Arrival
This was smooth and welcoming. The initial impression of the common area and grounds was very favourable. Only a small hitch with luggage delivery. Overall 95/100.

Our Room (superior room #84)
Large, nicely decorated, very big bed, good reading lights, poor room light. Luxurious, large bathroom with good shower. Pleasant view of the beach. An insect screen on the glass door would be very handy. Good fan and air-con. The only hitch is that the toilet did not flush well. Overall 92/100.

Breakfast
Very good range of quality breads - the best we had anywhere in Polynesia - not just the boring baguettes. Good espresso. Good jams and unsalted butter. Very good chocolate croissants. Fruit was a pleasure. Pity no mangoes. Juices were disappointing - half of them were cordial, which is just not good enough. Only occasionally could we make our own fresh fruit juice. Overall 90/100.

Lunch & Dinner
I appreciated the good free wine. Too much seafood for my taste but lots of choice. Fruit juice disappeared so only soda water to quench thirst. Lots of variety. I loved the fresh fruit and vegetables. Good desserts. Overall 85/100.

Common areas
Handsome Polynesian-style architecture, airy and spacious with lots of flowers and interesting trees. I liked the pier, the pleasant beach and the overall location. Well kept up. I liked the hammocks. Overall 100/100 as there is nothing to fault.

Activities
This was the main disappointment for me. There were some sports and games but these were sporadic. No badminton, no pool, no archery, no soccer, no basketball. Volleyball was poorly organised - the afternoon sessions were not advertised. I enjoyed the ping pong and table bowls. Overall 40/100.

Entertainment
The nightly show was OK but I would have much preferred games nights, competitions, a casino (not for money), trivia or other quizzes. I prefer audience involvement to passive watching of vaudeville and dance. The magic tricks were clever. Overall 50/100.

Staff
Friendly, helpful and interesting to talk to. Talented too. Overall 90/100.

Miscellaneous
Club Med charges excessively for extras such as paid excursions, transfer to the ferry dock and an extra lunch. Not to mention the prohibitive cost of staying a few extra days. Internet access should be free rather than very dear. Telephoning from Club Med is very awkward - by the time you get to the cabin the person you are ringing may hang up. Also, it proved impossible to ring Club Med from outside the resort. We appreciated the daily news sheets.

Overall
My week in Club Med was enjoyable and relaxing. They successfully remove all the inconveniences of normal travel and allow guests to enjoy themselves. I just wish there were more sports and activities. I guess the Club is geared towards honeymooners, for whom it is very suitable. I appreciate how much effort and organisation goes into the smooth running of the Club.

Tad Boniecki

Went to Club Med Bora Bora In June 2008 for six nights. You really can't compare this Club Med to any other its just not fair. Do they have spectacular amenities like pools, outdoor spas, and fitness centers. No. What they have is the most bang for you buck that is possible in the land of $24 8 oz. bottle of Coppertone.

First the room had a great view of the sea and motu's. It was clean and the bathroom, shower area was really nice.

The Go's were always friendly and help-full and in some cases life saving. I would trust Kevin the snorkeling expert with my life. You can feel very safe there.

Fun! We had a lot of it. The shows the Go's put on are really quite funny and Matthew could give Jerry Lewis a run for his money. I don't think there is anything the staff can't do. They all work hard during the day and then put on shows at night, and after wards practice the next days show into the wee hours of the morning. And still they always had a smile.

The food, Amazing. Some things I liked, some I did not, but most of it I loved. The bread first of all was the best we had during our entire stay. anywhere, with the exception of Paris. If you like New Zealand Lamb, they had it, even had it for lunch a few times. Anything could want they had it. Lunch and dinner open one of the fridges and get your bottle of wine and bring what you don't finish back to your room. Desserts and croissants, awesome. I didn't like the coffee but the tea was very good.

The bar rum and gin, tasted funny to me. Order the sprite and whiskey tasted just like home. The Cognac was pretty good. The beer and the french wine was very good. I like $2 chuck so I'm not a real connoisseur.

I never heard a chicken the entire time I was there, but I ate quite a few them during my stay and they were delicious.

This is by far the best deal in all of French Polynesia. Lots of fun memories and lots of new friends to meet. The NY Doctors and wives, the LA,and Laguna gang and best of all The Smoken Hot Calendar Gals from New Zealand. The best people and Just the best time!!

The best souvenirs from FP are on the Club Med Motu. Bring a bag and collect some small to medium shells. Perfectly legal. Buy some small Tahitian soaps to put in them and you have a great gift. Also the $13 sarongs are a very good deal. Would I go again to Club Med Bora Bora, in a heartbeat.

We stayed at Club Med the first week of June, 2008 and couldn't have been any happier. Like some other reviews, it is not a top of the line resort but for the price you can't beat it. It includes 3 meals a day, snacks and drinks all day long. The rooms are ok but you are not there to be in the room....right? We did not feel that the bed was horrible and I am a very picky sleeper. I actually liked it better than my mattress at home. Make sure while in your room you do not leave any food out in the open. They have an ant problem and if you leave one little crumb you will have ants.

