InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa, an IHG Hotel

This is one of the finest resorts I’ve visited. The property is gorgeous, the staff are extremely friendly and attentive, and the food is fantastic. We enjoyed the excellent live entertainment, beautiful pool and amenities, and relaxing bars and restaurants. The location is great, and the inner lagoon for kayaking and snorkeling is ideal. Lastly, the rooms were spotless and extremely comfortable. The Thalasso was a perfect escape, and we can’t wait to return.

The serenity is unlike I have ever seen. My wife and I visited Mo’orea before arriving in Bora Bora and we thought Mo’orea would be impossible to beat. The Thalasso Spa however, was immaculate. Clean, scenic, serene and beautiful. Air Tahiti lost our luggage en route to Bora Bora but the concierge who met us at the airport was extremely helpful and reassuring. We were then transported to Thalasso with a beautiful boat ride. The staff were helpful, professional and considerate. We were met by Marion who was warm, smiley and further reassured us about obtaining our luggage. Some other staff members (particularly at breakfast) were less enthusiastic and not as approachable when compared to Mo’orea. Food and dining options has always been difficult for me and my wife as we are vegetarians (also do not eat fish/eggs). We knew beforehand food options would be difficult in French Polynesia. What I can say is that the staff will try their best to accommodate and do what they can for you. There was a shining star amongst everyone, and that star was Yvette from Sands. Yvette was an absolute GEM! From her introduction we immediately knew she was genuine, caring and thoughtful. We told Yvette of our dietary restrictions/concerns and she sourced multiple menus (from different restaurants too) and offered bespoke meals for us. On one night, there was a fire show and the concierge told us that Sands was fully booked. Yvette rang our room directly and told us to come down at 8pm and we could eat there (perhaps a table became free). This level of customer service really made us feel at home. On some nights I felt like I wanted to be anti-social and just stay in our bungalow. But we decided to still go out to eat because Yvette always welcomed us, treated us so well and her staff followed suit. Unfortunately I cannot remember all the names as there were many, but Anne and Esteban are two names I remember. The entire team were courteous and considerate. Yvette was our favourite. Before we left she created a lovely table for us. In our trip to Tahiti, Mo’orea and Bora Bora, Yvette remains unmatched! She is a huge asset to Thalasso and the French Polynesia itself. We will never forget her. I feel like Bora Bora attracts a wide array of people - some considerate, some introverted and polite, and some can be quite snobby/arrogant. This is not a huge problem but we found at Bora Bora there were more of the snobby types. The room was clean, even for my unreasonably high standards. I felt at home the moment we were taken there. Everything was clean, well built and homely. I had no problem staying inside some days. I found it so easy to shutdown and disconnect from technology and my phone. The scenery is mesmerising and having a clean, minimal living space helped accelerate that. I would definitely revisit. A fantastic resort and staff!

You want to know what Heaven on Earth looks like? STAY HERE!! We spent 3 glorious nights here before our cruise. Lucy gave us a nice tour of the grounds in the golf cart and then, we were greeted by one of the managers, Anton. We asked Anton if we could have an upgrade of our overwater bungalow. We were booked for a beach view, which was beautiful in itself, but the mountain view was breathtaking. Anton told us a mountain view overwater bungalow could be ready for us in about 2-3 hours because it needed to be cleaned first or we could have our beach view bungalow immediately. We decided to wait for the mountain view and are so glad we did! The view from our bungalow #222 was spectacular! The water depth around our bungalow was only about 4 feet, so it was easy to swim and snorkel around. I even snorkeled from our bungalow all the way to the coral garden. The breakfast buffet had a wide assortment of fruits, eggs, pastries, etc available. You will not leave breakfast hungry! All the staff here is so kind and friendly. The pool was large and refreshing. The grounds are meticulously maintained. Don't miss snorkeling in their coral garden. We saw a few surprises in there and were so excited! Upon our request, the pool boy, Tabu, even gave us a private poisson cru (raw fish dish) presentation. We wolfed that down before we had to depart for our flight back to Papeete. We were so sad to leave and can't wait to come back. If I could give this resort 100 stars, I would. Thank you, ANTON, and staff for giving us such a memorable stay! WE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT AND CAN'T WAIT TO COME BACK!!

