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Originally Posted by najama2
(Post 37460916)
How strict are they with regards to the shuttle boat timings? Would they be willing to drop us off an hour later or earlier than the posted timings?
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Originally Posted by Spinstorm
(Post 37673964)
I am not incorrect - I am talking about manners, I know you can take them but shouldn’t. It is rude. Likewise someone shouldn’t take your bike outside the room.
This is why the hotel should allocate them because no one can agree on what is acceptable. Resort has resort rules. For the guests who follow rules, they behave with good manners. For the guests who do not follow rules, then that is bad manner. It is perfectly clear. If a guest puts on his name on the bike and goes in for a 3 hour spa, that is clearly bad manner. For the guest who takes that bike from outside the spa, it is perfectly good manner. And all guests agree to follow the rules from the resort. Do not say that "no one can agree on what is acceptable." They must agree the rules, or do not stay there. |
Just some photos from the recent stay. Breakfast was about perfect. Coffee orders were correct.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2ee9ea09cf.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4580bac10f.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a586929b7e.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a9312ee484.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dcaa863478.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...59441c2514.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c20edcfff6.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ae7ae32e9f.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dfba3986c1.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e90556bee2.jpg |
Originally Posted by busdriver11
(Post 36789699)
Random question here, do people swim and snorkel right out of their bungalows? I'm a weak swimmer and a little freaked out by the thought of swimming with sharks, and those bungalows over the water look pretty far out there....
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Originally Posted by aleeg
(Post 36930375)
i am planning to stay at the main island near the airport ferry terminal before going to Westin. Do you know if I can utilize the free airport ferry shuttle to go to the airport and then meet the Westin shuttle there? I was googling around and it says I need to have a boarding pass to ride the shuttle ferry, but not sure how strict they are with this.
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These are sure some weird rules. I can leave a bike outside my room for hours and hours and it is mine. I can’t leave it outside the pool for hours and hours or even a few minutes. I propose a new rule: all rules regarding bikes apply to the bikes without regard to the location of the bike.
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Originally Posted by bugyboy78
(Post 37005763)
What's the best upgrade that Gold members can get?
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Originally Posted by aleeg
(Post 37005935)
I will be staying at Airbnb near Vaitape ferry terminal and will be going to Westin afterwards. Instead of getting a taxi to the eastern part of the island and meet the Westin boat shuttle at that base, I thought it would be easier to take the airport ferry shuttle back to the airport and meet the Westin shuttle at the airport? Just not sure if I can take the airport shuttle if I don’t have a valid boarding pass for that day.
The taxi from Vaitape to Anau is about $35. All taxi are from Vaitape. Most Airbnb and hotels should be able to call a taxi for you. That is the best way to go. |
Originally Posted by aleeg
(Post 37071150)
Mixed Feelings About Our Stay – Beautiful Property, But Service Falls Short
We just wrapped up a two-night stay at the Westin Bora Bora, followed by one night at the Conrad. While the Westin has potential, it ultimately felt like a kid trying to dress up as an adult – striving for a luxury experience but not quite delivering. Arrival Experience: I had emailed the Westin concierge multiple times before our arrival to confirm details. We arrived at BOB airport at 10 a.m. and found the Westin counter easily. The representative recognized us but the welcome was underwhelming – leis were handed to us from a plastic bag without any real warmth. We saw neighboring desks like St. Regis and Four Seasons, enthusiastically greeting their guests with leis nicely hanged up on the rack in advance, but this felt impersonal and transactional. We were told to wait for other guests before the boat transfer. I expected a 15–20 minute delay, but we waited 50 minutes without a single update from the staff. We had to approach them twice ourselves to get any information. Not exactly the welcome you'd hope for on a luxury vacation. Check-In: After the short boat ride, we arrived at the hotel. There was no formal welcome. We were met by a golf cart and escorted to the lobby. At reception, there was no