We went one night to Bloody Mary's for dinner (be prepared to spend some money) and met a couple that stayed at St. Regis and their iced tea at lunch was $12 alone!!! We walked around town and went to the market and the .99 grab bag of chips was $10, a can of corn was $4 and a tube of chapstick was $10. I loved the French Poylynasian but it is sooooo expensive! That is why I'm glad we went with Club Med or we would have never been able to enjoy such a beautiful place.

We would recommend doing all of the free stuff the resort offers. You can also purchase excursions from the hotel to do. We did the half day shark/sting ray tour and had a great time. It was well worth the money. I did hear however that you can book direct with some tour companies and save money. One the tours are cheaper and two the exchange rate is better. When we were there the dollar was only worth .68 at the hotel and .80 in town shopping so always ask what the rate is before purchasing things. Since on the subject of purchasing items, be prepared that souviener items are very expensive also. The cheapest kids shirt (cheaper made mind you) was $26. I could have gotten it at a flea market for $2.

We took a walk to Martira Beach one morning and it was beautiful. You can walk out in the water forever and it is still at your waist. The walk was a little longer than I had expected but it went by fast. Just watch out for the dogs!!! Dogs are everywhere and some are not as nice as you might think. We actually had one chase after us. I wanted to rent a bicycle to go around the island but just ran out of time due to airline cancellations and our trip was cut short.

The resort was great and the GO's couldn't have been any more friendly. I told some people it reminded me of the movie Dirty Dancing with all of the young workers. Food was great and always something good to eat. We were able to try some foods that we would have never gotten to try again on the "Ocean" night at the buffet. There were always some sort of fresh fish, raw fish and even steaks for lunch one day. I came home having withdrawls for the buffets. Only negative thing I have to say about the resort is the bar. If you like a fancy drink, find something else to drink!!! They are not the best bartenders but they do try hard! The language barrier doesn't help but their skills are not up to par either. Their juices there are not concentrated so they seem watered down to begin with and then they add the alcohol and it is just not like it is in the states. I drank some much fruit juices down there that my teeth actually started hurting because of the acid. But.......it was worth it. :)

Please make sure you bring water shoes, not flip flops, if you go to Bora Bora. We went to the Motu and it is not all sand. It is washed up coral and it killed my feet. My feet are very sensitive and I could not walk on the motu bare footed. The water around the resort is ok, not beautiful so go to the motu for the beauty of the water. They only have chairs for rent ($10) over there so make sure you bring some towels. The locals taking you to and from the motu are a hoot!

If you are a beachcomber...you will be in heaven!! Make sure to bring some Ziplock baggies with you to take your possessions home. We got some of the prettiest shells I have ever seen. Watch out for the hermit crabs though.

We were at the Club Med in Bora Bora in early June 2008 with our kids age 13 and 14 and had one of the finest vacations ever. Fred and the gang of GO's were entertaining to say the least. The accomidations while not luxurious were very comfortable. The food was good, every day a different menu, the desserts and baked goods were exceptional!!!( my kids went through withdrawl not having chocalate croissants and fresh vanilla sauce!!). The evening shows were also fun and clever. They have some they have written themselves with slap stick, singing and dancing, watch for Mathue and Chin, great comic routines.


We mostly stayed at Club Med the first week as they had wind surfing, hobby cats and snorkeling, Chin, Charlotte and Guilhem at the Boat house were awesome instructors and very funny. Try the Armada around the island with Charlotte, this is taking the hobby cats and sailing all the way around Bora Bora, breath taking... it takes about 5 to 6 hours and they provide drinks and lunch and is not an extra. Snorkling with Kevin is also alot of fun and a beautiful area to swim.


We ventured out the second week...


Guy the head man to find something outside the club to do is quite knowledgable.


We did the Lagoon Discover and swam with black tip and lemon sharks, sting rays and octopus, our guide, Willaim was quite the character. He sang and was a "fish whisperer " if there ever was one, he'd enter the water and they would come. Wlliam even caught an octopus and put it on my daughter's head and on my son's face, they are such a gentle creatures and curious. We also went diving with Top Dive, I highly recommend going with them, Erik taught my kids about diving so that they had a great time and were not worried about anything. We rented a car for a day and were amazed that we drove around the entire island in less than 45 minutes.


We also went to Bloody Mary's and had a great dinner, I was expecting something totally different and was suprized by the decor I loved it!!! Any place that you can check your sandals at the front door is OK by me!! the kids loved the the sinks in the restrooms, it took them a while to figure out how to turn them on!!! We also ate at the Fare Manuia and it was divine!!! We all had something different, the foi gras appetizer was to die for and they were not stingy with the portions, I could have just had that and been happy...my husband's steak was at least 2" thick and juicey, the Carbonara was the best I have ever had.


The weather the first week was not that great as to a monsoon south of Tahiti, but the sun shone everyday and water as was amazing, very little difference from air temp to water, the second week was glorious and this is during their time of winter with days getting shorter.


A word about the cost, I can understand some people's reaction to the cost, but to us as we live in a Ski - Tourist town in the Rockies we are used to inflated pricing so we were not quite as taken aback as some.


It was with tears in our eyes that we said good bye to our new friends at Club Med.


Go and Enjoy!!!!


Zibet