A trip to Bora Bora is an absolute dream and I can tell you with certainty that the island lives up to the hype. Everyone should experience this beautiful paradise island at some point in their lives, even if you have to do the trip on more of a budget. Here are a few things I learned during my trip to Bora Bora that will hopefully help you save a few bucks so that you can breathe easier after visiting such a luxury destination.
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Don’t stay at a luxury resort
I’ll start it off with an easy and hopefully obvious money-saving tip: don’t go for one of the big luxury resorts on your trip to Bora Bora. There aren’t a ton of other options, but there are a few. You have a selection of smaller hotels on the main island, as well as AirBnBs. You can even get one with a kitchen and really save by making your own meals. Keep in mind that if you’re on the main island, you won’t have the iconic view of Mount Otemanu. You’ll still be very close to some of the most beautiful water on the planet however, so it won’t be all that bad.
If you have credit card points, you might even be able to snag one of the smaller island hotels for free. I always recommend taking a look at the points that you have before booking any trip. My husband and I even combine points where we can, and this saves us a ton of money. Even if you don’t have enough to book a free night, you can usually partially pay with points so that your hotel nights are discounted.
If you’re gung ho about staying at a luxury resort, you can try that technique as well and maybe shave a few dollars off the hefty price tag.
Savings: It could be $400+ per night if you snag a cheap AirBnB
Check out alternate transportation to your resort
If your trip to Bora Bora includes a stay at a luxury resort, you’ll need to take a boat transfer to get there from the airport. The airport and all the fancy resorts are on outlying motus (small islands surrounding the main island), so the only way to get to them is by boat. The official word you’ll get on the resort websites are that boat transfers from the airport are direct and $100USD+ per person. I don’t know about you, but to me that’s stupid expensive.
When I was planning my trip to Bora Bora, I did a little digging and found out that my resort offered a boat transfer from the main island (instead of the airport) for around $30 per person, a savings of upwards of $200. To get to the main island from the airport, there is a free Air Tahiti ferry that comes and goes with the flight schedules. Air Tahiti is the only airline that flies to the island, so it was very convenient.
We stayed at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui and got to the resort with the stop in Vaitape. Upon doing a little digging, it seems that a few other resorts have boat service to Vaitape as well. Most of these are not well-advertised online. Hours and fees may vary (and even from season to season), so I would e-mail the concierge at your chosen resort to help make sure you get the timing right.
Savings: For 2 staying at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui, $220 round trip
BYOB
Running up a bar tab at a resort during your trip to Bora Bora will cost you considerably. Drinks at Conrad Bora Bora Nui started at $29USD and only got more expensive from there. Since you’re pretty much stuck on each resort’s island, they’ve got you trapped at their bars.
Kevin and I went to the liquor store before we left home and bought a few mini-bottles that we could easily stash in our suitcases. Since we stayed on Moorea for a few days before heading to Bora Bora, we were also able to go to the grocery store on Moorea and buy a bottle of wine to bring with us.
Alternatively, if you end up taking the boat to Vaitape before your resort there is a market a 3-minute walk from the ferry pier. I would carefully monitor their hours however if you choose to try to go there. Island time is no joke and may screw up your plans to shop if you’re not careful.
A popular thing to do is to visit the Duty Free store at Fa’a’a airport when you arrive in Tahiti, before you catch your domestic flight for your trip to Bora Bora. The prices in the stores may even be higher than what you’re used to, but I promise you won’t regret stocking up once you see the drink prices in paradise.
Savings: Depends on how much you like to drink. $60+ per day if you each have just ONE (!!!) drink
Check out credit card benefits and special offers
One of the reasons Kevin and I chose the Conrad Bora Bora Nui amongst all the beautiful resorts in Bora Bora was because of a particular credit card I have. I own a Hilton Aspire American Express (click to apply and we’ll both get bonus Hilton points!), which affords me with automatic Hilton Gold status. This means we got free breakfasts with our stays. This was CLUTCH during our French Polynesia trip, as we stayed at Hilton properties on both islands. With breakfast at Conrad Bora Bora Nui being $50 per person per day, it was a dramatic savings and had me doing a little happy dance!
If you decide to stay at one of the luxury resorts on Bora Bora, check to see if there is a loyalty program or you can receive credit card benefits for that chain or hotel. With a little digging, I found that even the Four Seasons property on Bora Bora has a deal in the low season where you get your fourth night free PLUS free daily breakfast! That’s huge at such a fancy resort.
Do a little research for your property. Check out the website directly and look around for packages. Sometimes you can book rooms that are full or half board, which will be less than if you bought the meals ala carte.
Savings: Varies. We saved $400 from our Hilton credit card giving us free breakfast
Bring food, hoard food, or skip meals
I’m going to be super real with you on this one. We spent way more than we normally do to go on my dream trip, but that doesn’t mean we had/have unlimited funds. We budgeted very closely to have a great honeymoon and that meant saving where we could in order to stay in our dream resorts.
That meant that we had to live like college kids for a minute and stash away packets of ramen and canned tuna to save a few bucks. It ended up being fine because we ate so well at the breakfast buffets.
Also, the breakfast buffets at both the Hilton Moorea and Conrad Bora Bora Nui were STACKED, so we may or may not have made turkey sandwiches and hidden then in our backpack to take back to our room for lunches. They had all the supplies for sandwiches, so why not??
It’s not exactly the classiest move to make at a 5-star resort, but saving money in this way is how we sometimes get to stay in those types of places. I sacrificed my dignity for an overwater bungalow on my trip to Bora Bora, and I ain’t mad about it. Read more about our experience at Conrad Bora Bora Nui by clicking here!
Savings: $75+ per couple per day
Bonus Tip: Happy Hour
Even at our fancy 5-star resort, there was a happy hour (“golden hour”, as they called it). It was short and the drinks were very limited, but it saved us a bit anyway. The drinks were a more palatable $15 instead of $30. Check to see if your hotel or resort offers a happy hour.
Click to check out our upgraded room at Conrad Bora Bora Nui!
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