Sleep Over Ocean Water in Bora Bora
When you visit Bora Bora, in French Polynesia, the thing to do is to book a stay in an over-water bungalow.
Now, no ancient Tahitian lived in an over-water bungalow -- it would have been the height of stupidity, with the problems of the occasional and at that point in history, entirely unpredictable tsunami and cyclones. (Besides, the ocean was considered a God and if you polluted the water you'd be messing with something that might introduce your midsection to a spear, although a person of status could likely get away with it. This I learned from anthropologist Mark Eddowes, aboard the m/s Paul Gauguin, but that's a story for a different day.)
Interim conclusion: Ancient Tahitians preferred to live on higher ground.
Historically accurate in location they may not be -- in fact, over-water bungalows were an import from Southeast Asia some years ago -- but the style of house, called a fare, with its distinctive thatched roof, is definitely traditional. In any event, it's definitely what you want to book, and the InterContinental Bora Bora & Thalasso Spa has rooms of this sort that are so lovely that it's wrenching to leave.
The bungalows are arrayed in two horseshoes, to maintain some privacy while affording a view of the steep greenly mysterious Mount Otemanu, which defines Bora Bora's geography.
Rooms are classified according to the advantageousness of their view of the mountain. (The benefit, besides financial, to taking a room that's on the lesser end is that it's a shorter walk in on the boardwalk back to, say, the hotel's restaurant, bar, pool, diving facilities and so on, which can be a factor to consider if you're traveling with someone who is physically impaired, although you can arrange for rides to and fro. In all reality, there isn't a bad view in the place.) There are also three villas that are not over the water -- these are designed for larger families.
The over-water bungalows are quite spacious though, a large living room, which has at its centerpiece a glass coffee table centered over a glass window cut into the floor where you can watch all manner of tropical fish doing their aquatic thing.
The bed faces a picture window out onto the water and (in my case) the mountain, and the spacious bathroom has a deep tub in front of another picture window that will make you want to take a bath, even if you're already all prune-y from the many ocean activities available at the resort.
The overall décor is cleanly modern -- the other InterContinental on Bora Bora takes on a more traditional interior with woven mat walls and so on. The most pleasing example of the contrast between the island setting and sleek modernity is at the Bubbles Bar, furnished with whimsical curving stark white chairs and settees. Order a traditional Mai Tai for a true alcohol punch, the only fruit juice the bartender will put in the glass is from one lime -- and that's a garnish.
The over-water bungalows are quite spacious though, a large living room, which has at its centerpiece a glass coffee table centered over a glass window cut into the floor where you can watch all manner of tropical fish doing their aquatic thing.
The bed faces a picture window out onto the water and (in my case) the mountain, and the spacious bathroom has a deep tub in front of another picture window that will make you want to take a bath, even if you're already all prune-y from the many ocean activities available at the resort.
The overall décor is cleanly modern -- the other InterContinental on Bora Bora takes on a more traditional interior with woven mat walls and so on. The most pleasing example of the contrast between the island setting and sleek modernity is at the Bubbles Bar, furnished with whimsical curving stark white chairs and settees. Order a traditional Mai Tai for a true alcohol punch, the only fruit juice the bartender will put in the glass is from one lime -- and that's a garnish.
