tmr10001

We chose the Sofitel because it was the cheapest option that had a bar and a restaurant... I think we are paying $145 for it... and we will only be there less then 10 hours so we didn't care that much. It is right next to the Intercontinental.

Dr. Pam

tmr10001


We loved the FS Hong King. Do make sure that you reserve the FS limo service from the airport. Amazing....and worth the $$$. Everything about this hotel was divine.....except for their Chinese restaurant......next time I would reserve in their French restaurant. (we are adventurous diners and not very picky....but their signature Chinese restaurant was a "pass". ) Excellant FS service. WE also chose the FS Langkawi on our trip to Asia.
. Aesthetically beautiful, service good-very good, beach great, ocean so so, food average, gym and exercise facilities
excellant, client care excellant.

Prior to our trip, I had been in direct phone contact with all of the hotels for confirmation, special requests, etc. I was extremely pleased with all communications with the corresponding hotels, resorts. Again, I just had some misgivings with the 2 personnel at the FS Bora Bora. Plus, my angst over the whole private tour thing......I won't even venture there.....

Regarding the St. REgis Bora Bora and the Four Seasons Bora Bora,
Perhaps, both resorts are spectacular and service is outstanding......more competition for our travel dollars and more info for our colleagues out in EF land. I know that this forum has certainly been an informative venue for all
my travel questions. Happy travels.

flynlow

My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Bora Bora at the StRegis in 2008. One word describes it all: stunning. As for the time of year, we also went in January. The weather couldn't have been better and the best part- no crowds to deal with!! Hands down- one of our better trips. It cost us some $$ but heck it was worth every penny. (The FS was not open at the time we booked this trip.)

Dr. Pam

Loved it! We were in a premier OWB 106...nicely appointed, amazing view of MT. Otemanu, and a beautiful ocean. We found the staff both friendly and accomodating. The restaurants with the exception of the Japanese were excellant. (The bread and croissant offerings were divine....and I usually don't eat bread. I found out that their pasty and bread chefs were from France....no wonder that I couldn't resist those carbs ) We enjoyed a multitude of activities from jet skiing, windsufing, kayaking, snorkeling, swimming with stingrays and sharks....absolutely great. We really enjoyed our anniversary at the St. Regis, speaking of which the hotel graciously allowed an 8 AM!! checkin with champagne on ice waiting for us. Not a bad way to start our trip. However, we felt the hotel could be improved in a few areas..... One of our gripes was, that for a 5 star resort, the staff's uniforms could have been a little crisper, perhaps no views of the men's underwear..... I know, a bit picky....but honestly not what I expected in the Lagoon restaurant. Also,the resort should assign 2 bikes to each villa so that guests can enjoy the freedom of a ride around the massive resort. It became a bit of a game among our fellow guests, to see who would actually still have a bike the next day at breakfast. I would like to see much better lighting in the washroom. To apply any makeup, 1. leave washroom, walk to window or verandah for adequate lighting, 2. apply makeup 3. return to washroom. Perhaps a lighted makeup mirror along the vanity would be any easy fix to this issue. And one of the last disappointments I had with the OWB is the lack of black out blinds or drapes in the master bedroom. We woke up with the sun every morning.......We decided to enjoy the morning which always started before 6AM However, for a resort of this supposed caliber, I expect these to be non-issues. The positives far out weighed the negatives. As I had mentioned, outstanding suites, staff, dining, and resort grounds. We appreciated the free shuttles that operated to Vaitape a couple times each day. In summary, I would most certainly visit the BB St. Regis again in the future. Any questions, feel free to PM me.

jennx28

I am planning a trip to Bora Bora and cannot decide between the Four Seasons and the St Regis. The FS website provides lots of pictures and details (even a floor plan) of the rooms. The St Regis website has three pics of their rooms, not helpful! Some things important to me are 1 - Beautiful over-water bungalow/villa with a view 2 - Lots of activities at the hotel (snorkeling, swimming, water sports, jet ski rentals) 3 - Romantic (kids EVERYWHERE will drive me nuts!) I think the St Regis looks like a more attractive option, but their website does not go into as much detail as I would like. For instance, the FS site mentions a romantic beachside dinner for two, breakfast brought to your villa by canoe, and sunset cruises. St Regis makes no mention of these alluring options. I would love advice from anyone who has recently traveled to either of these two locations.

