One day we flew to the island of Bora Bora which James Michener found to be the most beautiful place in the world. It is the place that inspired him to write SOUTH PACIFIC.
We loved Bora Bora. The sland is surrounded by a circular reef which forms a lagoon between it and the island. While the flight from Tahiti to Bora Bora is only about 50 minutes, one must spend another 50 minutes on a ferry to reach the town.
The boat dock is in the center of Vaitape. There is a church and a boat dock and a small grocery store. Upon arrival there we were met with a beautiful flower lei much larger than any we'd ever received in Hawaii.
We visited a small hotel called the Oa Oa, or free spirit owned by a couple who had been living in New York City when they got the urge to move. They saw an ad offering one of four hotels in Bora Bora for sale at a price they could afford, so they threw caution to the wind, sold their condo, cashed in their stock and made the move. They said they were loving the life on the peaceful island, and had absolutely no regrets..
Almost next door to the Oa Oa Hotel was the Club Med complex which we viewed from the water. The other two hotels were large, luxury properties on the other side of the island. We didn't visit them,.
Our one day trip gave us the use of any of the facilities of the Oa Oa as well as lunch in their restaurant and a tour of the island.
The first thing we did was investigate the pier of the hotel, and we marveled at the clarity of the lwater of the lagoon.
Click a picture to see a larger view.