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Hilton Bora Bora Nui
- Introduction
- Planning
- A Bad Start & a Few Hours in Los Angeles
- Air France Lounge – Los Angeles
- Air France Business Class – Los Angeles to Papeete
- Getting to Moorea
- Hilton Moorea
- Hilton Moorea, Panoramic Overwater Bungalow #87
- An ATV Tour in Moorea
- Whale & Dolphin Watching in Moorea
- Eating in Moorea
- Moorea to Bora Bora
- Bora Bora Airport To InterContinental Thalasso
- Emerald Overwater Bungalow #204 at the InterContinental Thalasso Bora Bora
- Jet-Skiing in Bora Bora
- A 9 Hour Bike Ride Around Bora Bora
- Eating in the InterContinental Thalasso
- InterContinental Thalasso Coral Garden Suite
- Around the InterContinental Thalasso
- Hilton Bora Bora Nui
- Royal Overwater Villa, Hilton Bora Bora Nui
- Dinner at Villa Mahana
- Eating in the Hilton Bora Bora
- Is Food Expensive in Bora Bora?
- A Day in Papeete
- Air Tahiti Nui and Southwest Flights Home
- Conclusion & Blog Giveaway!
Emily: After spending three wonderful days relaxing at the beautiful and modern InterContinental Thalasso, we were sad to leave, but excited to experience the Hilton in Bora Bora!
Daraius: We arranged for a private boat from the InterContinental Thalasso to the Hilton in Bora Bora. The boat cost ~$250 for the 40 minute ride. The hotel had initially proposed paying $50 per person to ride the shuttle back to the airport and then paying $50 per person to the Hilton to ride their shuttle boat from the airport to the hotel.
So I decided to pay the extra $50 and get a private boat and save time. The cheaper option (which I learned about later) would have been to pay $50 per person from the InterContinental Thalasso to the airport. And from the airport take the free Air Tahiti shuttle to the main port Viatape and then pay ~$8 round-trip for the Hilton shuttle to the hotel.
This would have taken longer, but we would have saved ~$150! We did do this on our way back and saved ~$90 instead of taking the hotel’s shuttle boat directly to the airport.
Here are the Hilton shuttle boat timings to and from Viatape.
HIlton Shuttle Boat TImings
En Route to the Hilton Bora Bora Nui
Emily: In about 30 minutes we saw our first view of the Hilton Bora Bora Nui.
Hilton Bora Bora Nui
When we arrived at the Hilton, we were greeted with serenaders…
Hilton Bora Bora Nui Welcome
..and were each given a flower garland.
Flower Garlands at the Hilton Bora Bora Nui
We also got a small glass of tropical juice and a cold towel.
Juice & Small Towel
The reception was right where we got off from the boat.
Hilton Bora Bora Nui Reception
The reception area is connected to the beach and resort by a walkway.
Walkway to the Reception
The hotel is nicely landscaped, but not as meticulous as the InterContinental Thalasso in Bora Bora. It also has a much more rustic feel compared to the modern and smartly designed Thalasso.
Landscaping
There were hammocks between the trees,
Hilton Bora Bora Nui
and paved pathways throughout the resort.
Paved Pathways
The hotel had free paddle boats, but the water was too choppy to use them when we visited. It was very windy on the days we visited, and some of the free activities like kayaking and paddle boats were closed due to the wind.
Paddle Boats
It was a gorgeous sunny day when we arrived and the views were great!
Nice Sunny Day
The pool area is large.
Hilton Bora Bora Nui
And there were beach chairs on the beach and by the pool area.
Beach Chairs
The pool area is very well designed.
Hilton Bora Bora Nui Pool
And has some great views.
Hilton Bora Bora Nui Pool
Emily couldn’t wait to get in the pool!
Emily by the Pool
There was a small pond with lotus leaves which didn’t look like it was cleaned often.
