Checking In: Unplugging & Playing Mermaids In Bora Bora

Checking In is Coveteur's insider review series of the best, buzziest, most fashionable hotels and properties around the world.

It takes almost 24 hours to get to Bora Bora from New York City. You fly to L.A. and then connect to Tahiti. Once inside the open-air airport, you climb into a propeller plane with open seating and fly for 45 minutes over bright blue water until you land amid a throng of mountainous islands. Bags are loaded by hand onto a steel table—no conveyor belts here—which are picked up and put onto a boat. Mine were headed to The Westin Bora Bora, which was a glorious 15-minute boat ride away over panes of turquoise.

The arrival was very White Lotus, without the murder and the unhinged staff members. You’re greeted by the hotel staff who stand on the dock, with a cheerful man playing traditional Polynesian songs on a miniature guitar. A garland of Tiare, French Polynesia’s native gardenia flower, is placed over your head and passionfruit juice is offered as you’re escorted in a club car to your overwater bungalow. Instantly, I was no longer in an episode of Mike White’s seminal anthology series and instead in the episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians—the one in Bora Bora where Kim loses her diamond earring in the ocean.

My overwater villa was like a miniature apartment for the most luxurious person alive. A king sized bed (The Heavenly Bed, if you know anything about The Westin’s bed legacy), a sitting room, a bathroom with a soaking tub that could fit five of me, a dressing room, and, most impressively, a full-sized sun deck with a plunge pool and a ladder into the jelly-like sea below, which was also visible from my room under a thick pane of glass in the middle of the floor. The view out of my villa was somehow better than the interior itself: A picturesque view of Mount Otemanu, in full view on a sunny day and swathed with cloud matter on a rainy one, romantic as ever.

There are four restaurants and two bars on the property. Tipanier is the all-day French Polynesian Bistro where I spent every morning indulging in traditional breakfast delights, plus some classic Western fare. There was also a Thursday night Polynesian buffet with a traditional dance performance, which was joyful and beautiful to watch, accompanied by fresh traditional Polynesian food. Honorable mention to the Raw Tahitian Fish, a raw tuna dish with fresh carrot, cucumber, onion, and tomato in a lime and coconut milk dressing, which I consumed at least once a day.  Maere is the most upscale dining offering. Each day of the week, the menu changes, highlighting fresh and locally sourced ingredients complemented by thoughtfully-chosen wines. 

I spent every lunch at Varavara, eating the aforementioned Tahitian fish on the beach, but there are plenty of options to choose from, from prawn curry (which was excellent) to thin and crispy pizzas. Then, the bars: Honu Tiki, the beach bar offering frozen drinks and light snacks, the swim-up pool bar, Te Ava, where you can order a simple poolside lunch or indulge in a piña colada (which I did often), and ‘O’a Bar, a lounge bar on the terrace with a perfect view of Mount Otemanu at sunset.

There is nothing to do in a resort on a remote island except relax, which I was happy to do for the four days I was there. But if you are the type to enjoy activities, there is a 24-hour gym, spa, and sea turtle rehabilitation Eco Centre, where marine biologists work with the island to ensure the sea turtles are healthy, protected, and rehabilitated if needed. Plus, plenty of bookable activities for the full island experience, like flower crown making and basket weaving, Polynesian dance lessons, Jet-Ski rides, a boat-shuttle to the main island, daily yoga (which can be done on a rotating schedule indoors, in the water, or on a paddle board), and more.

I am not such an activities person, and my version of unplugging involves eating, reading, and sleeping, which I got plenty of. I also visited the spa for a signature Polynesian massage, which had me transcending off the table by the end and almost falling asleep in the steam room after (dangerous). The spa is open-air but under cover, offering two chill-out areas, a steam room, private massage rooms, and a freshwater plunge pool to utilize during your treatment.

French Polynesia is a place rich in culture, connection to the sea, and to community. There was something so peaceful about the environment, feeling as though I was being held by the island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean as the waves lapped under my cabin. Every morning it was diving into the water and rinsing off on the deck, biking around the property, and lying on the sand, inspecting pieces of washed-up coral. Playing mermaids for four days straight is the ultimate ticket to unplugging.

The secret spot is not so secret but feels necessary to mention: The water outside my bungalow was somewhere I spent plenty of time floating in during my stay. With a direct view of the mountains, it felt secluded and dreamy in an almost unreal way. The resort is very quiet and peaceful, and being in the deep, luminously turquoise water overlooking lush greenery was perhaps the most peaceful and resetting experience of the trip.

There are few places I have ever been that feel truly calming to the nervous system, and the Westin Bora Bora is one of them. Being fully immersed in nature is likely a large reason for this, but so are all of the things that the resort does to ensure you can fully unplug. From the Heavenly Bed to the friendly, calm and positive staff on-site. It is an experience like none other, and had me considering if my next big life move would be to French Polynesia to eat Tahitian fish and play mermaids all day.