the ocean, the lagoon side was very calm, and the pool was a nice temperature to use. We preferred the lagoon side. We were sad to leave and hope to return one day. Thank you so much Emma and team.

The St Regis delivers A true once in a lifetime experience... This Resort is truly a special in every sense of the word. The location is breathtaking, and every part of the property feels absolutely world-class. The rooms, restaurants, pools, beaches, and overall grounds are immaculate, beautifully maintained. What truly sets the resort apart, however, is the staff. Every single person we encountered was exceptional—warm, attentive, professional, and genuinely focused on making every moment of our stay unforgettable. Their attention to detail and ability to anticipate guests’ needs is remarkable. A special thank you to Jenna, who was absolutely outstanding and helped make our trip even more memorable. She and EVERYONE we encountered embodied the level of hospitality that makes this resort so extraordinary. The St. Regis Bora Bora delivers exactly the experience you dream about when imagining a luxury Bora Bora vacation. It exceeded our expectations in every way, and we cannot wait to return. (ps. Make sure to get morning coffee delivered and your shirts pressed. You can skip the Private Beach dinner. BUT make sure to book dinner at the lagoon restaurant.) (make sure to pet the onsite cat "regis")

I need more stars. This resort is amazing. The staff goes over and beyond the call of duty. They recognized me at the airport and immediately went over my preferences. The villa was perfection. I only wish there were more food options for lunch. Definitely visit Bamboo for dinner more than once. It has the best food on the property. Our butler was also amazing.

Stayed the week of April 8-14. We have stayed at many 5 star resorts but the St. Regis is something you have to experience at least once in a lifetime. This being our second trip to the St. Regis couldn’t have imagined it would be better than our first but it was. This trip was absolutely incredible, from being upgraded to the royal suite to the service we received from the amazing staff. Our hostess Chloe was an absolute super star, she took care of everything we needed without any delay. The pool guys worked hard to make our days so relaxing at the beach, Incredible hustle. The servers and bartenders knew our favorite drink after first day, the pornstar martini, lol. The food at all restaurants was 5 star caliber, as was the service. We visited the spa for a couples massage after a long trip from Pittsburgh, Pa, which was well needed . I could not ask for a better experience. We were welcomed like family from check in and didn’t stop till check out, which we were honored with a late check out! Thank you St. Regis and staff for making our 32nd anniversary so memorable!! We will definitely be back, thank you again!

That was our second trip to French Polynesia organized by Claudia at Pacific for Less. We went there to celebrate our wedding with our small group of family & friends. First of all, organizing the long distance wedding went seamless for us thanks to the event planners of the resort Maria then Pauline. When Maria left, Pauline took over already knowing everything that we had discussed before. When we finally arrived at the hotel, Pauline (so sweet) was there to great us as well as the butler Jenna. Everyone was so attentive and nice. We had a lagoon view OTW bungalow 303 at first; the room was huge, even though it probably needed some plumbing renovation. I loved taking my morning coffee on the balcony; so calm. We had a private dinner at the Lagoon restaurant and the food was gourmet, delicious and very beautifully presented and the service was exceptional. The wedding ceremony at the spa was magical. The make up and hair artist did a great job doing a simple but beautiful hair & makeup. Our daughter was the flower girl. The officiant was funny and made us laugh. The only thing was that it was very hot; but again we are in Bora Bora and it’s either sun or rain! Then we had dinner and the menu that was also coordinated with the chef was delicious including our beautiful wedding cake. Throughout the whole few days that we were there, Pauline was reachable via text to ask any question regarding the logistics of the event for our group. And she was there during the ceremony to coordinate the walking down the aisle part. Overall the hotel, staff and food were great.

Our stay at the St Regis was exquisite. We didn’t want to leave. Our overwater bungalow was well furnished—even down to having bicycles for use around the property. (Although you can call for a golf cart ride if you prefer) We had a resident sea turtle under our bungalow which made frequent appearances in the window in the floor. The bed was ultra comfortable and the air-conditioner worked amazingly. The food was overpriced, but there were a few different options to choose from on site. Once you are there, you are pretty much there, so be prepared. Staff was friendly.