Dirty Water and Lotus Leaves
Rooms
Daraius: I booked 2 nights at the Hilton Bora Bora for 50,000 Hilton points. I then emailed the hotel to ask about an upgrade from the standard garden room to an overwater bungalow. I emailed info “at” hilton-borabora.pf & gs.mgr “at” hilton-borabora.pf
The hotel acknowledged my Gold elite benefits of free breakfast, free internet, 2 free bottles of water on arrival and a complimentary upgrade from the regular garden bungalow to an overwater bungalow (subject to availability). They offered the following upgrades, per night:
- Overwater bungalow – Complimentary as a gold elite member at check-in subject to availability
- King Deluxe Overwater – 8,000 XPF or ~$87
- Royal Overwater – 20,000 XPF or ~ $216
- Presidential Suite – 100,000 XPF or ~$1,082
This FlyerTalk thread suggests that the upgrade rate could be double what I was offered, though some folks were offered the same rates which I paid.
Here’s a map of the Hilton Bora Bora. If you are paying for an upgrade, it doesn’t hurt to specify a room preference. The hotel will do their best to get you the room, but there are no guarantees.
Hilton Bora Bora Nui Map (Click for Large Image)
Garden View Villa
The standard award reservation for 50,000 points is a Garden View room.
Garden View Villa
The views are, well, of the garden!
View of the Garden
There was a little balcony to sit out and soak up the sun.
Garden View Balcony
You can see the Villas next door, but they aren’t that close to each other.
Can See The Next Villa
Hillside Villa
Above the garden villas are the hillside villas, which are, on a hill!
Hilton Bora Bora Nui Hillside Villas
You can take the stairs up, walk around the curved paths or ask for a golf cart to pick you up!
Stairs up to the Hillside Villa
But the views were gorgeous. If I wasn’t staying in an overwater bungalow, I’d want to stay in a hillside villa.
View Outside Room #409
I walked around the hillside villas and the views were really good!
View from the Hillside Villas
The villas appeared to have the same layout as the garden view villas.
Garden View Villa With Balcony
Did I tell you how good the views were from top?
Hillside Villa View
Lagoon View
Even though these are 1 category above the entry level Garden View villas, I thought these were the worst of the lot. They looked more cramped together than my apartment complex!
Lagoon View Villas
The entrance didn’t seem particularly nice either.
Lagoon View Villa Entrance
There were stairs leading up to the entrance of the villas.
Entrance to Lagoon View Villas
The view from lagoon view was nice, but didn’t seem as nice as the views from the hillside villas.
Lagoon Villa View
Overwater Villa
These are the villas which are not circled in the map. On the east side, I’d choose #110 and on the west side, room #341 & #342 appear off to themselves.
View from Room 341
The bungalows in the #300 east wing seemed to have coconut trees and appeared quieter…
More Coconut Trees
..though there are more villas on the east wing than on the west wing.
East Wing Overwater Villas
Deluxe Overwater Villa
I’d choose #109 followed by #108 as the best deluxe overwater villas on the east side of the resort.
View from room #109
Room #101 is kind of off by itself and has a relatively private view as well.
View from Room #101
View from Room #102
Rooms #105 & #106 look east and you may be able to see Mt. Otamanu if it is a clear day.
View From Room #105
The next set of deluxe over-water villas are in the center – #201 to #212. And the last set of deluxe overwater villas are in the 300s on the west side of the resort.
Hilton Bora Bora Nui Deluxe Overwater Villas
Royal Overwater Villa
There are two Royal Overwater Villas – #107 & #126. We asked for #107, but were assigned #126.
The villa was very large and had a huge deck with a jacuzzi, but it was overlooking the resort’s dock and we could see (and hear) the boats going to and from the resort. Royal Overwater Villa #107 is definitely more private! But we were still delighted with our room.
We will share our pictures and video review in tomorrow’s post!
Royal Overwater Villa (#126) Deck
Presidential Overwater
These are the most expensive villas at the Hilton. The retail rate for these are a ridiculous ~$3,800, though you would pay “only” ~$1,000 to upgrade from an award stay.
But these are HUGE! There are 2 presidential villas – #1001 & #1002
Presidential Overwater Villa
These 2-storeyed villas have 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 dressing rooms, a living room, swimming pool, sun deck, and an outdoor living area with a jacuzzi, sun deck, and gazebo.
Side View of Presidential Overwater Villa
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I have earned and redeemed millions of airline miles and hotel points to travel the world for free. Now I'm blogging to help more people do the same! 
