Bora Bora

Introducing Bora Bora

Bora Bora will seduce you into buying the Cadillac of paradises, the one loaded with all the luxury trappings you know you don't need but just can't live without. Legendary not only for its lush beauty but also its hedonistic decadence, this island is a fairy-tale creation of jagged volcanic peaks juxtaposed against crystal-clear aqua lagoons. One of the world's most famous dream destinations, Bora Bora lures honeymooners, heiresses and movie stars by the plane load with a potent potion of ostentatiously hip, oh-so-romantic, slightly naughty exotica. A wicked seductress, this island tempts with a Pandora's box of guilty pleasures: but you'll have to decide if they're worth the hefty price attached.

There's no doubt Bora Bora is overpriced - both top-end and basic accommodation cost more here than anywhere else in French Polynesia, and some say this is one paradise not worth purchasing, that it's overpriced, overdeveloped and overhyped. Others argue that the island James Cook baptised as the 'pearl of the Pacific' is worth every penny of the très cher entrance fee. If you're looking to seriously indulge, Bora Bora has plenty of five-star resorts to pamper your every whim - the kinds of places where the glass-floored bungalows hover over turquoise seas, dinner is a multicourse candle-lit affair and breakfast is served from an outrigger canoe. If money's any object, Bora Bora has plenty of quaint family pensions (guesthouses), often situated on some of the best real estate, in which to rest your head.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009