DavidO

The biggest difference between the FS and the XR is that while the overwater bungalows at the St. Regis are stunning, worthy of being on the cover of Architectural Digest, they do not have a Polynesian feel to me. Even the entrance to the resort is a massive stone archway - and to me it detracts from the experience you want.

I have always recommended the FS for this reason. Both are Virtuoso...

TRAVELSIG

I have some very picky friends who recently came back from FS Bora Bora- they told me it was one of the best places they have been to.

tmr10001

We just returned on Tuesday from the Four Seasons Bora Bora... it was one of the best hotel experiences of my life! We had a direct Mountainview Bungalow that was out of this world. The pictures on Four Seasons website are an accurate representation of the resort and accomodations. The water was about seven feet deep off our bungalow which was great because we could dive in. We were located at the end of the 200's and it was fun to watch the boats go by yet was private. What blew us away was the service.. it was some of the best we ever received... and name recognition was better than any resort we have ever gone too... We also loved snorkeling in the resorts lagoon. There were so many fish you didn't want to move your hands and disturb them!

In regards to the St. Regis vs. Four Seasons debate, we prefer the Four Seasons. We kayaked over to see the St. Regis and while it is beautiful it wasn't as spectacular as the FS. Also the bungalows seemed to be a lot less private than the FS. We walked around the property and it really was beautiful, but we prefered the FS. We met two couples during our stay that moved over to the FS from the St. Regis because they were not happy with the service. I think they both probably have their pros and cons.

My only complaint, and its not really a complaint but after a week the food although delicious gets a bit boring. But that can happen anywhere! Feel free to pm me with any questions! Ia Orana!

mrlonghorn

it seems to have been a few years since anyone chimed in. I would think that the Le Meridien, while probably very nice, isn't in the same league as the Four Seasons or St. Regis, but I would love to hear someones thoughts on this.

I'm an SPG Platinum guy and while that may not get me any additional benefits on property, I want an overwater bungalow, I want to spend about a week, i want to go late summer 2015 and I don't have an issue spending the money (looks like about $1500/night).

Can anyone who has stayed recently comment on the St. Regis?

Thanks.

TerryK

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...thread-23.html

There are reports as recent as last month.

musicscrip

We loved FS Bora Bora! It was about $1500/night as well.

We met a couple on mainland Bora Bora ...they stayed at St. Regis and they told us their bungalow looked dated and wished they went with FS.

DSI

"We loved FS Bora Bora! It was about $1500/night as well.

We met a couple on mainland Bora Bora ...they stayed at St. Regis and they told us their bungalow looked dated and wished they went with FS."

I stayed at the St. Regis and a couple told us their bungalow was small and dated at the FS.

Pretty indiscernible difference at these two hotels.

If I were to go back to FP I'd stay at the Brando and neither the FS or StR are "amazingly better than the other". I wouldn't take much stock in anyone who stayed at either, as both camps say "I am so glad we chose the StR or the FS." Both are the same and for me I earned points, got the premium upgrade and free breakfast which made the StR a better value. The food at both places isn't great, with a nod the StR for the sushi restaurant and FS for the breakfast. But to say one way or the other simply suggests that one is either a fanboy or validating their decision. Both are great, though in general FS hotels are better than StR hotels--but not always for everyone, especially in this case.

I'd actually prefer the FS though simply because a lot of people at the StR seemed like honeymooners who's parents paid for the trip whereas the vibe I got from FS guests was that they saved their own money for the trip and made the sacrifice.

pricesquire

+1000.

Everytime I hear the FS/StR debate, I think this:

You find one person (always a picky person) who swears by the FS and says the StR is XYZ - but has nothing on the FS!

You'll find person #2 (also usually pretty picky) who swears by the StR and says the FS is XYZ - but has nothing on the StR!

Gets kind of hilarious after awhile.

damaxer91

Any specific bungalow recommended at the FS?

How is the wifi there? Good enough to stream NHL Playoffs?

Stumblefoot

If you can afford it, any one of the units ending in the #30 on one of the four pontoons are perfect. A close second are units ending in #31 (although avoid it on pontoon #1 as the view is sunset oriented, rather than mountain).