InterContinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa — Hotel in Bora-Bora

Truly paradise!||5 stars !||My wife and I just returned from spending eight days at the InterContinental® Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa hotel.||This is our second stay at this resort, and our second stay did not disappoint, and only reinforced the reasons why we were so anxious to return. We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary here in 2023 and we were so anxious to return we decided to celebrate our 30 years “together” by returning in 2025!||Bora Bora is an unbelievably beautiful destination, however, the InterContinental® Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa hotels location is exceptional and the breathtaking views of Mount Otemanu and the position on the lagoon, we believe is the best in Bora Bora in our opinion.||I will say that this opinion is heavily influenced by, the most exceptional aspect of the resort… and that is the people!||The Beauty, the Location, and being blessed to have the opportunity to check off the bucket list “Overwater Bungalow”, the views , snorkeling around your bungalow and around the resort, tropical fish, sting rays, eagle rays…these all were amazing, but the part that truly blessed us the most was the people who take such amazing care of you while you stay on the Island!. ||I mean everyone…||Everyone,from the General Manager, Front Desk, Restaurant, Bartenders, Pool Staff, Spa , Gift Shop, to those who keep the resort beautiful and clean...they are as kind as can be. Normally, we try to remember names to thank people individually. In this case, we would be naming nearly the entire hotel staff. When we say that everyone was truly kind, we mean truly kind and thoughtful. We also love that the staff was so willing to treat us like family and we enjoyed talking to them and learning about their life on the island. ||There are a few specific names that we will specifically mention, but this does not mean that all the others did not deserve a specific thank you…we had not ONE negative interaction with anyone at this resort (includes our first stay) !||We were met at the dock by the General Manager Nouredine Fardad, who joined the others at the dock to welcome us to the resort, (we love the welcoming and send off tradition of “The Pu”, local blowing a conch shell) , we were introduced to several people at the dock including, Paul Duckit who was the guest relation manager. Mr Fardad was so kind to give us his golf cart to be transported to reception as it was raining at that moment! It was a very kind gesture!||Paul was very kind throughout our stay and arranged for our dinner reservations and attendance a the “Fire Show’ (which we loved). He was very responsive to emails and made many gestures to welcome us to the resort and overall was amazing to deal with.||Yvanui is one of the bartenders who provide drinks at the “happy hour” at Bubbles bar and she was not only a very talented “mixologist” …whose drinks were amazing! She was so very kind to us; we wish we could have spent more time talking to her. She shared with Shelly some places to see and shop on the island and was so very generous in giving her some handmade gifts on the day we were leaving …we were truly touched!||Breakfast was always an amazing experience for us, we were so happy to see so many familiar faces at the breakfast buffet…starting with our friend Terri who took such good care of us on our first visit, when she found out that I was interested in trying some of the local “spicy” items she gave me a bottle of homemade “Peppers in Oil” that she prepared at home from her garden on our first trip …she remembered that I liked those and between her and the amazing Chef’s Laorana and Vero…they made sure to get fresh peppers from the garden and made the most amazing spicy omelets for me every day! ||Even better than the food was all the smiling faces who truly seemed happy to see us every morning and we are missing the sound of ““Ia Ora Na”…the ladies who were so attentive to us every day and introduced me to MOCACHINOS! And I was addicted!||Fanaui and Moises (sorry for the spelling) who take care of everyone by the pool and beach area…they watch everyone and take care of the towels, do cultural demonstrations and Fanaui plays the ukulele and is a pretty good singer!! They work hard but always with a smile!||Capocine works at the front desk (reception, check in and check out) and she was also super helpful and took the time to explain everything very thoroughly and to share with us about what brought her to the island!||Everyone at the concierge was excellent…we neglected to write down the name of the young lady that assisted us with getting the rental car but she was very sweet and very smart…fluent in 4 languages!||The housekeeping ladies were also very kind and kept our room immaculate and well stocked! They also wrote us daily notes on the mirror, and we loved seeing those after returning to the room!||We were sad to leave the resort and the people who felt like our friends and who treated us so amazing. The sound of the “Pu” blowing as we left in the boat transfer was a little sad! (oh yeah the boat captains were also super nice!)||I could write more... but in closing …Bora Bora is expensive, but with the views, experience, and the people... it is worth it!||Thank you!!||Mauru'uru roa,!! ||To everyone.||Lyman and...

This property is not designed for rain so if you come at rain season you need to be aware for possibly flooding in the room if there is a storm (water come through front door). Some of the services are wide open so you'd be exposed to the rain. Forget calling the golf carts during the rain cause the queue will be long (since everyone needs it). While you may schedule a golf cart to pick you up well in advance, it may not arrive on time. I had requested 3 rides, only 1 came on time (and didn't bother ever after the 3 requests). The rest I would not know if they came or not since I had to catch a ferry within 10 minutes and the other we have just decided to walk after waiting for 15-20 minutes.

People on the property are nice. They will say hi and acknowledge you. The view is also beautiful.

The location at Thalasso is probably the only thing that the other properties cannot beat. The position of the island mattered, but maybe pay a ride or have lunch here will be good enough than staying here if you just want to see it in person once.

If you have an issue with flies on your food then this may not be an ideal location for you. Most of the restaurants here are located in an open area and flies are not going away. My partner complained about flies on the food during breakfast every day and was not happy with it on the food in the buffet area or around the table. However, there's nothing that can be done unless you don't want to eat. I also see other guests complained but I think only more candles were lighted at the buffet area. Eating outside may be an option but is likely not feasible to do it on a daily basis cause the property charges you for each ride you decide to go on Moana (unlike some other properties where the rides are complimentary).

