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My FI and I have decided to go there and I agonize everyday about the cost...but honestly I've been dying to stay in one of those overwater bungalows and what better time than your honeymoon. I know a handful of people who have gone there for their honeymoon and they all had wonderful things to say about it! The cost is pretty steep but it just looks SO worth it!
This is both of our dream honeymoon but we just couldn't come up with the money; I couldn't justify it for us. It looks absolutely amazing though...those overwater bungalows are to die for!
We are honeymooning in Moorea and Bora Bora!!! Three nights at the Hilton Moorea and five nights at the Intercontinental Thalasso. It is extremely expensive, but we were able to save the money for it. To me, it was worth it, but I did not want to go into debt because of it.
From my research, I have read and heard that it is just an unbelievably amazing place. It is a trip we might never get to do again, se we decided to go all out.
We really wanted to go, but it would have easily been a $20-30k honeymoon with the over the water bungalows, etc. We opted for Belize and it was fantastic. Someone posted this resort in Panama ages ago as another option, and I've had it book marked ever since. I has over the water bungalows :)
My BFs did this for their honeymoon. I don't know the exact price tag (I'm sure it wasn't cheap) but they still talk about it, 5 years later. So for them, I think it was definitely worth it.
DH and I went for ours... Honestly, it's still the trip we look back upon the most. It was worth every penny we shelled out for it. For us, we were decideing between Maldives and FP, Maldives was out of the question due to the LOOOOONG flights from the US. FP was a nive 8 hour flight away from LAX. We spent a good amount, and stayed in OWB the entire time we were there (Moorea/Bora Bora) at the Hilton chain and did not come close to the figures that Bakerella quoted.... I don't think we'd be able to drop 20-30K on a honeymoon.
we would love to go to bora bora but it's not in the budget this year. it looks so beautiful and romantic
@bakerella: we were thinking of belize. can you tell me more about your hm there? sorry to thread jack but i personally don't know of anyone who has been there. (you can pm me with the info, thanks)
@vickyness: I'm in Toronto, so we'd have to fly from Toronto to LAX first. Maybe it was also the time of the year and length of stay? We also tried to factor in food since most places didn't include much other than breakfast. I think we estimated when it was all said it done, it would have been about $25k for two weeks for us with over the water bungalows, etc etc. Since it's such a long flight from Toronto, we figured we'd want to stay as long as possible!
@bakerella: OMG... yeah... I can totally see how that'd push into that price range!! We're in SF, so we had a 1 hour flight down to LAX. We stayed a total of 9 days, and hit around 10K for everything. (Booked through Costco) We opted for the dinner package in Bora Bora since the hotel is on a island away from EVERYTHING! In Moorea, we had a rental car and drove around and had local food which was delicious!
How was Belize?? Our friends went for vacation and their photos are gorgeous! DH and I are currently trying to plan for another vacay... deciding between Belize, Costa Rica, and Hawaii. (I just finally got around to my name change so we're waiting for my passport to come back. No passport = stuck going to Hawaii). It's hard for me to take time off at work so I have the approved week off but not sure where we're going yet!
@mypinkshoes: Belize. Victoria House. Hands down THE BEST place on the island of Ambergris Caye, Belize. We didnt go for a honeymoon, just a vacation and let me tell you, it felt like it was! Everyone asked if we were on our honeymoon. The staff is awesome, the grounds are beautiful, food was great, snorkling was out of this world (snorkled with sea rays and sea turtles), Mayan ruin tour was so cool (I got to feed a spider monkey a banana when he hopped into our boat on the way to Lamanai)
I just cant say enough about Belize. I would go there again for our actual honeymoon handsdown if DF was up for a repeat. :)
pm me if you want to see pictures
I caution anyone who charges ahead with the wild bachelor/ette party in Vegas and the week-long Bora Bora honeymoon...if you cannot comfortably afford it. No one should go into debt over their wedding. It's ludicrous.
I went to Bora Bora recently, total trip cost of 30 K. There's just no way "pinch pennies" at a place like that. YES, it is worth the money. NO, nothing is worth going into debt.
@vickyness: Belize was gorgeous, although we were on a private island and basically stayed there, so it's probably not a fair representation of the country. If I were faced with your three choices, I would be torn between Hawaii and Costa Rica.... I'm not sure Belize is ready for the tourism they're touting if you're looking for a drive around and wander about type of vacation. We were planning Costa Rica for this winter, but just never got around to booking it. Maybe late 2012/early 2013 will be our year ;) Hawaii is for sure on my bucket list too! That being said, we were thinking CR now before we have kids since 4x4-ing with a toddler just doesn't sound like fun for anyone ;)
@bakerella: Ooooh... thanks for the recs! I know DH really really wants to go to CR, after watching "love in the wild" and I'm torn... after hearing how my friend got eaten by bugs in mosquitos from her CR trip. I guess I'll leave it up to the passport gods to determine where I'll be going! :)
* done hijacking the thread *
@vickyness: we are thinking about going to the hilton chains as well. We have lots and lots of points so half would be used with hotels points ( mostly the points used in Moorea) and we would pay for our stay in Bora Bora. Hoping to keep the total cost around 9K.
