My wife and I stayed in LM Bora Bora in March, 2007 on our honeymoon. It was part of a trip where we started at the Sheraton Moorea (points), then stayed at the LM Bora Bora (paid) and ended at the Sheraton Tahiti (points). I never posted a trip report (had always meant to), but I did write a letter to SPG describing the whole experience, good and bad. Here's the excerpt of my letter that I sent related to the LM Bora Bora property.
Bora Bora (premium overwater bungalow: paid for reservation)
Our next four nights were spent at the Le Meridien Bora Bora. This was an outstanding hotel. In planning this trip, one significant concern I had (see booking section) was whether I would receive an over water bungalow or not. Not wanting to take any chances of visiting French Polynesia and not getting to stay in this type of accommodation, I elected to forgo the use of points and to pay for a "premium over water bungalow." Putting aside the indescribable beauty of Bora Bora, my first impressions of the Le Meridien were incredible. The transfer process from the airport was seamless and the transfer staff was very friendly. When we arrived at the hotel (at check-in time), it turned out that our room was not yet ready; however, rather than make us sit around waiting, the arrival staff provided us with a complimentary drink and took us on a tour of the hotel and its grounds. When we returned to the front desk and the room was still not ready, the hotel staff provided us lunch, complimentary (which, with the costs of food in French Polynesia is a very nice deal!). The thing that made this impressive to me is that neither my wife nor I made a sound. I've become all too accustomed to the "squeaky wheel gets the oil" mentality in appeasing travellers, but this was a true cases where we didn't say a word and this potentially negative situation was proactively handled. Following lunch, we were successfully checked into our room and our Bora Bora experience began.
Other positive experiences:
• We found that the hotel restaurant was a welcome upgrade to the Sheraton Moorea. Food quality, food presentation and service were markedly improved. This was clearly a quality restaurant and we enjoyed the experience.
• We appreciated not being "nickeled and dimed." For example, Internet and Movies were free, unlike the Sheraton Moorea where Internet cost 1,000 XPF/hr and movies had a surcharge. Additionally, room service prices were consistent with the hotel restaurant prices and did not include the Sheraton Moorea 1,000 XPF surcharge per order.
• We really enjoyed the Turtle sanctuary. This was a very unique attraction to have at a hotel and we both agreed being able to experience this was very enjoyable for us.
• The upkeep and thought that went into this resort was incredible. The resort was incredibly clean and I was impressed with the "sailboat" theme that almost everything at the hotel appeared to be modelled after, even on large scales, such as the bars.
• Champagne (half-bottle) arrival gift. Being on our honeymoon, this was very welcome and was a nice start to our trip.
Some negative experiences:
• We were a little disappointed with the European style "twins join as king beds." I would highly recommend upgrading this resort with a Westin Heavenly or Sheraton Sweet Sleeper type bed in the future.
• We had a very poor experience with asking for a late check-out. Our flight was at 5:00 PM so we requested a late check-out. We were flatly told "no." What disappointed me with this is that our room was not ready at the designated check-in time (which I understood was due to someone else's late check out) and from talking with others without "elite status" at the hotel, they did receive the extended check-out. Being an elite member paying for the most expensive room in the hotel, I think granting the extended check-out would only be appropriate. On a side note, there also appeared to be a series of executives who met with the Le Meridien General Manager who were on our flight back to Papeete--most of them appeared to go to the dock from their rooms at 4:00 PM--clearly indicating they were provided late check outs. I do not know whether they were Starwood/Le Meridien Employees or external contractors, but this disappointed me nontheless as I feel I am a pretty valuable customer as well.
One very negative experience:
• We felt the hotel concierge was horrible. Yes, horrible. There were two instances that led me to this conclusion (on top of her overall indifference and general attitude).
1. Night 1 at dinner, we were put at a crappy table at dinner after making a reservation. We observed that most of the restaurant tables were available, including on the lagoon, yet they were not made available to us. For night 2 and night 4 (we went out for night 3), my wife made a reservation at the concierge and requested a lagoon side table. Her request was denied. Rather infuriated, I went back to the concierge and explained my SPG status and the fact that we paid for the most expensive room at the hotel. She informed me that the tables were in fact available (not sure why they weren't when my wife asked for them and we'd get them). For day 2, we got the table; however for day 4, when we went to dinner, we were told it wasn't available. I quickly informed the host that we made the reservation and re-hashed my conversation with the concierge. To his credit, he and another employee rectified the situation very quickly by moving a table into a prime spot. However, needless to say, I was very disappointed with the concierge for her handling of the dinner reservations in general. The irony of it all is that the better tables were ALWAYS available!
2. We paid for all of our tours through American Express' tour Company. When I asked the concierge to confirm with the Tour Company for me, she put me on a hotel tour instead--only I was later charged for it. I clearly told her the situation with my vouchers and who the tour was with and she indicated it was okay for her to switch it to the local tour. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time on the tour; but when the time came to get the bill, we were charged for the tour, again and it was a considerable ordeal to get the charge removed from our bill.
Ignoring these isolated negative experiences (although my recommendation stands for both this hotel and the Sheraton Moorea--hire an American/European style concierge!), we loved the Le Meridien Bora Bora and would likely consider staying there again (if I couldn't get a good rate at the St. Regis).