Romantic Bora Bora luxury hotel
The Conrad Bora Bora Nui resort is the Bora Bora hotel we chose to stay at for our 10 year wedding anniversary vacation. We’ve already been to the Maldives and Fiji and like to try different places. Although I’d go back to the Maldives in a heartbeat as it’s still one of our favorite holiday destinations. Everyone always raves about Bora Bora so we had to check it out. It took us a long time to decide which resort to stay at as there’s lots of ‘Best hotels in Bora Bora’ guides and all of the 5* hotels look fabulous. Rather than just give you another Conrad Bora Bora review, the idea of a travel blog versus a hotel booking site review is that it’s less overwhelming, more personal and has some resort, booking and packing tips.
It was a tough decision on whether to stay at The Four Seasons Bora Bora or The Conrad Bora Bora Nui. Friends had just had their honeymoon at The Four Seasons and while both resorts checked a lot of the same boxes, we chose to stay at The Conrad resort Bora Bora in the end because it looked more modern, trendier and had a younger crowd.
A quick overview and Conrad Bora Bora Nui overwater villa room tour
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Conrad Bora Bora Review
11 things to know about Conrad Bora Bora Nui. Pros and Cons
1. The Conrad Bora Bora Nui is on it’s on island.
It’s just the resort. They do have a free shuttle boat which runs on a timetable to take you to the main island and you can also book tours. But otherwise you’re stuck on the island. So make sure there’s enough for you to do and you’re happy with the restaurant choices. Many of the resorts are like that in Bora Bora.
2. The facilities a the Conrad Bora Bora Nui are beautiful
They include a well equipped gym which is small but enough for the hotel guests. A cute little crazy/mini golf course, spa and water activities. PS it’d not always sunny but it is always warm.
3. The island resort is small enough to walk around
However, they also have bikes you can use. No reservations are needed. You just grab one and then leave it wherever your destination is.
4. The Hina Spa at the Conrad Bora Bora is a must-do
The massages are incredible (I’m a certified sports massage therapist so really particular about my massages) and the views from the 7 treatment rooms are stunning as it’s situated at the peak of the hill. Don’t worry, they have golf carts if you don’t want to climb it, just call the concierge for a ride up. What a lot of Conrad Bora Bora reviews don’t mention is that even if you don’t want to have a treatment, you can stop and enjoy the views from the look out point and use the steam room.
5. Book an overwater villa with a sunset view
I highly recommend booking an over water bungalow rather than a villa. That’s one of the reasons you go to French Polynesia afterall. Plus, you have direct access to the water and it seems more romantic.
6. If you have a fear of sharks, Bora Bora might not be the best place for you
I’m petrified of them! We’d come back from breakfast and they’d be swimming underneath our over water bungalow. This is going to sound a complete contradiction but I had to go diving to get over my fear. I feel a lot safer going with a pro and having let put me at ease and tell me they’re harmless. Luckily I didn’t see any diving but only got in the water a few times in a floaty by us so I could see everything around me. The rest of the time, I stuck to the pool.
7. Things to do and Tours at the Conrad Bora Bora
The Conrad Bora Bora has fitness classes, fishing, kayaking, pilates, playground, snorkeling and yoga classes on site. You can also plan a day trip to Motu Tapu, their exclusive private islet (10 minutes by boat from resort the resort), book scenic hikes, picnic lunches, water sports, romantic dinners, jet skiing, sailing, kite boarding, scuba diving, paddle boarding, parasailing, water skiing and outrigger canoe rides. So if you like things to do besides lying on the beach or by the pool, there are options.
My husband and I kayaked but I left the paddle boarding to him. I’ll normally paddle board but the water got to rough in certain places around the island. At least with a tandem kayak, he was definitely doing the heavy lifting on certain sides of the island resort.
8. The Conrad hotel Bora Bora is open!
While it was closed during covid, the Conrad Hotel Bora Bora is back open. Prices start at $1100 per night. We booked with Citi concierge using our Citi Prestige card and got the 4th night free which meant a 25% saving.
9. There are 3 restaurants and 2 bars at the Conrad Bora Bora
Iriatai French Restaurant – Overlooking the ocean, this fine-dining restaurant specializes in French cuisine and serves breakfast and dinner. Both the breakfasts and dinner here are excellent and the views don’t get much better than from the tables on the balcony. The breakfast at Iriatai restaurant is one of the dining highlights.
