Does anyone have any suggestions for earning or using miles to stay on Bora Bora? The hotels (at least the nicer ones) are all on the order of $300-$500/night. I figure I can use Continental miles on Air France to get there, but haven't figured out anything for a hotel. I think there are a few chain resorts, such as Sofitel and "Beachcomber Parkroyal," but I'm not familiar with any of them. For someone who travels mostly domestically (to earn miles), any suggestions for a program that might have some sort of a partnership with a Bora Bora property? I primarily earn with CO, TW/AA, Marriott, Hilton, and Diner's Club...but I'd consider changing allegiances if it'd get me closer to a South Pacific trip!

Any general Bora Bora comments would be appreciated, too. Thanks in advance.

I believe you can earn points with Continental and a few other airlines for staying at Le Meridien Bora Bora. 500 points per stay, not much however. You cannot redeem points for free stays.

Le Meridien Bora Bora is very nice, secluded and quiet.

Le Meridien is a member of the AAdvantage programme (I think).

Anyways, you can use AA miles to redeem a stay at any of their partner hotels but the exchange rate for figureing out how many points a night will cost you is 10,000 miles equals US$86.

So your hotel in Bora Bora would cost about 35,000 to 58,000 miles PER NIGHT! Not a very good value for miles IMHO.

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I wish I were 1,000 miles away

This is one time in your life when you should NOT let miles dictate where you stay. STAY at Le Meridian Bora Bora. It is phenominal. Get an overwater bungalow fairly far out from the shore -- but not at the very end because the water is too deep there and the current is too strong. About 1/2 to 2/3 of the way out is the place to be. I stayed there in September 1999 and I can't wait to go back. Words can't really express the views, the colors of blue in the water, the fish you see while snorkling. I wish I could hide in your suitcase and come along. Alas, I have my memories. So stay at Le Meridian (Hotel Bora Bora is also very nice but Le Meridian is newer -- and from what I saw of HBB, nicer). Book your rooms online. You'll save about 30% from what you'd pay using a travel agent or calling their 800 number. And check out the bulletin board on this website: http://www.tahiti-explorer.com

As a miles hound, I know how tough it is to pay for things with money, but trust me this one time, to hell with using the miles, stay at Le Meridian.

We liked the Sofitel as well. Stayed there on Bora Bora and Papeete. Don't know about airline affiliations. Probably not with any domestic air line. They also have over the water bunglows. And shark breakfast!

Makes me want to just get up and go!

Unfortunately, I can't do that.

Remember the Visa ad line, "and they don't take American Express."

Well the absolute best places to vacation on earth generally don't take miles!

The overwater bungalows are not A/C'd. That can make the daytime temps a little warm inside but still nice at night. The waterfront bungalows (8 or 9 if I recall) are A/C'd and quite nice. The landscaping is beautiful and well-maintained. There are beaches nearby if you want to shed the suits

There's a small island next to the resort that has a beach aquarium where you can swim with stingrays and other sea creatures.

Food is very good. There main restaurant has outdoor seating that is very romantic.

We stayed for three days and then went on to Tahiti and stayed at the Beachcomber in Tahiti. Nice and better suited for families with kids.

This link will take you to a Bora Bora property that is part of the Inter-Continental group of hotels, affiliated with Holiday Inn. Reduced nightly rate of 40,000 (usually 50,000) Priority Club points is good through 12/20/01. Through various airline mile / point shearing manipulations, I guess you could say that this bungalow over the ocean in Bora Bora is available for ff miles.

http://www.interconti.com/french_pol...tel_boric.html

While we are on the subject of Bora Bora, a quick question. I was checking out prices for Le Meridian and noticed that I could add a breakfast plan and a dinner plan. Is Bora Bora the type of vacation spot where you never leave your hotel's grounds, or is there a main town with shopping and restaurants and you don't need or want a dinner plan with your hotel?

I would probably do a breakfast plan as this will be a honeymoon and I don't plan at getting up at the crack of dawn to go somewhere else to eat.

From the posts on this thread, it looks like Hotel Bora Bora is the 2nd choice after Le Meridian for hotels to stay at. What other hotels are close to this caliber? Aside from some not having air conditioning, are there any other negatives to the over-water huts? Are they the best choice of rooms to book?

[This message has been edited by Rssrsvp (edited 08-11-2001).]

PremEx2000, I know, I have figured that I'll end up doing that, as I haven't thus far found a miles alternative, but I thought I'd try picking everyone's brains for some ideas. (And thanks everyone!)

It isn't so much the thought of paying for a hotel room that kills me, it's the thought of paying $500/night for a hotel room that kills me!!!

We paid $751 a night (because we didn't realize you could book the room on the internet -- or maybe you couldn't back then) and it was STILL worth it.

By the way, don't worry about a lack of air conditioning in the overwater bungalows. With the nice breeze, if anything, it's a little cool and you can just climb under your blanket. We loved the ow bungalows and can't wait to go back -- even at that price.

My wife and I stayed at the Moana Beach Park Royal in 1996 (it's pronounced Mo-wah-na, so I doubt if I spelled it right). It was an unbelievable experience and I highly recommend it. The resort, and their customer service, were fantastic. We reserved an over water bungalow and it was worth the extra money. I agree with a previous poster. Don't scrimp. It's incredibly expensive, but the unbelievable beauty of the island makes it worth every penny.

Do any of the hotels offer any night life? My fiancee and I are having a problem with the apparent lack of some sort of evening entertainment. She enjoys dancing and I get the impression that after dinner you just go back to your room and crash.