Well, once you adjust to the screen saver water, surroundings and atmosphere, you can pay attention to the actual resort. If you are e-reading this you know that BoraBora generally, and the St Regis particularly, is not inexpensive. resort. We stayed in a Deluxe 1 bedroom over water villa with Mt Otemanu view. It was worth every penny. Arrival at the airport was super easy, a hotel rep met us, grabbed our bags, offered us a cold drink and ushered us onto the boat taking us to the resort. The 20 minute boat ride in and of itself was like a grant venture, the color of the water, the mountains. Awesome. Upon arrival more pampering with welcome leis and a cool cloth, up to checkin which was painless. Then a gold cart tour of our resort by our butler, who was superb by the way. Then to our villa and an orientation of its amenities. The large deck and covered extension, with an additional swim level deck closer to water level, was fantastic. We spent a LOT of time on it, taking in the views, enjoying the breeze, jumping into the crystals clear water, watching the sunsets over the mountain. A lot like paradise. The villa itself was very large, comfortable furnishings and bed. Huge open shower and a 2 person soaking tub in the bath. All linens were great. The air conditioning worked very well, and would get the room as cool as you might wish. One kind of odd thing, no ceiling fans. It looked like there had been fans at one time, but no more. Not a problem, just odd. Housekeeping was very good, if a bit late in the day (2-3 pmish). We attempted the bikes, and that didn't go so well. The bikes must eigh 20 pounds of more, one speed and geared high, so pedaling was, well, pretty difficult. After a couple of Nike trips we opted to golf cart service which was prompt and efficient. This resort is physically very large, and very spread out. I would estimate from our villa, which was close to the shore end of the very long pier, to the Spa area is at least a half mile, probably more. We had booked thru Costco, the best way to do it in our opinion, and went with the meal plan, breakfast and dinner. It was more than adequate. I had been a bit concerned that you might be confined to just one restaurant, or have a special menu. None of that was accurate. We had full access to all restaurants, and had the same menu as anyone else. There were a few items in a couple of the restaurants that had a meal plan surcharge but that was clearly shown on the menu. Breakfast is buffet style and is good. it is not fantastic, and the fresh fruit selection was a bit disappointed in both variety and quality. The breakfast venue is right on the beach and is a great place to start the morning. It is also where the Polynesian show.dinner is held. The show was fine, if you have sent one before it is pretty much the standard fare. Best meal by far at Bamboo, the Asian dining venue. We were there over Chinese New Year so they had a special fixed menu and there was SO MUCH food, and every bit of it was wonderful. We actually changed our reservations to eat at the gill menu twice, cancelling our second reservation at the Lagoon, the most upscale, all enclosed over the water venue. The food there was quite good, but not really our favorite cuisines. The view, however, was superb at sunset. We never venture doff the resort. There is no where to go, anyway, unless you take the ferry back to the town you came in from. And having stopped there for 2 days on the cruise that got us to BoraBora, there is precious little to recommend it. I know people recommend going to buy less expensive wine and alcohol, and pearls. To each their own. That said, alcohol is VERY expensive, in the $25 USD per drink range. Well, everything is expensive. $90 St Regis BoraBora tshirts, $75 baseball caps in the resort boutique. Of course we bought them anyway..... The resort lost its Forbes 5 star rating this year, and I think it has more to do with the condition of the rooms and other buildings. Our villa was very nice, but it was showing some wear. Some scratches on the wooden floors in areas, worn flooring, jst some overall wear and tear to be expected in facilities that get used almost to the max 365 days a year. So yes, a needed a redo is called for. Being pretty familiar with Forbes criteria I can attest that the service and grounds are full bore 5 star level. Staff knew us by name after day 1. Asked often if we needed anything, if we were enjoying ourselves. Service in the restaurants was very good but not hovering. All very, very we done. We took a day to go to the spa. There is a private beach there on the Lagoon. An idyllic setting, super comfy plunger chairs spotted under the palms. They call the lagoon area a lagoonarium. It is protected from predators with a mesh at the opening of the lagoon and there are quite a few different c-varities and species of fish swimming around. Pretty cool, actually. The day we were there we were literally the only people there. Also a fav for us was the "Oasis", a small adults only pool with a waterfall and 5 gazebos with nice lounge chairs and a private small pool directly in front. Not heavily used when we were there so nice and private. Overall this was a wonderful trip, Zero complaints, lots of great memories and fantastic photos. We were well pampered and fed, were taken care of by friendly people and had a wonderful time. Highly recommend

