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Our 2nd Honeymoon in Paradise – Dinner at Villa Mahana

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    Dinner at Villa Mahana
    Emily:  Daraius made reservations at Villa Mahana (damien “at” villamahana.com), which he heard was the best restaurant on Bora Bora.  He kept all this as a surprise for me!  We took the 15 minute boat ride from the hotel to the main island, but instead of paying 700 XPF (~$8) for the round trip, we paid XPF 1,500 (~$16) for the trip since we left at 6:00 pm. Daraius:  The hotel charges 1,500 XPF for the shuttle in the evening presumably to deter folks from eating out.  Villa Manaha has only 6 tables so I reserved a table ~4 months before our visit. Emily:  The sun was setting so we had beautiful views.  While waiting for the shuttle boat, we met an Australian couple also on their honeymoon who were also going to Villa Mahana for dinner!
    Sunset at the Hilton Bora Bora

    We got off at the Robert Wan (pearl shop) pontoon and had to walk straight through the shop to exit.  The restaurant sent a car to pick us up from outside the shop.  We only had to wait a few minutes for the car, and then it was a fast 5 to 10 minute ride from the pier to the restaurant.

    Villa Mahana only has 6 tables, and Daraius booked our reservation 4 months in advance.  We were ushered to our table which was right in front of a beautiful piano and surrounded by other musical instruments.

    At Villa Mahana

    We  were the third couple to arrive, but soon the other tables filled up.  It was a small, intimate room with lots of beautiful Polynesian artwork.

    Tables at Villa Mahana

    The music was a mix of Andre Boticelli, Sarah Brightman, and romantic French music.

    The chef’s wife welcomed us to Villa Mahana and we got bread to nibble on.  There was coconut bread wrapped in a banana leaf and French bread.  I much preferred the coconut bread.  It was delicious!

    Coconut Wrapped Bread

    We were offered menus.  The Menu Exotique for 90 euros (~$117) per person plus an optional wine pairing per person for 45 euros (~$58).

    Menu Exotique

    Menu Exotique:

    Then there is the Menu Epicurean for 125 euros (~$162) per person plus an optional wine pairing per person for 75 euros (~$97).

    Menu Epicurean

    Menu Epicurean:

    There was also an a la carte menu.

    A La Carte Menu

    A La Carte Menu:

    A La Carte Menu

    We splurged since this was our honeymoon and ordered the Epicurean menu which was a 5 course meal.  My two favorite courses were the beef and the foie gras, followed by the risotto.

    The chef took very good care of my allergy and substituted items so that I wouldn’t have to eat fish or shellfish.

    Course 1 was mixed green salad with lime juice and olive oil dressing.

    Salad

    Course 2 was Foie Gras

    Daraius:  This was my favorite course of the entire meal.  The Foie Gras was excellent!
    Foie Gras

    Course 3 was Risotto with Asparagus, pesto, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil

    Risotto

    Risotto with lobster for Daraius

    Lobster Risotto

    Course 4 was Filet of Beef with Gnocci.

    Emily:  The beef was honestly the best I have ever had. It  was so juicy and flavorful, and it was cooked to perfection. There was a perfect amount of salt to flavor the beef, and we were served extra juice as well.
    Beef

    Course 5 was Warm Chocolate cake served with Tahitian vanilla ice cream

    Dessert

    The restaurant has a romantic table upstairs, but it was windy when we visited so we were glad we didn’t get that table.

    Upstairs Table

    There was a living area with a sofa and tons of books upstairs. There were books on artists, history of Polynesia, and more.

    Villa Mahana – Upstairs

    There was even a sculptor’s studio.  I loved the ambiance and could have spent hours reading and relaxing!

    Villa Mahana – Upstairs

    Daniel and his wife truly make their food with love.  I preferred this meal to the fancy meals we had in Paris!

    Food With Love

    After dinner, the restaurant dropped us back to the pier for the boat back to the hotel.  But the coordination between the hotel and the restaurant was off, and we could see the boat pulling away as we walked down the pier.

    It was dark at night and we had to wait another hour for the boat.  While we were waiting, we went to the nearby food trucks and bought some bottled water for much less than we would have paid at the hotel.  The food at the trucks cost much less than the food at the hotel.  We also sat by the pier in the darkness and snuggled under the stars.

    When we got back to the hotel, we did a little work on our laptops and then went for a relaxing soak in the Jacuzzi under the stars.  What a wonderful way to end such a nice night!

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)