My husband and I eloped to the island of Bora Bora to have a private ceremony and explore the island.

When we decided we were going to elope we knew it had to be a once in a lifetime place, so obviously Bora Bora.  An added bonus is that it was not as far away as many people think, it was only 8hrs from LA.

We ended up with a top 5 excel spreadsheet because I am a nerd at heart and have to make pro/con lists and map everything out.  (I will share my excel spreadsheet on the blog soon!)  In the top 5 were the usual suspects, the Four Seasons, The Ritz, Le Meridian, Sofitel, and The Intercontinental Thalasso.  With our list together we set out a budget and immediately a few came off.  It was down to the Intercontinental and Le Meridian.  What sold us on the Intercontinental was the size of the huts over the water and the newer modern finishes, plus we got one of the new huts with our own swimming pool, figured it was worth the splurge since it was our wedding and honeymoon.  We also preferred the InterContinental’s wedding package as well.  It was very easy to customize and on the day of they had everything planned out we didn’t have to worry about a thing.

Let me just say this resort did not disappoint it was everything a 5 star resort should be (although it was our first time staying at one).  There were kayaks, paddleboards, snorkeling, and they would book any other excursions you wanted.  We literally didn’t have to lift a finger if we didn’t want too.  The staff was so sweet and beyond helpful.  All of the restaurants were very good.  Our favorite meal was at the Reef restaurant, they had a braised lamb shank that was to die for and they paired it with a bottle of amazing red wine.  We loved it so much we had it twice while we were there.  The happy hour at Bubbles bar was so much fun they had great craft cocktails and appetizers with the perfect atmosphere.

The inner nerd in me obviously couldn’t leave the excursion planning up to the concierge so we did a lot of planning for that as well.  We finalized on a 4×4 adventure tour around the main island, where you get to see some old world war II cannons, and we were lucky enough to get fresh hand pies made by a local lady.   One of the other days we went on a Jet Ski tour around the island, then snorkel and swim with sharks and lunch experience at the famous Bloody Marys.  I will recommend swimming with the sharks to anyone who asks even if they are terrified it is a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.  It was terrifying and mind-blowing and totally worth the money.

We used Viator to book our excursions and it was very easy and our hotel was able to call the companies and arrange our transportation.

TOP TEN TIPS when traveling to Bora Bora

1. Travel in the shoulder seasons November-April for cheaper rates, there is no bad weather so you won’t be disappointed. It rained 2 days we were there but not for more than an hour.
2. Join the hotel rewards program for discounts on food and reservations, we saved 50% off our breakfast buffet.
3. Go to the gym each day for a quick 25 min workout and some FREE WATER! Always stay active on your vacation.
4. Book at least 6 months in advance.
5. Bring floaties, there good for relaxing in the ocean and you won’t have to leave your hut if you don’t want too. We took a unicorn and pineapple!
6. Go to Bloody Marys for dinner, have the resort book the reservation and transportation. Better food and drink selection at dinner.
7. Buy alcohol at the duty-free at LAX, because the drinks are ridiculously expensive at the resorts. It was cheaper for us to buy the alcohol and use the pop in the mini bar.
8. If the tour guide offers to stop at the market on the main island do it. You can get water and pop very cheap.
9. SWIM WITH THE SHARKS!!!!
10. Wear at minimum SPF 30, the sun burns you fast when you are on the equator.

Check out a some more of my favorite photos on HERE on my photo diary tab.