We had the most wonderful stay here. We came from staying at the Westin for a week. They were sending a boat, but when we arrived at the dock, the Westin manager was there to send us off (very nice guy-Arthur) and he just had a boat bring us since the St. Regis boat hadn't arrived yet. (we actually passed it on the short trip over--keep in mind the resorts are close to one another) First part of our stay we were over the water. Wonderful room. Faced the mountain had a hot tub on the deck. The butlers were wonderful and at your beck and call all of the time. Each villa on the whole property comes with bikes. (one for each person, no matter how many people you have....they have every size bike from ones with training wheels to adult) The pool was nice and we used it twice. One day it was over-run with small children being allowed to run amok. Filling every bar stool and sitting on the bar (inappropriate parenting) The beach is beautiful as is the water. The pictures do look fake and it looks fake in person! Every morning we just stared at it. It's simply dreamy. The second portion of our stay we moved to a island lagoon mountain view. We've never stayed on land in Bora Bora (we stayed at the Thalasso years ago). The land villa is our absolute favorite. We were given the best/private villa that they have and it was amazing. The villa itself is large and outfitted the same as the over the water villas. It's the grounds and big pool that you get that put it over the top. Ours had a huge deck, pool, hammock, covered dining, 4 loungers and an outdoor shower that had access straight into the bathroom. The private lagoon beach here was the best we've ever seen. On 4 occasions we had to contact our butler regarding other guests entering our private grounds. They were very apologetic and after the last and most intrusive unwanted visitor they had a crew come and put up a sign that said "PRIVATE" on it. As well as the Head Butler came to speak with us. The restaurants were very good. The Asian-good, Italian-outstanding, the French- a complete fail for us. It appears to be elevated Polynesian French which we did not enjoy at all. We also experienced children running amok in this "fancy" restaurant. Quite literally being allowed to run from one end of the dining room to another to visit other children tables and children using tablets with the sound turned all of the way up. (no headphones) We were here during the celebration of Chinese New Year. The clientele consisted of a lot of people here for this holiday. Their children and them themselves were the cause of our only irritations during our stay. Quite a bunch of entitled people. They were the cause of our villa intrusions. They do not respect boundaries. We are currently planning next year's trip but not at this holiday time. While here we were planning next years' trip with some of our children/grandchildren and asked if we could tour the largest villa available. It was due to be inhabited that day, but they drove of over and allowed us to go through it before the new guests arrived. We really appreciated that. It helped us decide which villas to book for next year. The villas, grounds and especially the service here is outstanding. They really take care of you. They care. They want you to have the best experience. (The Four Seasons could take some lessons) We also stayed at the Westin and the Four Seasons while here for a month. Reviews on those to follow. Olivia at the Italian Restaurant was absolutely the kindest heart we encountered. We miss her already! Our butlers: Diana & Laurie were wonderful. Simply kind, wonderful and professional ladies who care. Many thanks go out to everyone at The St. Regis for giving us such a wonderful, welcoming experience. To the ladies at breakfast---it was a joy to see your smiling faces each morning. The room service was not only fast....it's delicious! '