Very nice! Hilton should be letting you stay for free with this enticing trip report. Was it difficult to find 2 nights at 50k points? Did you consider one of the axon/glon redemptions? Thanks
Ok, I just wanted to say that Emily looks so stylish all the time in the photos and seems to have a large wardrobe. My question is: does she have a secret for dressing so nice, for example- does she shop thrift stores or does she have a secret we need to know about or is it the fact that since you guys save so much money and travel for free that she pays full price for her nice clothes?
Darius,
I was wondering, if you post pictures of yourself/Emily on vacation for your blog, do you take clothing as a business expense?
Oh Man! You’re making me want to fly halfway around the world and go to Bora Bora.
And I still want to do a double-date with you and Emily in BA First some day!
@Francisco C – We stayed for only 2 nights, so didn’t have an opportunity to use the AXON awards. I booked 1 night at first and kept checking back until the 2nd night opened up. You can always cancel awards up to a few weeks before departure, so it doesn’t hurt to make a speculative booking and then cancel.
@Chris - Many of the clothes are from Target, and the romper in this trip report (I think that’s what it is called!) was from a shop online.
@Jamal J – We do not currently deduct clothes as an expense when we travel.
@Chris M. – You should. I know you’ve got the miles!
See you in the air sometime soon!
D –
So you would have received a complimentary upgrade to the Overwater Bungalow just for being a Gold member? Sounds like a pretty sweet deal. Let’s say you reserved the Garden Villas and hoped to receive the Overwater Bungalow but they had no availability, would you then be able to pay for an upgrade to the Royal Bungalow? Assuming they had availability.
Oh and this looked great by the way!
I would do axon rewards at both hilton moorea and Bora bora. 290k hilton points for 8 nights FTW!
Man you must be raking in the referral money so that Emily can buy new clothes all the time. $300 bucks a pop from each ink bold card approved from your affiliate links sure does buy a lot of clothes.
do tell which OW Bungalow did you get ? thanks
Nice Pictures..hope you guys had a great time!!
@ Chris- Thanks for the compliments! The green tank top and cream skirt are from Express, and I’ve actually had those since high school! The flowered romper was a gift from a friend, and I think she got it at Marshall’s.
I do get my clothes at Target, and also shop the sales at Nordstrom and Banana Republic. I actually don’t shop that often, I just keep what I’ve had since high school and recycle it. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions.
@Chris – I’m not sure if that was an error or not, because usually the upgrade is only to the next category villa. I’m not sure what would happen if I declined an upgrade and they had no overwater villas. I’d guess I’d probably be in the garden villas then!
@Romsdeals - That sounds like fun!
@My Two Cents – The last time who accused me of being a cheapskate for splitting a meal, so I guess you had a change of mind?
@choi – See tomorrow’s post!
@vram - Thanks! We had a great time.
Thanks Emily! Now I see EVERYONE is talking about your clothes, lol
When did you find out you were GUARANTEED an over water bungalow? I hope it isn’t when you get there? If the next category of rooms were free to upgrade b/c of your status, if you were to pay the difference for the next, next category- are you guaranteed those rooms?
@Kalia – If we hadn’t paid the upgrade fee, we may not have got the over-water bungalow since it is only if space is available. If you pay the upgrade fee for the other rooms (above the free upgrade) you are guaranteed that room.
This place is really heaven on earth. It is a fantastic place to go on vacation but I think I cannot live in such a place. I will be bored and restless. Thanks for the trip report. Cheers my friend.
Awesome post! Thanks for the info. Could you please share which rooms have view to the open ocean or better for snorkel?
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Hey Chris and the rest of you out there discussing Emily’s clothes,
I don’t mean to be offensive but in my opinion I don’t think that you guys are really impressed by Emily’s clothes rather I would say what impresses everyone is her really nice body and to test if I’m right you can see if the picture you like best is the one that is titled (The pool area is large.)my point being the less clothes she is wearing the better she looks. I’m sorry but I couldn’t help myself from saying the truth.
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Darius,
I love your blog. I think it one of the best if not the best travel related blog. I am considering going to New Zealand using AA miles and would like to stop in Bora Bora for three days. Any suggestions on how to go about booking mileage ticket with the stopover? Thanks in advance!