clear check-in system – just guests milling around. We waited another 20 minutes before being helped. I mentioned our disappointing arrival to the staff, and while they apologized, no gesture was offered to make up for it. When I inquired about a possible upgrade, I was told the hotel was full. But minutes later, the staff member got up to check on something and returned shortly saying they did have an upgrade – for a fee. It felt disingenuous, especially since we were led to believe the hotel was fully booked. On top of that, it was my wife’s birthday, which we'd noted in advance, and we were hoping for a more thoughtful approach. The manager, Mariela, was sitting nearby and overheard everything. She didn’t come over to talk to us at all until we mentioned wanting to send a feedback to the management. Then she just walked over and offered a QR code for feedback – no apology or effort to make it right. Dining: We dined at Tipanier that night for a birthday dinner arranged by the concierge with a note for celebration. Unfortunately, there was no acknowledgment from the restaurant staff. I brought it up while paying, and only then did the server say they were unaware and would speak to the manager. At that point, the moment had passed. In general, the food at the resort was very expensive but just average in quality. Nothing particular Service: We contacted the concierge a few times during our stay, but each time we were met with a vague “I’ll check” and no follow-up. It consistently felt like service was reactive, not proactive. Room: We stayed in a Lagoon View Overwater Bungalow, the second one from the shore. The location made it easy to access the lagoon and snorkel near the reef (a bit of a walk/swim but worth it). The room was modern, though smaller than expected – especially the bathroom. Occasionally, we could hear golf carts passing nearby. There weren’t many fish beneath the bungalow, but the snorkeling further out was great. Overall: The resort is visually stunning and feels brand new – it looks like parts of it are still opening. However, it’s relatively small and, after two nights, we felt like we’d experienced all it had to offer. We transferred to the Conrad after our stay and immediately noticed a difference in atmosphere and service. The Conrad felt more like a true luxury resort, with warm, attentive staff and a more vibrant experience overall. If the Westin wants to position itself as a high-end property, it needs to focus more on the little things – from guest welcome to consistent service. Right now, it feels more style than substance. Some people like butler type of personal service. Some guests like self service. Westin belongs to the later. |
I spent several days in both Westin Bora Bora and the main island. Just like to share a few pointers.
The Westin Bora Boat Base is almost directly to the West. Slightly South. There is an U Express for some simple shopping. There is no activity on the East side of the island. Almost all taxi come from Vaitape. If you want a taxi ride from the points on the East, that will cost you dearly since the taxi likely comes from Vaitape. I rode my bike from the West side of the main island to Anau. It was fairly easy on a bike. Not by walking. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...21ded489e6.jpg See the points with yellow stars. On the West side, South of Vaitape, there is a very famous French restaurant called La Villa Mahana. It was built and owned by a French artist. He later built his own art studio and residence in the same area. It still has French chef. It opens about 4 days a week and dinner only. There are only several tables. It is very popular with resort concierges. To dine there, resort concierge has to book reservation and arrange taxi. Food price is not cheap. Still, it is hard to reserve table. It is hugely popular with couples, particularly honeymoon couples. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ba84b5fdb5.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a56539b2fb.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ddc25dfd05.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0010f753e5.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1ce8e9a7f1.jpg There are some hiking trails on the island. Steep, but not long. Here is a photo overlooking the Southeast. Westin is far North to this photo. Can't see Westin from this viewpoint. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...08f303ffe8.jpg |
Originally Posted by RedSun
(Post 37674024)
Just some photos from the recent stay. Breakfast was about perfect. Coffee orders were correct.
The set-up of the restaurant is pretty nice. |
Originally Posted by UASPG
(Post 37674741)
For a few days, the breakfast is acceptable but it becomes boring as it is almost identical every morning if your stay is longer.
The set-up of the restaurant is pretty nice. I think this is about the same at all resorts of hotels. St. Regis, Four Season and more. |
Resort Fee
We recently stayed 6 nights on points. Should you receive points for the mandatory resort fee you are charged every day?