What did you think about the Hilton chain for both Moorea and Bora Bora. Would love to stay at St. Regis or Four Seasons, but can't justify the extra cost.
@mkim: We actually just went over Xmas - New Years for our honeymoon. We stayed at the Hilton Moorea (3 nights in the private pool pungalows) and the St Regis in Bora Bora (4 nights delux over water). The trip was definitely worth it and the St Regis was definitely worth the extra cost to us. Our bungalow was AMZAING. We still miss it and think about it every day. It was definitely a once in a life time experience.
Hi Girls,
we are going for our honeymoon to the French Polynesia. I read all your comments and I know it will an expensive honeymoon, but I am dying to go there.
Do you have any comments about Moorea & Bora Bora. Do you know a good local restaurant?
Thanks
@anavila: I have reservations at Villa Mahana in Bora Bora and La Villa Des Sens in Moorea that my travel agent made for me. I also have a dinner on the beach through my hotel and have heard that Bloody Mary's in Bora Bora is a good, casual place to go.
We made reservations at Villa Mahana too! We plan on going to Bloody Marys, but will probably do that spur ofh te moment.
@mkim: We will be just leaving paradise jsut as you are arriving :( We will be flying home on September 26th! I cannot wait to get there!!!
@Dressed obsessed: Be sure to get the foie gras at Villa Mahana it is the best! I am still craving it!
@Dressed obsessed: ATV tour in Moorea and shark, sting ray feeding in Bora Bora. Those would be the 1 activity on each island that I enjoyed the most. Sorry, can't remember if you said you're going to both islands or just one.
Yep, I am going to both! :) Thanks for the tips! Do you think I can make those reservations for the excusions once we get there?
@yellowshoe: We are thinking about making reservations at Villa Mahana. How was would dinner for two be there?
We will probabl be going to French Polynesia as well. We have yet to book our hotels, but we are looking to move around a little...! Probably 2 weeks in late October-early November!
@liz.couture: We will be in Moorea and Bora Bora then too!!
@Dressed obsessed: we booked the excursions through our travel agent ahead of time since we went during peak travel time (Xmas-New Years). The day of the ATV tour there were 2 cruise ships docked in Moorea (doesn't usually happen) and so our ATV was full.
@mkim: Villa Mahana was amazing! It was 90% filled with people from our hotel though. I made our reservations for dinner there about 6 months out since it is a small restaurant, but it appears our hotel got a majority of the tables there and the concierege was pushing Villa Mahana on all the guests. But the food lived up to our expectations. Sorry, if I didn't answer your question, I think you asked how the food was?
@yellowshoe: opps... I meant to ask how much was the average bill for two people.
@mkim: hahaha I knew it was either that or how was the food. We both did the wine pairing, one of us got the "lighter" meal and the other got the full meal--3 courses vs. 4. The 4 course meal has the foie gras to die for though. Worth every penny. I believe the bill came out to around $300. They also have ala carte options. The salads on both meals were also the best salads EVER. I mean, it's salad, big deal right? WRONG! It was definitely worth every penny. We were doubtful since we read only good reviews on the place and it seemed like a tourist trap, but it was one of the best meals we've ever had. And we consider ourselves foodies.
We stayed at the Hilton in Moorea and the St Regis in Bora Bora.
@yellowshoe: not bad. I was thinking it would be around $500 to $600. We are also staying at Hilton in Moorea but also doing the Hilton in Bora Bora as well. I guess its time to get on the phone with my travel agent to get me reservations. Thanks
@yellowshoe: I'm staying at the same hotels. Did you go to the main island a lot in Bora Bora on the shuttles/boats that St. Regis provides? Any words of advice on those properties?
@mjm2012: Yup, the boat shuttle to the main island was super convenient and easy. They have a bus shuttle that picks you up on the other end and takes you into town and then back to the dock a few hours later. The main island wasn't that exciting to us so we only went when he had a purpose, to eat some where specific or to go shopping.
Moorea definitely had way better snorkeling than Bora Bora. Not sure if it was the time of year we went, but the water underneath our bungalow in Bora Bora had very very poor visibility. It was still beautifully blue, but we couldn't see anything. We saw a handful of fish our entire time there :( Although a manta ray did go by. We jumped in with our snorkel gear expecting to be able to see stuff right when we got there, but we still couldn't (I don't know how to dive under). Definitely get the ceasar salad at the St Regis, it is so yummy I am still craving it.
Edit: I just noticed my last two comments both talked about yummy salads. LOL. For the record, I generally don't like salads or vegetables for that matter...
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Anyone booking their honeymoon at Bora Boora or Moorea? Is it worth all that money?