My boyfriend & I stayed at the Club Med Bora Bora resort for 8 beautiful, fun filled days. From the moment we arrived, everything went smoothly well. Club Med is very organized and very accommodating. From transfers to taking windsurfing lessons, I really felt like I was getting the best service.

Personally, I think 10-11 days will allow you to enjoy Bora Bora to the fullest.

Here is my review of certain areas of Club Med Bora Bora

Reception/Employees(G.Os) /Tourists
The majority of G.Os were super friendly and were very knowledgeable. You can tell they enjoy their jobs because it shows through their positive attitudes! Even the men responsible for transferring us to the motu and back were always helpful. Perhaps, my only complaint would be the G.Os at reception – there were occasional unpleasant receptionists but one shouldn’t let that ruin your stay in BORA BORA!

Most tourists consist of Europeans (French, Italians, etc.) as well as Japanese. Since I’m from the French side of Canada, it wasn’t a problem if many of the tourists spoke French. The G.Os are also perfectly bilingual so communication shouldn’t be a problem.

Fred, the Village Leader, is a real entertainer & great magician! He is always the life of the party. There is also, Chin, the Hobbie Cat, expert who is also a great guy. Finally, there’s Tim, the best snorkeling guide there is. I highly recommend that you take some time to chat with them because you can learn a lot from them.

Food/Buffet:
I personally found the food to be very good (all you can eat too!). Each night has a themed night (Asian, Tahitian, Italian etc.) Of course, there are occasional plates that worked & others that didn’t but it happens. Club Med is the best deal possible that you can get while staying in Bora Bora. At the market place, a watermelon can cost $20 USD while at the resort, they give you fresh chopped watermelons 3 times a day.

I didn’t have any problems with the waiters/waitresses who cleared my plates away…none of them pressured me to eat faster. If anything, the quicker they removed the plate, the more food I could eat! My favorite part was the dessert bar. The only unpleasant aspect of the food was that breakfast food was the same everyday but there are many variety of choices so it shouldn’t be a real problem.

I recommend going there early (i.e when supper starts), to get the best seats and fresh, warm food. Some choices go out fast and you might not be able to go for seconds, if the dish is popular. We always ate on the beach during lunch, and so should you to enjoy the view!

Accommodation
As others have said, the bed isn’t the most comfortable but it is decent. We stayed in a superior room and it was very nice. Since, you don’t spend much time in the room anyways, we didn’t expect anything high class. It was a very modest but clean room.


Activities/Excursions
We did the Lagoon Discovery (swim with stingrays & sharks, visit a new beautiful coral garden) and the 4x4 safari ride (It’s a really scary bumpy ride up the mountains where they bring you to see the best view of Bora Bora). Both were very worth the price! But range from $100 to $200 per person. Many have done the Maohi Niu Discovery which takes 1 entire day but it is a great experience.

Other activities that I recommend would be the Windsurfing, kayaking & Hobbie Cat. The sunset cruise is also a very romantic ride. The motu is a very isolated island, where I got one of the best photos.

The night shows were pretty good, but do not expect professionals (they are actually G.Os) and make mistakes! But nonetheless they are all not to be missed!

You should also consider snorkeling near the pier (even though it might not be the clearest water compared to motu), it has many beautiful fish & coral gardens that are being grown as well as 2 freaky statutes sunk at the bottom on the ocean.

Other stuff
·Consider buying water shoes, due to rocks on the shore

·For the ladies or even for guys with low tolerance for the cold, if you plan on snorkeling in the morning, you should buy a wetsuit shirt), it gets pretty cold in the morning!

·Bug spray, even though I didn’t get one mosquito bite, but it’s better to have it then not

·Waterproof bandaids, some corals underwater can be dangerous if you swim too close!

-Take bread from the buffet and feed it to the fish at the pier ;)

·UNDERWATER CAMERA!!!!!!!!!

I highly recommend Club Med Bora Bora for young couples or honeymooners but not for young singles. It is the most beautiful place on earth!!!

3 of us went to Club Med in late Sept. of 2008. The staff was wonderful, they're all very friendly. We always had something to do during the day. They offered free hobie-cat and windsurfing lessons and we were even able to take the hobie cat out in the lagoon in the afternoons. Every morning and afternoon a boat takes you to a beach or out for snorkelling which was great. The water was ridiculously beautiful. I highly recommend going on some excursions though, especially the Maoi Nui which takes you out to see sting rays, a picnic and snorkel while the boat driver plays music and sings. There's a great trail called the Belvedere where you can hike almost 500 feet up. It's a great place to see the sunsets .
One complaint we did have was there was some miscommunication with the staff. When asking for times for shuttles and boats we were told wrong information numerous times.
The island and boutiques are expensive though. We needed to get to town for Aspirin and between the shuttle and the medicine itself we spent well over $40. For sodas and chips at the market we spent over $20 also. T-shirts ran about $40 and up each. Bring your own sunscreen for each person!! It's expensive to buy over there and the sun burns you quickly.
The resort has buffets open 3 times a day and only small snacks (chips) an hour before meals. I'd recommend bringing food to snack on or getting it from the village market.
All in all it was a great trip. There were tons of honeymooners and because we went on a small family outing we got lonely without our husbands the first 2 nights.

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.