St. Regis Bora Bora Review: Is it Worth it?

St. Regis Bora Bora is hands down one of the best resorts I have ever stayed at. If you are looking to book a luxurious stay in Bora Bora, St. Regis Bora Bora is the resort for you.

I promise you will not be disappointed. Also BONUS, right now they have an incredible all-inclusive package. A dining package for two that includes breakfast and a three-course dinner at all of their restaurants, a huge money saver!

The service was fantastic, especially during COVID times. We found the resort to be spotless, staff wore masks, and hand sanitizer could be found everywhere. They also gave us a couple of surprises during our stay, including a room upgrade for our honeymoon! I will not give away any of the other surprises. I highly recommend St. Regis Bora Bora Resort for your stay in paradise. 

What Room to Book at St. Regis Bora Bora

To splurge or not to splurge? A lot of people would agree with me on this. If you are traveling all the way to Bora Bora staying in an Overwater Bungalow is an absolute must. In other words, they are truly unbelievable and make your stay feel extra special! The next question is, which Overwater Villa to book? A lot of people recommend splurging and paying for the bungalow with the Otemanu Mountain view (which we did get upgraded to by St Regis and it was magnificent). However, the lagoon view is also gorgeous! There are plenty of locations at the resort to see and take pictures of Otemanu. Most importantly, you can’t go wrong with either bungalow. Otemanu is west of the resort, which gives you views of the sunset and the bungalows facing the lagoon face sunrise.

In conclusion, I am on team splurge! We were fortunate to be upgraded because, in the end, we do feel that it would be worth the extra money for the Otemanu bungalows.

Dining at St. Regis 

St. Regis Bora Bora has three main restaurants for dinner and one restaurant for breakfast. I recommend making dinner reservations in advance with the concierge. You cannot find it on their website but their contact email is  [email protected]. Lagoon Restaurant by Jean Georges is the most popular and signature restaurant at St Regis. In addition to the food being amazing, they have an insane view of the lagoon and Mount Otemanu.

Tips for Dinner at Lagoon Restaurant

Make your dinner reservations right before sunset and grab drinks on their deck for stunning photos. If you are a seafood lover, you must try their Uravena dish.  It’s a very rare and local fish that can only be found at the Lagoon Restaurant. It tastes so fresh and is served in a delicious passion fruit sauce. In addition to the Uravena, other favorites were the foie gras and their house-made vanilla ice cream. Lagoon gets their vanilla locally from a Tahitian vanilla bean farm.

Booking Excursions in Bora Bora

St. Regis has a huge list of activities to choose from and they will gladly help you book. Every party at St. Regis is provided with a butler service. The butlers are there to show you around the property and help you book excursions during your stay in Bora Bora. However, if you have time I suggest booking your excursions on your own. For instance, we booked the same tour that the hotel offered at about $100 less. The company we booked with was Lagoon Service Bora Bora.

Activities at St. Regis Bora Bora

The great thing about staying at St. Regis Bora Bora is that you don’t necessarily have to do a bunch of excursions. The hotel offers so many activities to keep you busy that you don’t really feel the need to leave the resort. For example, you will have the lagoonarium for snorkeling, stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, your personal bike to get around the resort, fitness center, spa, two pools, and a private beach. Seriously, what else could you possibly ask for?

Visit the Main Island

The main island is the perfect way to spend an afternoon away from the resort. St. Regis offers a free shuttle to the main island, which includes a 7-minute boat ride and a 30-minute bus transport to a village on the other side of the island. The boat leaves every day at 11 am. They give you about an hour and a half to explore, which we felt was plenty of time. However, if you plan other activities for the day and would like to stay longer they can arrange a later pick up for an extra fee. I go into great detail on ideas of what to do on the main island in my How to Plan the Perfect Bora Bora Vacation post.

The Luxurious Spa 

Now if you really want to stay in luxury then you must visit the spa at St. Regis. It was a huge loss for us that we did not book any of their spa packages. From multiple other guests, I heard that their experience was incredible! It can also be a perfect idea for a rainy day, which they sometimes have during this time of year (wet season starts in November to April). Their spa is a little on the expensive side, their cheapest massage is $190. Unfortunately during COVID times, you can only have access to their facilities, such as the sauna and hot tub, if you book one of their services. Another option for a spa day would be to book a massage in Tahiti for a cheaper price. Find out where on my Pape’ete, Tahiti post.

Packing List for St. Regis Bora Bora

• Besides the obvious things like a bathing suit, sunscreen, aloe, etc.
• Water shoes
• Snorkel gear (leave your flippers at home) Excursions offer them and you do not need them in the lagoonarium.
• Floats to relax in the lagoon. Also, pack some rope to tie to your bungalow.
• Alcohol: pack your own from home or you will spend a fortune at duty-free and on the island.
• Rashguard
• Rain jacket
• Outlet converter (at least two)
• Dresses/nice clothes for dinner
• Underwater camera/gopro. If you do not have one, get a waterproof case for your phone. We got ours off Amazon for $7 for two, AiRun Tech Case.