We chose the Meredien because neither of us had ever been there. It was our honeymoon and we wanted it to be all ours. The setting is spectacular and the resort is well laid out. We picked a "beach" bungalow (the man made inner lagoon) for price but decided it was more convenient and comfortable than the over water units because we had a hammock, sandy beach (you get in the water with a ladder overwater) and shade. We'd recommend the beachside units to friends. My wife comments that many of the free amenities--kayak, snorkle gear, beach games--are usually a charge item at other resorts, but not Le Meredien. Guided snorkle trip was a lot of fun, crew a sort of Polynesian Marx Brothers, but very competent when it came to making us comfortable with the swimming sharks and rays. The video is one of a kind but very expensive--think about it. Better yet, buy two disposable underwater cameras in USA before arriving and take photos. Four wheel drive tour of Bora Bora was fund (driver sang the theme from Indian Jones to set the mood), views were great, but be prepared for long visit to black pearl shop at the end. Food at resort was very good--we picked ala carte over buffet for cost and quality. LIke others, we paid $85 US for a cab to take us to the market in Viatape to get wine, cheese, bread etc at much reduced cost. Our favorite island restaurant was St. James, where I enjoyed the fois grais and she the fish. Bloody Mary's had good food and atmosphere, price was reasonable. Bora Bora is expensive, no doubt. But it is worth it. The hotel staff were friendly and eager to please, but the desk where we arranged tours etc was often understaffed. Highlight: walking to the real beach behind the hotel and snorkling in the warm, shallow waters of the coral reef--not as many fish as seen from the boat, but a wide variety. Caution--sharks do patrol the reef looking for food--we kept watch for each other while snorkling, and enjoying the view of nearby islands in the Society Islands chain. On the trip back we had a long layover in Papaeete, so we went to the Lotus Restaurant at the Intercontinental by cab for dinner, and it was fabulous. We booked through Easy Tahiti.com, whose people were very helpful when we landed and departed.

This was the final destination of our honeymoon and was to be the icing on the cake so to speak. Along our journey, we stayed at the Raddison in Tahiti and the Intercontinential in Moorea. Le Meridien BB was the most expensive of the three and we had opted to spare no expense and upgrade to the premium overwater bugalow which btw means that you are in deep water with an unobstructed view. Its great for the panaramic effect, but if you are interested in snorkling and swimming from your dock, its not so great. There are few fish to view through your glass bottom floor b/c of the deep water (but watching eachother from below is fun!)... The Turtle sanctuary is great at LeMeridien! and their private Lagoon has some great coral gardens and is populated with some beautiful fishes so the snorkling here is great! Food on the resort was great but expensive (no more so than everywhere in the French Poli region). Expect to pay close to or over $200 USD per dinner and at least $100 for lunch (per couple). I would suggest opting for a meal plan from the resort if available as they typically offer breakfast and dinner combos which if you decide to venture out for dinner, they allow you to trade for lunches this can save you lots! We found that Le Meridien was more "French" than any of the oher resorts we visited which made it more difficult to communicate as neither of us spoke the language. For the most part, everyone else we met spoke some english. Our room at Le Meridien was infested with cockroaches but not as bad as you might see in NYC. We found 1-2 each night and once we notified the management, they tried to fix the problem (not exaclty to our satisfaction)... It may have been the language barrier or the build up of exceptional service from resports prior, but Le Meridien missed the mark for us and we would not reccommend it to future travelers. If you happen to visit dispite our remarks, enjoy the pool and lagoon but check you bed before your go to sleep!

I stayed in LM Bora Bora in April 2007. Bora Bora (premium overwater bungalow) staying for 7 nights. My first impressions of the Le Meridien were incredible. The transfer process from the airport was seamless and the transfer staff was very friendly. When we arrived at the hotel (at check-in time), it turned out that our room was not yet ready; however, rather than make us sit around waiting, the arrival staff provided us with a complimentary drink and took us on a tour of the hotel and its grounds. After the tour and refreshments, we were successfully checked into our room and our Bora Bora experience began. Other positive experiences... We found that the hotel restaurant was excellent. Food quality, food presentation and service perfect. Additionally, room service prices were consistent with the hotel restaurant prices and did not include any surcharges. The upkeep and thought that went into this resort was incredible. The resort was incredibly clean. Some negative experiences... We were a little disappointed with the European style "twins join as king beds. We had a very poor experience with asking for a late check-out. Our flight was at 5pm so we requested a late check-out. We were flatly told "no." What disappointed me with this is that our room was not ready at the designated check-in time (which I understood was due to someone else's late check out) and from talking with others without "elite status" at the hotel, they did receive the extended check-out. Being an elite member paying for the most expensive room in the hotel, I think granting the extended check-out would only be appropriate. We felt the hotel concierge was horrible. Yes, horrible. There were two instances that led me to this conclusion (on top of her overall indifference and general attitude). Night 1 at dinner, we were put at a crappy table at dinner after making a reservation. We observed that most of the restaurant tables were available, including on the lagoon, yet they were not made available to us. For night 2 and night 4 (we went out for night 3), my partner made a reservation at the concierge and requested a lagoon side table. His request was denied. Rather infuriated, I went back to the concierge and explained my "status" and the fact that we paid for the most expensive room at the hotel. She informed me that the tables were in fact available (not sure why they weren't when my partner asked for them and we'd get them). For day 2, we got the table; however for day 4, when we went to dinner, we were told it wasn't available. I quickly informed the host that we made the reservation and re-hashed my conversation with the concierge. To his credit, he and another employee rectified the situation very quickly by moving a table into a prime spot. However, needless to say, I was very disappointed with the concierge for her handling of the dinner reservations in general. The irony of it all is that the better tables were ALWAYS available! Ignoring these isolated negative experiences, we loved the LM Bora Bora and would likely consider staying there again . On a slightly different note; French is the official language of French Polynesia. An organic law of April 12, 1996 states that "French is the official language, Tahitian and other Polynesian languages can be used. French Polynesia has one of the lowest crime rates within France and its territories. However, petty crime, such as pickpocketing and purse snatching, occurs.

My husband and I went there for 5 days and it was great! The over the water hut was amazing and nicer than most hotel rooms. You can jump into the water from your patio! I recommend getting room service as you can sit on your patio and eat and not have to worry about waiting in the restaurant. Take advantage of all the free water activities too. One thing to remember, you are on a desolate island so all your meals are through the hotel and hotel meals aren't cheap...but you're on vacation!