Tamure Beach Grill – This beachfront restaurant serves lunch and dinner and is open daily. We split our days eating lunch between here and the pool bar.
Banyan Chinese Restaurant – This themed restaurant overlooks the garden and specializes in Chinese cuisine and sushi. It’s open daily for dinner only.
Upa Upa Lounge Bar – This is a great spot with a glass floor for enjoying cocktails overlooking the ocean. It’s open daily and does have a happy hour. They also have live entertainment few times a week.
Tarava Pool Bar – This bar is open daily and located by the pool. The poolside tables are actually sunken into the ground and reached by stepping stones across the water. The seared tuna salad is excellent.
In Villa Dining – Another dinner option I recommend is having a romantic dinner on the deck of your villa with your music playing on a Bluetooth speaker.
10. Polynesian Night on the beach
Try and time your stay if you’re there for less than a week with the Conrad Bora Bora’s Polynesian night. The entertainment and buffet on the beach was unbelievable. I don’t normally like buffets, but this is exceptional.
11. The beach is very small and doesn’t have a view
On the downside, we were incredibly disappointed by the beach at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui. While the Conrads white sand beach is perfectly manicured, the water clear and calm it’s small and it doesn’t look out to the open ocean. Instead, it’s enclosed by over the water bungalows which unfortunately completely obstruct the view. See photo below.
Where is the Conrad Bora Bora Nui
The Conrad resort Bora Bora is on its own private island in a private cove on Motu To’opua surrounded by the bluest ocean and a surprisingly small white sand beach.
The Conrad Bora Bora Nui is approximately a 20-minute boat ride from Bora Bora Airport making it quick and convenient to get to. Which is a welcome relief after the long flights to get here via Moorea.
How much does it cost to stay at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui
The Conrad hotel Bora Bora prices start at $752 per night.
We booked with Citi Prestige card and got the 4th night free. If you book with Citi that card offers a 4th night free 2 times per year.
What are the different room types available at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui
There are 114 smoke-free guest rooms, with daily housekeeping, air-conditioning, wooden floors and elegant marble bathrooms. The rooms and villas are spacious and airy. The bed and pillows are incredibly comfortable and include a customizable pillow menu. A walk-in closet hides your luggage and there’s a Nespresso machine for your morning coffee to drink on your deck.
Some villas offer private infinity plunge pools and catamaran-like nets to lie in. Free WiFi is available throughout the property but we found it very slow, so don’t expect to stream anything.
We stayed in the sunset overwater villa. All of the sunset view rooms are odd numbers. The over the water hammocks are perfect for sunset cocktails.
- Garden Villa
- Overwater villa
- Deluxe Overwater villa
- Royal Pool Overwater Villa
- Presidential Overwater Villa
- Overwater Pool Villa
- Suite, 1 King Bed, Lagoon View
- Suite, 2 Twin Beds, Lagoon View (Twin)
- King Garden View Suite
- King Beach Pool Villa
- Sunset Overwater Pool Villa
- Horizon Pool Villa
- Otemanu Overwater Pool Villa
- Garden Pool Villa
Conrad Bora Bora Nui Amenities
Besides the amenities I listed in the 10 things to know about the Conrad Bora Bora, it is a kid friendly resort. In saying that, there weren’t many kids as it was mainly romantic couples and the ones that were there were really quiet.
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Playground on site
- In-room childcare (surcharge)
- Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
- Children’s club (free)
- Supervised childcare/activities (free)
What’s around the Conrad resort
The hotels.com details are a little incorrect as they say certain things are walking distance. Well, since it’s an island that’s not actually possible unless you’re doing an under water sea trek.
What to pack for the Conrad resort Bora Bora
Besides the normal beach vacation items, we found the following were useful to pack.
- An empty stainless-steel water bottle/Camelbak to be able to take water on tours, have in your room, etc. The water in the room might be enough for most people but I’m in the habit of drinking a gallon a day from my bodybuilding days.
- Snorkel and mask (the resort has fins so leave those heavy things home). Especially during covid so you’re not using something someone else has, how ever well they clean them.
- Medicine/first aid kit (bandaids, ibuprofen, etc).
- Adapters for electronics
- Tripod and remote for cute romantic couple shots.
- Aqua socks (you’ll definitely need these if you’re planning on also going to Moorea).
- Bluetooth speaker
Conrad Bora Bora review questions
If you have any questions I haven’t covered in this Conrad Bora Bora review, please drop me a message on Instagram.