The view of Mount Otemanu will catch your attention first but the attentive care and attention of the staff will keep your attention throughout the stay! Only stayed 2 nights (49hrs) but it was remarkable. The resort never felt crowded unlike another we visited in the area. The staff we interacted with (mainly at sands restaurant) took the time to get to know us and personalize our experiences. We had an Otemanu room view which was spectacular for those photo moments, but not necessary to truly enjoy the resort or relaxing environment. We ate at the Sands restaurant for most meals as we wanted flexibility with dress and timing.

We stayed at the Thalasso for a few days following our Paul Gauguin cruise. We booked an overwater bungalow -- and let me say, wow! The bungalows are spacious boasting a large living room, full bedroom with a king-size bed, walk-in closet, separate bath and shower, all with huge picture windows overlooking the Bora Bora lagoon. We spent much of our time simply relaxing on the (private) deck, catching the sun, reading, admiring our view of Mt Otemanu, and jumping in the lagoon when needing a quick cool-off: the ultimate in luxury! Only one negative: check-in time for the Thalasso is 3PM and they mean it. Not 2:50 or 2:55! We'd managed to catch an early flight to Bora Bora but had to wait in the heat for three hours (ok, we did grab lunch but we still felt hot and grubby after our flight). But that frustration melted away when we saw our accomodations!

This resort is like paradise on Earth. We had an overwater villa with the Otemanu View and it was absolutely incredible. We had the option to either stay on our terrace or enjoy their beach. Everything was spotless, the food was delicious, the staff absolutely friendly. This was the best decision we ever made for our honeymoon.

The Good: The 2-bedroom Teremoana villas are absolutely incredible (especially for a family) and were 1000% worth the cost. We didn't want to leave our huge villa and had breakfast delivered daily to the room. Extra privacy (they're at the very end of the dock), uninterrupted views of Mt Otemanu, SO much space, and a true "backyard" area with private pool. The private pool was amazing, especially with kids who might get a bit loud and splashy at the main resort pool. There are several things included with Teremoana Villa stays that weren't advertised widely but would've been helpful to know: breakfast room service charges are waived, so you can have free delivery daily (MUCH preferred to buffet, see below); boat transfers to the main island, which you usually have to pay for, are free with Teremoana villa; the loft can be used as a 3rd semi-private sleeping area; you get 1 day free access to the spa facilities; and there's a small, free mini-bar in the room that's refreshed daily with sodas, a couple snacks, and beers. There's childcare service that can be booked ahead of time through the concierge!! It offers a wonderful alternative to the kids clubs offered by some of the other resorts we were considering. Maja from Bora Bora Childcare Services was outstanding, arriving prepared with toys and activities for the kids and involving them in "hermit crab races," one of the highlights of their trip! I felt confident in leaving my kids with her within the first 5 minutes of her arriving; she's got to be one of the best sitters we've ever booked, at home, on a trip, or in a kids club. I wish we could have brought her home with us! The concierge was BEYOND helpful in booking our activities ahead of time (definitely do this- there was a line of folks wanting to book stuff on arrival, and some was already booked up). I priced out the activities they offer vs. just paying the tour operators directly, and there was zero mark-up across the 3 activities that I looked into. Much easier to book directly through the hotel and have them coordinate dock pick-ups and whatnot. (Stargazing was a great activity if you have kids & ended up being my husband's favorite part of the trip!) The lagoonarium allowed for incredible, free snorkeling! You should still book a dedicated snorkeling trip, but we were astounded by the diversity in there. We even saw an octopus! I thought we might want snorkels to use from our villa, but don't waste your suitcase space; you can borrow a free mask from pool services and keep it for the duration of your stay. One exception is that it's worth bringing kids masks, as there aren't always a variety of sizes. Possibly the BEST part of our stay was Mr. Anton, the Guest Services Manager. Promote that man! (Again! We caught him on his first day as Guest Services Manager, and he was knocking that job out of the park!) He was actively looking for ways to make our stay better, scheduling golf cart rides to the dock when he knew we had activities