InterContinental Le Moana Bora Bora Resort — Hotel in Bora-Bora

We stayed 4 nights here and had an amazing time in their lagoon/beach view overwater bungalow (unit 36). This truly was a dream vacation for us. The bungalows have the Polynesian design you’re looking for with the glass see through coffee table to see the fish below. The entire resort has beautiful turquoise water and is shallow enough to stand in throughout. It was important for us to be able to directly access the warm turquoise water from our bungalow and enjoy walking/swimming/floating/ snorkeling around. You’re able to stand in most places without worry (we still recommend water shoes) but they also have groupings of coral throughout so you can go see plenty of colorful topical fish including under the glass viewing of each bungalow. We even saw a sting ray swim by our bungalow one night. The sand on the beach at this resort was some of the softest white sand I’ve ever experienced so it’s wonderful to walk barefoot on the beach. ||As a layout, the lagoon view bungalows tend to have the most turquoise water right in front of them. Mountain View bungalows faced the dock (where the resort shuttle arrives as well as excursions) but also away from the rest of the bungalows so you may have more privacy except for when the boats some by. The Mountain View ones may also have less of the turquoise water in their view (depending which one you get) as the water gets deeper in that direction so it turns a darker blue.||Overall, service was great with friendly staff members. We enjoyed having drinks at happy hour, breakfast every morning, the novelty of the canoe breakfast, and the higher energy Polynesian dance show dinner. Both the concierge and front desk were very helpful for us, including making arrangements for Arc En Ciel to pick us up after checking out so we can do pearl shopping before returning home. We also enjoyed our time on the shuttle from the airport (stops at Intercontinental Thalasso first then Le Moana) as well as to/from Thalasso for our spa appointment, with our captain pointing out the different resorts & landmarks as well as singing us a song. On the Le Moana beach, it was easy to rent the complimentary kayaks, pool towels, paddle boards, outrigger canoe, and snorkel equipment.||We were very happy with the location being on the main island. It gave us the option to go off resort occasionally for dinner at Bora Bora Beach Club, do some souvenirs shopping, and stocking up at a nearby market for snacks and beverages. During our stay in April, the wind seemed to come from the East so the resort, being on the east side of the island, constantly had a nice breeze whereas if you were somewhere on the West side of an island, there wouldn’t be wind. The resort is right across the street from the lovely Matira Beach if you want to go there for a windless experiences or to enjoy sunsets. We were actually relieved to return to the resort’s breeze when returning from other locations on the West sides of islands such as Matira Beach or Intercontinental Thalasso. The location also allows you to access the rest of the main island easier since you’re already there rather than needing a boat shuttle.||They did acknowledge our Ambassador status so we did get some of the perks including 2 free drinks, $20 credit for restaurant, free breakfast, discount on the resort boat shuttle from the airport, and late check-out. We also received earlier check-in but that may be unrelated to our status. Breakfast on our arrival day wasn’t included (which is normal) and cost over 10,000 CFP for two people, so signing up for Ambassador status specifically for this trip was definitely worth it.||Comparisons with Intercontinental Thalasso|We took the shuttle from Le Moana to Thalasso to get massages at the spa one day, spending 4 hours at the other resort. The shuttle ran between the resorts 4 times per day and usually has a cost but was included in the spa price for us.||One thing that stood out is that Thalasso had a more luxurious feel, with what appear to be larger bungalows than Le Moana, and absolute breathtaking views. Le Moana’s views were also beautiful but it doesn’t compare to Thalasso. If your top priority is to take the best pictures possible, Thalasso is where you want to go but at nearly double the price of Le Moana. Thalasso is also a much larger resort than Le Moana, with it taking a longer time to get to your bungalows and guests often being driven in carts rather than walking. This is something where we really appreciated Le Moana instead, with everything being a shorter walking distance and staff getting around on bicycles rather than motorized vehicles.||I also noticed at Thalasso that most people in the water were actually snorkeling in the Lagoonarium or relaxing in the pool. There wasn’t anyone relaxing in the beautiful turquoise waters of the lagoon. We did see a blacktip shark swim by the bungalows when we walked to the end of the pontoon to enjoy the view. There did seem to have a lot more coral in the waters at Thalasso and the water was deeper near the bungalows (too tall for the average person to stand in). In comparison, most people enjoying the water at Le Moana were in the actual turquoise lagoon water with us not seeing anybody in the pool during our 4 days there. I’ll also note that the beach facing the lagoon at Thalasso was smaller than Le Moana’s and the sand at Le Moana was significantly softer than the shell infused sand at Thalasso. Also there were rocks blocking most of the entrance into the water at Thalasso whereas you could easily enter the lagoon anywhere on the beaches of Le Moana. If you’re looking for a soft sand beach overlooking the lagoon, Thalasso is not the one for you and Le Moana would be a much better choice. ||We also found the gift shop at Thalasso very expensive, even by Bora Bora standards, but perhaps that’s what happens when your resort in on its own motu so you literally have no other choice. Le Moana’s wasn’t cheap but was more reasonable.||Overall in comparing our 4 hours at Thalasso with our 4 days at Le Moana, Thalasso is better if you want a feeling of luxury, want the best views/pictures, or want larger bungalows. We preferred Le Moana for the more intimate size, the location, the perfect standing height turquoise water with our overwater bungalows, and the amazingly soft sand. That being said, this was just to help you choose between the two but you’d be very happy with either choice since you’re in...

My wife and I stayed at Le Moana for 8 days for our honeymoon in one of the walk over-water bungalows. My broadest and most general advice for any trips to Bora Bora: Do only 3-4 days, schedule a morning and an afternoon/evening activity on each day, rather than a long stay.

Review broken into Bungalow, broader resort, and service.

Bungalow: The bungalow was very nice and a great quality experience. You don't feel the motion of the lagoon or water or anything while you're in it, so it's just a very peaceful experience. The only complaint would be that there's a set of wood-blinded windows that gets a lot of wind blown into them from the ocean if it's windy out. Doesn't get into the bungalow, but it can be a bit of a loud "white noise." That said, I don't know that your experience is any better or worse picking one on the end vs. any of the other options, so unless there's a special reason you want an "on the end bungalow", you can save some money and just pick any other over water option.

The Resort: A review of the resort is best done in contrast to its sister location, Thalasso. Moana is on the far southern end of the island and is in an ideal place for a lot of the activities. It's within the main taxi service zone, there is a store and a restaurant almost immediately outside the resort if you want to "get off campus", and a tax to Vaitape (the main village) is

This will be SO hard to put into words how incredible this stay was! What a surreal experience!! We loved everything about our stay here! We came for our 20th Anniversary so this was a special trip for us.

Upon arrival by boat, we were shown some of the property and went into the main lobby where we were given drinks and a wash cloth while we did our check in paperwork. We were then escorted to our bungalow and shown all the amazing features and things to see and know.

The bungalow was very large, well decorated and very clean, great amenities, amazing view, so quiet and peaceful, the coffee table that opened to the ocean for hearing the waves and seeing fish swimming was an amazing feature, especially that it could be lit up at night! Our first night we were shocked to see a stingray swimming below! The super comfortable bed was beautifully decorated with tons of flowers for our anniversary and the view from the bed was incredible to wake up to! The bathroom was huge with a vanity table, double sinks, big tub, stone shower and separate toilet area. We loved having our own dock with private access from bungalow to ocean and being able to walk from our bungalow to shore and back. The living room and bedroom both had TVs, living room had desk with chair and couch, fridge, and coffee espresso shot machine.

The main restaurant that had breakfast buffet was fantastic! Large spread of food with so many difference choices. Hard to not fill your plate with amazing food. They had an omelette/eggs made to order station in addition to everything else. They brought a Polynesian appetizer and juice with every meal as well to your table. The service was impeccable! The view of course was amazing too! Inside and outside seating options.

We also had dinner here with great food as well. Lunch and drinks from the bar restaurant was our favorite! We HIGHLY recommend the burger/drink special! SO good!! Amazing view of the ocean, bungalows, and pool from this restaurant. It was our favorite! And again fantastic service!

The property grounds are gorgeous. We enjoyed just walking around taking in the sights. Matira beach is just steps outside the front entrance of the gate, which was AMAZING for catching the sunsets!! The resort also offered complementary kayak, paddle board, and snorkel gear rentals as well as beach/pool towels to take on excursions or use on property (different than the ones you have in your room for the ocean).

The service here was perfect! From check in, bell hop, concierge, pool bar and towel/rental shack, to the restaurants. Everyone was so welcoming, kind, extremely prompt if you needed annything, and made a lasting impression on our 20th anniversary trip. The resort is perfectly placed and so easy to get around. Restaurants and shopping are within a 2 minute walk or taxi’s are available as well. We rented bicycles and rode to the main town (about 30-45 min bike ride) and had an amazing time stopping at different places and beaches along the way. It was really fun!

Our stay here for 6 days was the most quiet, relaxing, amazing place we have ever been! We felt like we hardly saw anyone (only 4 quiet kids too) during our stay, other than at meal times! Upon leaving we were still in shock and awe of its beauty and how surreal it truly was! We HIGHLY recommend anyone to stay at this incredible resort in Bora Bora! It’s so perfectly placed and if you are like us, you will feel like the time didn’t fly by! We enjoyed every single second and never wanted to leave! Māuruuru to you all at Intercontinental Le Moana Bora Bora for our incredibly...