EuropeanPete

I must admit, I'm super duper surprised at how cheap this was for you!

wuzhenyu

Cool, thanks for your information, I should definitely reach out to conceige in this case.

tylerc

Was this recent? I'm staying at IC Thalasso and then needing to move to STR. I was also considering taking Thalasso shuttle to town, grabbing some snacks and beer at the store, and then taking the STR shuttle. It sounds like IC charges for ALL trips to the mainland unless you've booked an excursion via their concierge.

gnomey

i would just grab the $27 option. you just need to find someone to drive you from Vaitape to Anau


this is just down the same coastline on the same motu. but still, pretty cheap considering tourists dont have much bargaining power over there.

bhrubin

A pretty impressive review that favors the St Regis Bora Bora (opened 2006) over the relatively new Conrad Bora Bora (opened 2017 after top/down renovation of Hilton) by a convincing margin:

https://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/conrad-vs-st-regis-bora-bora/?utm_source=BoardingArea&utm_medium=BoardingArea

FWIW, the two areas where the Conrad is reviewed to be superior to the St Regis is in (1) the landscaping and (2) the rooms. But in every other area (elite benefits, best breakfast, overall F&B quality, family friendliness, beach/watersports/actitvities, and the all-important service), the St Regis won hands down.

It's worth noting that the Conrad sits on a real island hillside with tropical foliage while the St Regis sits on an islet sandbar with little natural foliage. So landscaping is natural to both.

It's also worth noting that the Conrad opened in 2017; the St Regis opened in 2006. So the St Regis rooms certainly are overdue for renovation at this point, but the biggest issues the review had with them was the bathroom layout and that sliding doors didn't always fully close. The St Regis supposedly is now closing a small number of rooms to renovate/refurbish them in the coming year or two.

Not noted was that the St Regis rooms are overall much larger on average than those at the Conrad and have much better views (since the St Regis looks right onto Bora Bora's famous Mt Otemanu and amazing lagoon while the Conrad looks out to the open ocean).

Also not noted (strangely) was the spa. The St Regis and Four Seasons are famously known for having the obvious two best spas in Bora Bora, and the St Regis spa is much larger and has more facilities (and a central lagoon). The St Regis wins here hands down, too.

This review is in pretty stark contrast to the (surprisingly negative) review by OMAAT from March 2019 (for a stay in Dec 2018):

https://onemileatatime.com/st-regis-bora-bora-review/

One wonders if OMAAT's trip in December during the rainier, hotter, and much more humid summer season had an impact on the quality of stay. Certainly, one wonders if higher holiday occupancy had an impact.

EuropeanPete

Traveler Dave

1st time poster on this thread....is there no FT Wiki?

I just booked what I assume is the base points room for 85K. Listed as “Reefside Garden Villa, 1 Bedroom Villa, 1 King, Ocean view, Garden level, Oceanfront access”....think they could have simplified that description

I have been checking out reviews on the resort and room type. All of them seem to show a pool with the Reefside Garden Villa. From what I can gather from the room details on my reservation is see no pool.

So question is, do they have a Reefside Garden with and without pool?

TD

bhrubin

Welcome to FT!

Yes sort of. There is a Reefside Garden Villa Ocean View that is the entry level award room--without a plunge pool. The next category up is the Beachside Garden Villa Lagoon View--which has a plunge pool.

You can see the room descriptions on the website to get a better sense, too.

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...a-bora-resort/

No matter where you stay, it's a steal on points. It's a truly world class resort. You'll have a fabulous time.

gnomey

my experience in St Regis does not mirror FM or OMAAT entirely.
probably more somewhere in between.

for example, i think the FM writer said that he appears more "nameless/anonymous" at St R.
that wasnt my experience at all.
in fact, i was amazed how the staff know who i am and which villa i am staying at within an hour of me arriving (i m talking abt staff beyond your assigned butler, eg restaurant waiter, golf cart driver, and several of them).
and they were calling me by my name

i do agree with OMAAT that the villas were pretty "run-down" or in serious need of refurbishment. and their bicycles were kinda broken. i ended up walking everywhere cos their brakes or something is always not working.
so while i havent been to Conrad BB, I do think their hard product will definitely be more superior since they just had a major facelift in 2016.

the staff at St R are definitely more international crowd (ie less FP locals)

EuropeanPete

I’m not sure that’s right. The Reefside Villa facing away from the lagoon has a large private pool (larger than what you’d traditionally call a plunge pool). . As I’ve previously reported, it is a large, generously sized villa, but for American visitors in particular you have to leave your room for your $1,500 a night villa to be in any way preferable to a $200 a night AirBnB in Florida. I’ve not seen a Lagoon View Villa, but from what I understand from a recent vlogger they look like they have an incredible view and nice access to a proper beach.

escape4

Bill are you sure this is correct? Last year when we stayed at St.Regis we took a walk on the reef side one afternoon, and I assumed that the villas over there were the ones called room type "reefside" ie the points awards. Overlooking the concrete wall from where we were walking on the reef, you could see pools in all villas if I am not mistaken. I did not think these could be the beach villas since by definition there is no beach on that side, it was the reef.

If this is correct, my takeaway from this was that for points reservations, St.Regis is worlds apart from Conrad because not only you get a standalone villa, but you get a pool as well. At Conrad if booking on points you get a suite in a shared building and no pool. If I was to book with points and knew ahead of time I would not get an upgrade, St.Regis is where I want to be. If paying cash for an OWV, you can get a decent hard product at Conrad for much cheaper than at St.Regis so arguably Conrad OWVs are decent value for the money.

bhrubin

Haha, no I can't be sure now!

EuropeanPete

I think this is fair, though I think that anyone in either the base rooms in the St Regis or the Conrad would be quite disappointed if it was a major trip for them. I would not want to stay in either.

bhrubin

I think it's all relative. While that may not be true for you or me, I doubt that's true for the vast majority.

For a free stay at a property like this that most would never otherwise get to enjoy, beggars can't be choosers. I'd imagine quite a high proportion of people would be quite thrilled to be at this properties for a major occasion.

EuropeanPete

Of course everything which is impressed as my opinion could well be disagreed with by someone else. For a couple who have never left the US and get a free plane ticket, any Bora Bora hotel would be a delight. I'm simply offering my perspective based on a lifetime of travel that it's not something that I would personally recommend. I think it will almost inevitably lead to disappointment, and you do not want disappointment when you've busted your ... to get to Bora Bora