Fly to Bora-Bora's Motu Mute Airport (BOB) on the 40-minute connecting flights from Tahiti's Faa'a International Airport. airtahiti.aero
Stay at Le Meridien on Bora-Bora, which is a celebrated place to experience the magic of overwater bungalows, lemeridien.com. The Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa is laid-back, wonderfully luxurious and has the best views of Mount Otemanu you'll find, boraboralagoon.com. The Sofitel Bora Bora Marara Beach Resort offers Polynesian hospitality and total relaxation, sofitel.com. The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa prides itself on concierges that can point you toward great authentic Tahitian experiences, intercontinental.com. The Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort & Spa showcases the work in its coral nursery to preserve and protect the vibrant coral population. pearlresorts.com
Eat at Le Tiare restaurant at Le Méridien resort. Neither protective glass nor railings separate guests from the water here, and the lagoon's otherworldly coloring isn't painted on. A peaked thatch roof towers above, and wild green sea turtles and hawksbill turtles swim below, tugging attention from yellowfin tuna carpaccio and sesame-seaweed salad on the table. lemeridien.com
See Matira Beach Park, at Bora-Bora's southern tip. It's a white- sand classic cooled by the trade winds. But frankly, the rest of the island comes up a little short in the beach department. To address that, head for an outlying islet: Motu Vaivahia, for example, has a beach that's near some good snorkeling and has stunning panoramas back across the lagoon to those dramatic peaks.
Relax at the Maru Spa at the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa. Enjoy a liberal application of monoi butter; once that's soaked in, receive a massage as the butter is washed away under a rain shower. Finish off with a moisturizer made from noni. boraboralagoon.com
Snorkel in Bora-Bora's shallow lagoon. Swim out over the sandy bottom for any distance and you'll see manta rays gliding gracefully below you. Better yet, take a kayak or an outrigger canoe off the southern end of the island to the channel between a pair of small motus just offshore. Hop in the water and let the current carry you through a coral garden rich with tropical fish, and you'll want to go right back and do it again.
Bike around Bora-Bora's coastal road. To enjoy the great views, plan on making a half-day of it. Rent a bike (they're everywhere) on a day when the winds are gentle, pack a picnic, and go counterclockwise, which will put the breeze at your back on the windward side of the island. The 20-mile-long road is paved, and the only hill is a short climb on the southeastern side.
Learn more at tahiti-tourisme.com.
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