I recently stayed here for a week and these are my thoughts on the property.
Service is a mixed bag, especially at the restaurants. Being told it's "tapas night" and you can't order off the regular menu at the bar and right after we order we notice the table next to ours served items from the regular menu which was available.
At every meal my drink would be empty before someone would offer to get me another. Staff leaving bottles of white wine out in the sun for extended periods and having to remind them to put it back in the fridge. Being served luke warm beers and then asking for ice bags to keep them cool only to have them not provide the ice bags on subsequent orders.
Even though many people state the food here is the best out of all the hotels they sure set the bar low. Our favorite dinner was the Indian night but I do love anything that comes out of tandoor oven. Our other meals were fine but by day 4 we started eating off the property. Lagoon restaurant mains were shockingly poor, the couple next to us sent their entrees back.
Breakfast buffet is nothing to write home about. The eggs bennie we were served was terrible, the hollandaise from a Knorr packet is a delicacy compared to what they make. Selection is limited and doesn't change much from day to day and many foods sit and melt. Many of the breads and pastries are stale.
The best food we found on the main island is at Matira beach restaurant and luckily this was on our 2nd day during lunch on the jetski tour so we visited quite often. Even the concierge agreed the sushi at Matira beach is much better compared to Bamboo restaurant at the resort.
We met some staff who never worked in hospitality before working here which I wasn't expecting.
The grounds are rough around the edges and it sure seems like the owners are doing the bare minimum to maintain. At times I was amazed this place is a St Regis and not a Sheraton.
The location is amazing. The lagoon has been a real treat to explore. I do wish more of the hotel facilities faced the famous Mount Otenamu besides just the Lagoon resto and arrival/departure jetty.
We prefer villas on land and even though ours had many nicks and scratches it didn't deter from our stay. I would say housekeeping here has done an amazing job of keeping our villa clean. It's a shame as some of the minor deficiencies in the villa we had could be fixed in minutes with some touch up paint.
Overall I was happy to experience this special place of our planet and our stay at the St Regis was fine but I wouldn't classify this as a real luxury hotel. With only 10 hotels in Bora Bora choices are limited and we didn't visit any other hotels to be able to compare. We are still on vacation so keeping this post quick but if anyone has any specific questions I would be glad to answer.