The Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa

The Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa

Let's be straightforward about what Bora Bora is and what kind of trip it calls for. This is not a city break or a cultural deep-dive. There are no neighbourhood restaurants to discover, no cobblestone streets to wander, no museum you'll regret skipping. Bora Bora is a volcanic island surrounded by one of the most extraordinary lagoons on earth, and the entire point is to be as close to that water as possible for as long as possible. If that is what you are after, very few places on the planet do it better. The Westin opened here in September 2024, completely renovated from the former Le Méridien, and is the first new resort on the island since 2017. It has 142 overwater bungalows and beach villas, which makes it the largest collection of overwater accommodation on Bora Bora. The bungalows extend from a long wooden dock over the turquoise lagoon with Mount Otemanu, the island's dramatic volcanic peak, rising directly across the water. It is the view that makes the photograph that made you want to come here in the first place, and it is as good in person as it looks. Ask for a Premium Otemanu bungalow, positioned at the far end of the dock, where the mountain fills the view from your private terrace and the glass floor panel reveals the marine life below. This is a resort in the full sense of the word: 128 overwater bungalows, four dining venues, the largest infinity pool on the island with a swim-up bar, a Heavenly Spa with Polynesian treatments, water sports, daily cultural activities, and an Eco Centre dedicated to sea turtle conservation with marine biologist-led sessions that are worth doing once. Maere is the signature restaurant and takes advance reservations, which the concierge will help with, and which you should sort before you travel. The food across the resort is generally good, solid resort cooking rather than destination dining, which is fine because you are not here for the restaurants. Getting here from the US East Coast involves a transcontinental flight to Los Angeles, a roughly eight-hour flight to Papeete, Tahiti, an inter-island flight to Bora Bora, and a boat transfer to the resort. Budget a full day of travel each way and plan your itinerary with that reality in mind. Five nights is the minimum that makes the journey worthwhile; seven is better. The short version: The bucket-list Bora Bora experience, done properly. Big resort, extraordinary setting, overwater bungalows above one of the most beautiful lagoons in the world. This is not the hotel for someone who finds resort culture exhausting. It is absolutely the hotel for someone who has wanted to wake up above that water since the first time they saw the photograph.