Bora Bora: A floating bit of paradise somewhere in the Pacific

As the plane bounces down towards another archipelago of atolls, floating somewhere in the Pacific, a tannoy lets you know that the airport is on an island - a boat will shuttle you to the main town. The props are tuned to reverse, as we screech along the runway, bordered by the rolling pacific on one side and the bluest of lagoons on the other. The sun is shining and the flags waving proudly above the small terminal building. We had landed in the ultimate paradise destination. A quick negotiation with the lady behind the check in desk, enabled us to leave our bags in the terminal building for the day. What we have failed to say, is our visit to Bora Bora would be somewhat fleeting. The cost of accommodation in and around this famed place is truly despicable. A fairly average hotel, or a room in the shed of a local home would set us back £300 a night…As such, we decided to fly in and fly out the same day, giving us 6 hours to explore the place - without the attached expense!

Unlike most airport terminals, where their frontage is lined with taxi ranks and frantic drop offs, Bora is different. Luxury speed boats, streamlined with the best wooden hulls bob on the pontoon, elaborately dressed in floral arrangements. Their skippers wait patiently with flower garlands and shell necklaces to welcome their guests to paradise. The honeymooners and lucky families, greeted by smiling hotel staff were escorted to their boats, offered a welcome drink and swiftly removed from normality - to floating bungalows and remote island resorts. Some of which were just in view form the airport terminal. Sadly, our day did not possess this kind of luxury. Rather, we were headed for the public ferry.

5 metres from the terminal exit, a large white catamaran was waiting to ferry us to the main island of Bora Bora. We opted for the top deck, bathed in sunshine and with awesome views. In French Polynesia, there is a popularity for men to dress as women. We were fortunate enough to be accompanied by one such individual, who really did look the part. Complete with fake eye lashes and lipstick, his handbag swung from his skimpy denim shorts and his strappy top. Good on the lad - he certainly fooled me at the first glance.

As we cruised over, the island resorts were on show - plush thatched bungalows hovered over lagoon waters and were backed by white sand beaches, which stole my eyes from our company. It didn’t take a lot to imagine the view from one of the rooms. Simply stunning. Having salivated at the resort islands and marvelled at the dramatic landscape of the main island, a brisk 20 minutes later the captain had us docked at Vaitape the main town on Bora Bora.

We picked up a scooter from Albert’s store. Avis was sold out! A bizarre place really - playing host to a jewellers and a car rental garage. An American couple were trying on black pearls, which were displayed throughout the place, in a variety of forms. The husband describing them as groovy, funky and ‘pretty rock and roll’, alongside his wife flicking her hair and generally operating in a rather offensive manner. I was a little perplexed as to where the scooters were and was beginning to think we may have walked into the wrong store. Nevertheless, a little lady popped out from the rear door and was quick to help us get on the way. We are pretty used to the scooters now - so the briefing didn’t take long - she obviously recognised we were experts. Sun cream, water and the all important carte de credit in the seat storage, we were on our way.

Lonely Planet has never let us down to date, and we had read great things about the Aloha Cafe - in the main town. It did not take us long to find it, despite it being nestled at the back of the little shopping centre to the north of the town. There were numerous people enjoying a fine breakfast on the terrace, sipping espressos and discussing their yachts - but we headed straight inside. There was only one reason we had singled this place out, almost as important as the Coloseum in Rome. To try the pain au chocolats, which were described as the worlds best. Some may say it was fate, two were left, perched on top of the little cabinet - waiting for our arrival. ‘Je voudrais deux pain au choc s’il vouz plait?’ - the women was rather surprised that was all we were after. My shirt was off, we had not even bothered to remove our helmets, as was our desperation to dive into these little puppies. She need not have bothered sticking them into their little brown bag, as soon as we were out of the shop, the things were out, the brown bag discarded. Succulent, warm and so bloody good - I could have eaten about 10 more. If they didn’t go off or get stale, they would be coming home with me by the dozen. I would describe them as a hybrid between a brioche bun and a pain au chocolate. I cannot tell you how much pleasure we got from eating these little things. Pastries are my weakness - these things would drive me to having to wear a shirt more often than I would like, if I lived here.

The island of Bora Bora, first explored by Captain Cook, is a small thing really. A round trip will cost you an hour of the day. The road hugs the coastline, delivering wonderful views of the ridiculous lagoon. We have seen some blue waters on our travels, but nothing quite as expansive as this stretch of coastline. As you sweep through the island, restaurants, bars and overpriced lodging cling to any kind of view of the sea they can. The road has a few more occupants than other islands and you can tell the place is geared up for tourism. Jeeps and vans fly around, with tourists giggling in the back or being deposited at the next handicraft vendor’s stall. But there is a cool vibe to the island, that is unquestionable. People are here to relax and enjoy life - the locals make that easy.

However, I was humoured by the clientele Bora Bora attracts - if not surprised. Elegantly dressed women and immaculately manicured men were not hard to spot. Like Miami, this place seems to attract people who are keen to be seen, keen to be heard and think a little too much of themselves. As we were landing, a gent jumped up with one of the worlds largest cameras, complete with one of the sound captors on the top. Despite the seatbelt sign being illuminated and the cabin crew being obstructed from his jump seat, the gent continued to snap away to capture a young American couples landing into the famed island. I mean, you could pretty much touch the ground before the cretin returned to his seat! Then, we had the obnoxious couple in the Albert’s shop and a collection of girls trying on dresses in a boutique store - who came out with some caulkers. It was great entertainment, although it was funny because Zoe and I could not look more out of place. Sunburnt and wearing our weathered clothes - we did not see this as a cat walk parade, although had I known - I would have also dressed to impress and got amongst it!