@Charlie – Thanks for reading! You can’t have a stopover outside of the North American gateway city with AA. So you’d have to use AA miles to get to Tahiti and then a separate award from Tahiti to Australia/New Zealand.
Awesome tip!
If traveling from PPT-LAX (via Air Tahiti Nui), can I add a stopover for LAX-HNL, or some other vacation spot (CUN, etc.)?
On the way out, we are doing LAX-HNL-PPT (free stopover in HNL!).
@mike – You possibly could if it is within the routing rules.
Daraius, I have a bunch of Hilton points but cant go until June/July next year (’14). How far out can I book before the deval?
Daraius,
I planned my honeymoon based on your very detailed posts about your honeymoon. I finally achieved all the points needed but am unable to find standard room availability for all nights of my trip, which also prevents me from redeeming points using an AXON reward. The Hilton rep I spoke to said there was nothing she could do even though I was going to pay for an upgrade to an overwater bungalow. I already booked my flight months ago in order to get business class tickets, but I have no place to stay yet. Are there any tips for redeeming my Hilton points and paying for upgrades even though standard room awards are not available?
Do any of the award booking services you previously blogged about help with hotel bookings?
Thanks!
@HSinAz - With some hotels it is 12 months, but you could book until 2015 with certain Conrad hotels.
@TJ – I suspect that the recent Hilton devaluation has lots of folks making bookings. You could search for award every day, and I’d search 1 day at a time to see what is available. You could either lock in whatever is available at the standard rate (which increase at the end of March) or book a stay at the Hilton in Moorea instead, or see if Priority Club has availability at their hotels. I don’t believe the other services help with hotel bookings, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
I emailed a couple services and AwardTravel did look for me, but didn’t have any better luck. They recommended checking IC hotels as well.
Unfortunately the Hilton Moorea does not have a single day available at the standard rate until October! So I shifted my plan to stay 3 days at the IC in Moorea, found 2 days at standard rate at the Hilton Bora Bora, and then 3 more days at the IC Thalasso. Now I just need to negotiate a paid upgrade to overwater bungalows at all 3 resorts as you did. I don’t think I’ll be disappointed with the IC resorts, but I was really hoping to take advantage of my HH gold with free breakfast and internet to save some money while staying connected with family members back home. My fiance is not thrilled with having to stay at 3 different hotels since it adds some hassle, but she understands.
Thanks for the very detailed trip report. It was a huge help for my planning.
@TJ - I’d still check every day in case something opens up since availability keeps on changing. Also factor in the cost an hassle of transport from the IC to Hilton in Bora Bora.
That was great advice. I’ve been checking every day and a few days opened up tonight, just before the points become worthless. It took a bit of work on the phone but I managed to snag an AXON award combined with one reward night from my Reserve card.
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When you traveled from the IC Thalasso to the Hilton Bora Bora could you have taken the free boat ride to the IC La Moana, then paid the $25 taxi charge to Viatape? After that take the $8 Hilton boat ride? It seems like that would be the less expensive and possibly quicker option. I’m curious because I’m planning a similar trip in November and I want to make sure there are no problems.
Also I read on Flyer Talk that the Intercontinental Thalasso has a mandatory transportation fee. Did you hear anything like that? It doesn’t sound like that would be right of them to do.
@TJ – Glad you were able to get the rooms!
@Ben E – Yes, we could have done that. But Emily wasn’t happy about the move (I wanted to review 2 hotels instead of 1!), so I didn’t want to bother her more. I’m not sure if the fee is mandatory or not, but there is no mention of it when you make your booking, so you should be able to get out of not paying it.
Hi! Love your blog! Question- which hotel would you recommend (staying with points)- Hilton Bora Bora Nui or Intercontinental Thalasso? We are Hilton Gold, & IHG Platinum. We booked before the Hilton devaluation – doing 4 nights using the AXON for 145k points, but also have enough points to do 4 nights free at the Thalasso. Which would you recommend? Thanks for your help & suggestions.
@Michele - If you already booked using the AXON rate, it will be hard to get a better value elsewhere. Perhaps 4 nights at the Thalasso as well?:) The Thalasso is the newer and nicer hotel, but it depends on what you’re looking for. Thanks for reading!