An interesting encounter at the Valentine's dinner in Le Corail was a couple left the dinner after not being served (or ignored) for 5-10 minutes.

A power outage (specific at only our room) occurred for using a laptop, TV, chargers for 2 iPhone and water cooker at around 2040. Had to walk to the front desk twice to try to get things resolved cause first time the power is out (so no phone), second time no one picked up the phone after calling thrice (when the phone was working again). The lady at the front desk seemed clueless and told us "Perfect, I will call a mechanic" after explaining the situation the first time. I find nothing perfect in this but let it slide at the time cause English is not their first language. A mechanic was sent to fix the problem but he only speaks French. We had to use google translator to communicate. No one at the front desk intervened.

The mechanic fixed part of the problem and said the rest had to fixed the following day. I decided to talk to the front desk again since not everything was fixed but no one picked up the phone (the thrice), so I went to the front desk again looking for solutions such as changing rooms. The lady at the front desk doesn't understand that the problems cannot be fixed at once and decide to send the mechanic (same person) to our room again even though I told her it's pointless. She said she will talk to her manager about this as it's not normal and would ask for a gift or discount on the room. I told her this booking is made with points, what kind of discount can you give?

I originally thought of switching rooms (it was quite an embarrassment for me) but then my partner decided against it. She did not want to pack twice as it was already late at night (around 2200) and we are leaving the next day. We told the lady at the front desk we didn't want to change the room anymore by calling back (all calls initiated by me). She said the manager would like to speak to me and I think the only thing the manager wanted to confirm in that call is that we don't want to switch rooms since she also said "Perfect" after we confirm not to switch rooms. I guess "Perfect" is being used widely in communicating.

There's also some lack of employees at the front desk even in the morning. While checking out the next day, I waited for 10 minutes cause the previous guest apparently had some problems and walked back and forth. I thought they were done and was told they were not done and sent back to waiting. The agent didn't bother to get someone else to service. When it's my turn, nothing was acknowledged for what happened the previous night on the power (quite shocking). I was presented with the bill, paid it and decided not to bother anymore cause it would seem like I am requesting...

The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa is a stunning property that delivers on the promise of a South Pacific paradise, though it comes with a few operational quirks that could use improvement. During our recent 5-day stay, we experienced both the magic and minor frustrations that come with this remote luxury destination.

The property itself is absolutely gorgeous, living up to those postcard-perfect images of Bora Bora. The highlight of our stay was the remarkable Lagoonarium, where we spent time daily snorkeling among carefully curated coral gardens, giant clams, and thousands of tropical fish representing dozens of species. While more elusive, the presence of stingrays and baby manta rays added an element of excitement to our underwater adventures.

The staff's hospitality was exceptional from the moment we arrived. We received a memorable welcome complete with a traditional conch shell announcement performed by a staff member in traditional Polynesian costume, and the General Manager personally greeted us – touches that set the tone for the exceptional service we'd experience throughout our stay.

The complimentary wet bar in the room was an unexpected pleasure, and the fitness center, while compact, proved adequate for basic workout needs (though it can feel crowded with more than one group).

The dining program offers both hits and misses. The breakfast buffet, included in our package, was impressive despite the logistical challenges of sourcing ingredients on a remote island. While the selection remained relatively consistent throughout our stay, the quality was good, if somewhat repetitive for longer stays.

The culinary highlight was the seafood, which at its best rivaled top Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide. The Tuesday tuna sashimi was particularly memorable, though we noticed the quality declined noticeably by Sunday, suggesting irregular delivery schedules.

Among the dinner options, the Polynesian Buffet and Prime Rib nights stood out as the most enjoyable experiences. Le Coralle, the resort's upscale restaurant, delivered a decent lobster dinner, though some cold lobster dishes disappointed with less-than-fresh taste. One visit here during your stay is sufficient.

For a resort commanding nearly $2,000 per night, some policies feel unnecessarily penny-pinching. The most notable is the practice of charging $10 for still or sparkling water at dinner (not included in the dinner package) – especially puzzling when some wine glasses cost just a dollar more. This created an awkward dynamic at every meal that could easily be avoided.

The 15% currency exchange fee for tips feels excessive, particularly since there's nowhere else to spend money and it all goes back to the staff anyway. We eventually switched to tipping in USD with larger bills at the end of our stay.

The dinner package's structure could use some rethinking. Currently, some breakfast buffet items appear on the dinner menu as part of the three-course meal (starter, main, and dessert), which feels like a waste when you accidentally select something you could have had at breakfast. These items should be clearly marked or, better yet, removed from the dinner menu entirely.

Despite its minor shortcomings, the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa offers a memorably luxurious experience in one of the world's most beautiful settings. The combination of stunning natural beauty, excellent snorkeling, and genuinely warm service makes it a worthwhile destination. However, guests should be prepared for some typical remote-location limitations and a few puzzling policies that don't quite align with the resort's luxury positioning.

This resort is recommended for couples seeking a romantic getaway, snorkeling enthusiasts, and travelers who prioritize natural beauty and don't mind paying a premium for it. Best enjoyed with a stay of 4-5 days, which allows you to experience all the resort has to offer before the dining options become repetitive.

Pro Tip: Consider bringing USD for tipping to avoid exchange fees, and be prepared to be assertive about water preferences at dinner if you want to avoid unnecessary...