Well, my bank balance is now less than my Starpoint balance, but I've finally experienced the Big Three hotels in French Polynesia.

And the outcome for SPG is a bit mixed.

Ultra-luxury on offshore motu (private islands) in French Polynesia began in 2002 with the Taha'a Pearl Beach hotel, now known as Le Taha'a. It has the most spectacular location of the three on a stunning island with a natural beach and wonderful turquoise water. But its bungalows have been overtaken by both the BB Nui and St Regis BB for space, comfort and facilities, even though it matches their $1000 per night entry rate.

I first visited BB Nui in 2004, and was amazed by its quality. Service is always iffy in Polynesia (see other threads) but the bungalows were extremely good. The bathrooms are the best I've ever seen (better than St Regis BB by miles) and the rooms are great. They are suites compared with Le Meridien Bora Bora, but by virtue of having sliding doors cutting a large bungalow into a small bedroom and a small sitting area. The BB Nui faces away from Bora Bora on the far side of its islet, so the views are of the lagoon and the open ocean. The beach is lovely but, like everything here and at the St Regis, is man-made.

Whereas a small boat takes you from Raiatea Airport to Le Taha'a, and a majestic yacht takes you to the BB Nui, a speedboat takes you to the St Regis. It's even more luxurious than the Nui, but it's so luxurious that you could be in a hotel room rather than an over-water bungalow. Compared with Le Taha'a it's clearly all man-made, but its very luxurious and unlike Le Taha'a lacks a mosquito problem.

I'm SPG Platinum and have been upgraded to overwater bungalows at both BB Nui and the St Regis. Be warned, though, my next reservation for the St Regis carries a warning that the property does not participate in SPG.

That, I imagine for most of us would drive us away from coming to the St Regis. It's bad enough to pay $1000+ per night, but to fail to earn points for that outlay makes it a terrible proposition.

If the BB Nui is still participating in SPG it now looks like by far the best proposition: if not, then the St Regis would be a good bet if you can get a good price.