Bora Bora & French Polynesia, four houses
French Polynesia keeps its luxury on the water, from the lagoon of Bora Bora to a private atoll off Tahiti. On Bora Bora the overwater villas stand on the motus of the lagoon under Mount Otemanu, each resort on its own islet reached by boat; on Tetiaroa, the atoll north of Tahiti, a single house runs on the sea and the sun, twenty minutes by air from Papeete. Every stay begins with an inter-island flight and ends in a launch across the lagoon. We list four houses, each described at exactly the tier it holds, with a concierge behind every stay.
Luxury hotels in Bora Bora & French Polynesia
4 hotels
“Because the house stands alone on Marlon Brando's atoll, twenty minutes by air from Papeete, with beachfront villas on the motu of Onetahi cooled by seawater and run on the sun, Les Mutinés for dinner and the reef and the birds beyond the lagoon — and the house holds five-star standing.”
From our editors · The Brando
The neighborhoods
Bora Bora
The lagoon under Mount Otemanu, with the overwater villas over the coral and the mountain at every window. Around it lie the motus, each with its own resort reached by boat.
Tetiaroa Private Island
The atoll north of Tahiti once owned by Marlon Brando, with one house on the motu of Onetahi. It has its own airline from Papeete, the birds and the reef, and nothing else.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Bora Bora & French Polynesia?
One. The five-star hotel we list in Bora Bora & French Polynesia is The Brando, the house on Tetiaroa, the private atoll twenty minutes by air from Papeete. Three more houses hold four-star standing, all on Bora Bora: Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, on Motu Tehotu facing Mount Otemanu; The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, on its own islet of Motu Ome'e; and InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa, on Motu Piti Aau. Each has its own page, reached from the list above, with a concierge behind every stay.
Which part of French Polynesia should I stay in?
Bora Bora for the lagoon, the overwater villas on the motus and Mount Otemanu at every window, fifty minutes by air from Tahiti and a launch from the airport islet to each resort. Tetiaroa for the private atoll, one house on its own motu, the birds and the reef, twenty minutes from Papeete on the resort's own airline. Most stays combine a night in Papeete with the islands, since the international flights land in Tahiti.
When is the best time to visit French Polynesia?
May to October is the dry season, cooler under the trade winds, with July's Heiva festival in Papeete; November to April is warm and wet, with afternoon rain and, rarely, a cyclone. The lagoon is warm all year. The weeks around Christmas and the July festival book out first.
How do I get to French Polynesia — and do I need a visa?
International flights land at Faa'a in Papeete, on Tahiti; Bora Bora is fifty minutes on by Air Tahiti, then a launch across the lagoon to each resort; Tetiaroa is twenty minutes on the resort's own airline, in daylight only. Visitors from the European Union enter as in France; those from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and Japan enter without a visa for a short stay; the rules change, so check before you travel. The hotels arrange their own boat transfers from the airport islets.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