Perhaps, given our appearance, this gives some explanation as to why we were asked to wait at the door of the Bora Bora Beach Club by the waitress, rather than walking through to look at the menu and why so many shop owners asked us where we were staying. Suffice to say, it was always rather comical responding with, we aren’t - it was too expensive. ‘Ah, so you guys are staying on a boat? ‘ would be their response - to which we would have to reply - no, no, just here for the day! One challenged human thought that we had flown all the way from the UK for just one day. We didn’t bother correcting her…I didn’t think there was much point! This island is beautiful dramatic and a lot of fun, just make sure you dress to impress!

After winding our way down to the southern tip of the Island, Maitira Beach had us jumping off the scooter. The southern strip of the island is a peninsula which juts out into the lagoon. The blue waters stretch as far as the eye can see, as shallow waters descend towards the reef. At the shore, a huge white sand beach sweeps around the small stretch of land - housing numerous water sports facilities, hotels, restaurants and the Bora Bora Beach Club. We dumped the helmets on the beach and jumped in the sea here - notably Bora Bora’s best beach. On all of our island hoping, this was one of the best beaches we stumbled across. With so few people around us, the colour of the water and the towering hills behind the sand, were unbelievable. It certainly reminded us of the appeal that this little place has to so many around the world. We enjoyed absorbing a few more, unneeded rays, and strolled along the beach, evading sharp coral and shells on the floor. Along the way, our presence interrupted two American girls snapping selfies on the beach. They were quick to say hi and commented on our tans. We took it as a compliment, but perhaps they were being polite. I think our skin looked rather raw and it may have been their way of suggesting we took some restate from the midday sun! With our hours on the island running out - we headed back to the scooter - to continue our Bora Bora explore!

Having reached the base of the island, we knew we were only 30 minutes away from where we started. We cruised leisurely back towards the main town, passing little coves and bays along the way. Boats dangled from stilted garages and locals were fishing from pontoons. Like a moat, this island is surrounded by a thin stretch of sand which provides community beaches, a moments walk from nearly every neighbourhood. Houses were built on stilts over the water and those that weren’t, still made use of the lagoon views. Nearly every home had a small boat on a trailer or one moored up opposite their house. Whilst the thin stretch of sand is appealing, the real appeal of this island lies off shore - making it understandable why so many own boats. There is no doubting the beauty of this place, but to really experience the incredible nature of Bora Bora and the unrivalled paradise - we believe the resort islands are were you need to head. As we scooted around - the views of the resorts in the distance were next level and the remote island beaches looked far superior to anything we saw on Bora Bora itself. What makes Bora unique is the proximity of these Motus from the main island - the views are incredible. But - if you are going to spend the money - make sure you are getting what you pay for, head for one of the resorts on a Motu.

With the views beginning to dwindle, hidden by more houses and infrastructure, we knew we must be nearing the main town once more. Traffic grew as inhabitants of the island bustled around the town for shops, work and school. Before long we had returned and were back in the centre. Unlike many of the other islands, Bora Bora has an array of Boutique stores agglomerated around the ferry port - beyond the usual tourist tat. We stupidly went in to one called ‘Bora Bora Originals’. One of the coolest shops I have ever been in - everything I browsed I could have bought. From superbly designed t-shirts to home decor bliss - this store needs to open in London. It would kill it. Needless to say, we probably helped keep them a float for a few more days, what with the consumption of a few goods! As the lady packed our stuff into one of their carrier bags, she told us her story of living on Wandsworth Bridge Road…the world is small. She continued to slowly wrap each item in turn, a little tape was applied to keep it closed. She paused, asked a few more questions about our travels, intrigued by our story and our route. She continued with her wrapping and tapping her keypad before asking for our payment. All the time, the clock was ticking closer to 5pm - the time we needed to get the boat back to the airport. Miss that and we really were in the poop. She was too kind to hurry but in my head I was thinking, come on Nora do us a favour and just stick the stuff in the bag and take the payment, we still have a scooter to return and a ferry to catch.

The way it works in Bora Bora is you jump on the ferry - allocated to your flight time. This is one hour and 15 minutes prior to your flight. They assume everyone who is getting the flight gets that boat - thus if the plane arrives early, you can board and get going. We ended up catching the ferry with no trouble, complete with our new purchases. In the terminal, we grabbed a Diet Coke and enjoyed sitting outside, enjoying the unbeatable airport view whilst I discussed the merits of being a baggage handler with Zoe. I mean all of the guys are ripped to shreds, muscles bulging their t-shirts. All until, we heard some commotion from inside the terminal, and the lounge behind us had virtually emptied. The flight was boarding and we were blissfully unaware - seduced by the incredible view. Luckily, I jumped up to check and caught a glimpse of the last few passengers boarding our flight - we grabbed our stuff and ran to the gate. We made it - just!

Bora Bora is what it is cracked up to be - so long as you are prepared to get off the island and drop a small mortgage on a resort island. The island itself - beautiful, but no more so than any of the others and the beaches of any note are few and far between - besides magical Matira Beach. It was a dream to drop in, albeit for a day, and we wouldn’t have changed it. 6 hours was just enough time to explore the highlights, escape the ball crunching fees of a hotel and saved us having to return home early having dropped crazy money in the boutiques. Besides, had I have stayed here any longer than a day - those pain au chocolats would have had me needing a whole new wardrobe. This rig would not have been sustained, that is for sure!

As the wheels left the tiny airport, yachts streaming in the lagoon below, our time in French Polynesia was drawn to a close. Next up - Hawaii!

A little vid of our time in French Polynesia is below: