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Day 3 – Papeete to Bora Bora (St Regis Resort) |
Papeete, French Polynesia
Our first day in paradise 16 degrees south of the equator and 28 degrees celcius and we have gained a day by crossing the international date line during our flight last night.
An early start this morning rising at 6.00am as we opened our curtains to an amazing view of the pool and the ocean (very tropical). We headed down to breakfast but were very disappointed with the food, the eggs tasted like powder and the sausages were like bullets but the fruit was nice.
On waiting for our transfer to the airport the sun started to appear and it was as humid as hell. We checked our bags at the domestic terminal and asked what gate we had to head too. The attendant looked at us with a strange glare and just said “go over there”. On heading “over there” we noticed that there was only one gate and we waited patiently sitting under the fans until our Air Tahiti Nui Dash 8 arrived. There were lots of honeymooners also waiting to board and we tried to guess which ones may be staying at our resort.
The flight took off only 15 minutes late and it reminded us so much of PNG. Five minutes into the flight the hostess said prepare to land as we touched down at Morea, the nearest island with an airport no bigger than my garden shed. Next stop Bora Bora.
As we descended through the clouds we got our first glimpse of Mt Otemanu piercing through the mist then all of a sudden the jewel of the South Pacific appeared the island of Bora Bora, it looked surreal.
We were greeted in the terminal (which is no bigger than a house) by a lovely girl wearing a St Regis uniform, she handed us a lei and cold water and escorted us to the launch tied up at the jetty right beside the airport. Stepping outside of the airport is fabulous. You are bombarded with a view of the most amazing fluorescent green-blue water you have ever seen! There were five other boats from other resorts also waiting for their guests.
Within minutes we were skimming across the calm blue waters of the lagoon as we passed the first of the big resorts (The Four Seasons). After another five minutes we pulled into the dock of the St Regis and the place looked stunning.
Five airports, one limo, one bus, one minibus and one launch and we are finally here!
Located on Motu Piti Aau (“Two hearts” in Tahitian) the St Regis Resort is the grandest Five Star Hotel on Bora Bora. Edged by powdery sands and a tranquil lagoon, the resort represents the epitome of carefree elegance. A total of 74 one-bedroom villas skim the lagoon, with eight of these featuring terrace Jacuzzis.
We were greeted by our butler Sebastian who offered us a cold juice and another cold towel. After checking in at reception Sebastian escorted us through the main complex then put us on a golf cart for the rest of the tour through the property. Four delectable restaurants awaited us, including an overwater dining room, featuring Mediterranean and Pacific Fusion cuisine. For dreamy relaxation we spotted a main pool with swim-up bar and a romantic adult pool with private daybeds. It was like the pictures but better.
As we headed out the jetty towards our over the water villa (OTWV) we were amazed at how blue the water looked, then almost to the end of the jetty we stopped at 229 our home for the next five nights. On entering we noticed how beautifully cool the air con was and at how amazing the villa was. A polynesian house girl arrived with a cold bottle of French champagne (Billecart Salmon) and some sweets. Sebastian offered to unpack our our suite cases and make us a coffee but we kindly declined as we pointed to the champagne. When we finally got rid of him he insisted he was only a phone call away.
Getting hungry we decided to walk to the Aparima Bar for some lunch, it was set on the side of the beach and looked just like it did in the movie “Couples Retreat” which by the way was playing on loop in our villa. We decided to just order some snacks and the signature drink of the resort the St Regis Bloody Mary. The snacks consisting of beef satay sticks, some chicken wings and some spring rolls and with the two cocktails ended up costing us AUD $120 and Rocket didn’t even flinch.
After lunch we picked up some tonic water from the resort store and ordered some limes so we could have some GT’s on our deck and watch the sunset. Rocket ducked outside our villa to the ice machine filled the ice bucket and soon we were relaxing with ice cold drinks and a spectacular view of the mountain as a big manta ray swam under our villa.
Deb purchased some Internet time and posted some photos on Facebook as we wiled the afternoon away, gee life is tough in the tropics! After the sun had set we switched the lights on in the villa an it took on a magical appearance as the spotlights underneath lit up the water and all the fish started darting beneath the glass bottom floors.
Around 7.00pm we took a moonlight walk down to the pool, decided against a drink and started to walk back to our villa when we spotted two bikes in the rack, we grabbed them and took off with Deb leading the way. We were going well until we encountered two service carts on the jetty near our villa, Deb squeezed past but Rocket skun his hand on the rail but managed to stay upright.
Back in the villa the fish below continued to amaze us as we jumped into bed and fell instantly asleep.
Hints – make sure you don’t convert the currency and if you do don’t flinch and don’t ride the bikes if you are over 50 as they don’t go in straight lines.