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Just spent 6 nights here, so a brief review follows
- We booked on points, booked a lagoon view villa, and were given a lagoon view villa. No upgraded offered, but they did say we could check back later, which we did but again nothing was available to us. We are platinum, and we did hear other guests that stated they were upgraded, so maybe it was status or timing. Arrival: Met at the airport by staff, given a very nice insulated water bottle filled with water, then had our luggage taken and boarded the boat for the short ride to the resort. On arrival, we were given leis and taken on foot along with 2 other couples to check in by a guy playing a ukulele like the pied piper. I noticed at other times, people were taken by buggy. I think this is a miss. After a long flight and a shorter one, walking in travel clothes in the tropical heat up a small hill to check is not fitting when peak prices are in the $2k+ level. Arrival drink and towel very welcome though. We arrived at noon and were able to check in. We were given a bottle of champagne and snacks as a welcome amenity which was a nice touch. Room: We did get a very nice lagoon view bungalow with a sweeping view of the st regis - so for this category room I think it was great. This was our first time to bora bora, but we have been to maldives twice(StR x 2, WA x 1, ALila x 1) and the room is definitely more of the cozy french polynesian vibe, but we found it comfortable and roomy enough for our purposes. Housekeeping though was all over the place. Some days the room would be incredibly tidy, other days it seems very haphazard. Some days all the cables would be wound up, mats replaced, soap replaced. Other days none of those things would be done. The same for turn down service. Food: We came with lower expectations for food given the prior reviews. Breakfast is very very average, and service was spotty. We would be half done with breakfast by the time our coffee order arrived. They could never quite get our egg orders right (over medium is very difficult apparently). The rest of the breakfast spread was just average. The pastries, however, were very good. We did the Tipanier buffet for polynesian night. Again, food was just OK, but we did enjoy the show. We also booked Maere for the asian tasting menu. While the execution was very nice, I don't think most people who enjoy authentic asian food would find worthy of the price paid. Dessert was good, but the rest was not worth the price. Service/amenities : I think this is the place I struggle the most because of how hit or miss the service was. They do not have a system of direct contact which I am used to at other high end high touch resorts. WHen we asked about an upgrade, they said they would tell us in our room, presumably oh the TV but this was never conveyed to us, and no one ever followed up with us. The day before check out, no one followed up with us about procedures, so we went to the front desk to inquire (we were eventually given 4pm late check out which was great). They said the information would be sent to us on our TV by 8pm that night. Nothing showed up, Nothing the next morning, so we called the front desk to get our check out information. This shouldn't happen at a resort of this level. The bikes are another issues. It’s really like lord of the flies with the bikes. I think they may not want to provide a bike for every person given the number of keys on a small property, but it leads to serial disappointment when you go to the gym in the morning and realize your bike is gone after your workout, or after breakfast. I know people will then hoard bikes at their rooms and walk to pool/breakfast, further limiting bike availability. Im not sure there is a solution, but the current system is not ideal. We did take full advantage of the free rum/wine tasting and activities every day. I say free - but the hefty resort fee is paying for it. Edit to add. We went to drop off our fins (at other hotels they do offer snorkel gear drop off and pick up) and the activity shack was inexplicably unmanned. There were a couple guests rummaging through the gear looking for items to use. We had to find the log book and enter the return. This was around 11am. We watched for a while and someone finally came back about 20 minutes later. This really shouldn’t happen at a 5 star resort. Even a “be back in x minutes” would have been reasonable. Spa: My wife lives massages and she said the one she got was one of the best she's ever had. Location: I think what the westin has bar none is arguably the best view of Mt Otematu. Surveying the mountain from the boat the view is really unparalleled. As for snorkeling/sea life, it was pretty mediocre. There is some good snorkeling north of the resort past the two small islands, but the water is shallow and the current is very strong. Overall/TLDR: Good stay on points, food is below average especially in context of costs. Service is hit or miss and light touch. Guard bikes with your life. Spa is nice. Next time I'd probably try the conrand or st regis. (My wife and i mentioned if we could have the food/service of maldives but the otematu view it would be amazing). |
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