We’ve been to some of the most amazing destinations around the world, and we both agree that Bora Bora is the most beautiful place we’ve visited. We stayed at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui Resort with our kids for 6 nights thanks to travel hacking. This stunning resort is one of the best places to stay in Bora Bora with kids with a plethora of fun activities for families to enjoy together. It was formerly called the Hilton Bora Bora Nui and then underwent a multimillion-dollar refurbishment. The resort reopened as the Conrad Bora Bora Nui in April 2017. It is one of the newest and best Bora Bora resorts thanks to the recent renovations. Read our Conrad Bora Bora Nui review for all the details on this breathtaking Bora Bora resort that is simply paradise on Earth. Whether you’re on a Bora Bora honeymoon or family vacation, this resort will leave you speechless.

Conrad Bora Bora Nui Review

**Our WTA score represents our own views based on our personal experience with the entity being reviewed.

How we Made our Conrad Bora Bora Booking with Points

The Conrad Bora Bora Resort is one of the high-end luxury resorts in Bora Bora. So many people want to know how much does a trip to Bora Bora cost? Bora Bora prices are high, but it is possible to visit Bora Bora on a budget with points. Standard rooms start at around $800 per night and overwater villas around $1,500 per night. However, we stayed there for 6 nights for free thanks to travel hacking.

We booked a standard villa for 80,000 Hilton points per night and received a complimentary upgrade thanks to our Hilton Diamond status. We also got one night completely free thanks to the Hilton Honors 5th night free promotion for Hilton elite members. Ours 6 night stay would have cost around $10,000 but we stayed for free using our points.

Getting to Conrad Bora Bora Nui

The Conrad Bora Bora Nui is located on its own private Bora Bora island of Motu To’opua. This paradise is about 20 minutes by boat from the Bora Bora airport. When you arrive to the airport, there is a desk area for each luxury hotel with a representative to greet you. We received fresh flower leis and assistance with our luggage before taking a boat to the resort.

The resort can arrange a boat shuttle from the airport or you can arrange your own private transfer. The hotel charges $130 per person for the roundtrip transfer, which would have cost $520 for our family of four. We paid $322 roundtrip for our family for a private transfer with Lady Pearl that you can book here through Viator. The captain loaded our luggage, helped us onboard, and had cold towels and water bottles ready for us. It was very luxurious and a great start to our Bora Bora family vacation.

The views along the way are absolutely mind-blowing, so make sure to have your camera ready. A trip to Bora Bora is not complete without some photos with the famous Bora Bora landmark Mt. Otemanu in the background.

 

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Warm Welcome at Conrad Bora Bora Nui

Once we arrived to the resort, hotel staff greeted us on the dock and whisked away our luggage. We received cold towels and welcome drinks of iced tea at the cozy overwater reception area. There was a Polynesian drum and ukulele that the kids played with while we checked in.

We all hopped on the golf cart and got a tour of the island on our way to our villa. Thomas gave us a thorough introduction to our Garden Villa and explained how to use all the modern amenities like a Bluetooth speaker system that plays music both indoors and on the balcony.

Conrad Bora Bora Villas

The resort has several different options for accommodation including lagoon view suites, garden view suites, beach pool villas, overwater villas, pool overwater villas, and two 2-story presidential overwater villas. You may have heard about those- it’s where the Kardashians stayed in Bora Bora and also was a filming location for The Bachelorette. So yeah, it’s pretty spectacular. With Mt. Otemanu in the background, it’s truly jaw-dropping. You might have to pinch yourselves.

The villas have grass roofs for that quintessential Bora Bora bungalow look and have luxurious contemporary decor inside. We wrote separate reviews of the two villas we stayed in, the Garden Villa and Beach Pool Villa, so make sure to check those out too. But here’s a quick glimpse of the view from our Beach Pool Villa.

The overwater villas face the open ocean and a sea of endless blue water in shades so vivid it looks photoshopped.  A few of the overwater villas, 105 and 106, have direct views of Mt. Otemanu. If you want a view of the famous Bora Bora volcano from your overwater villa, those are the villas to stay in.

We did not stay in an overwater villa since we visited with our children. I was afraid that our fearless 5 year old son would jump into the ocean in the middle of the night while we were asleep, so we played it safe with a beach villa. Honestly, it worked out better for us anyway since our kids love playing in the sand and had a blast running out to look for hermit crabs every morning on the beach.

Conrad Bora Bora Beach

The Conrad Bora Bora Nui boasts the longest private beach in Bora Bora. The beach has fine white sand lined with giant palm trees, hammocks, lounge chairs and umbrellas. There are so many spots to relax and soak in the unparalleled beauty, like this hammock the kids loved playing in near the main restaurant.

Infinity Pool

The infinity pool at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui is absolutely gorgeous. Not surprisingly, it’s where we spent a lot of time during our stay and made a lot of new friends. The pool has a gradual entry and gets deeper near the edge, which looks out onto the beach and turquoise ocean. There are floats for kids to play with, lounge chairs inside the pool to soak up the view while staying cool, and sparkly tiles that glitter in the sunlight. I kept snapping photos of the pool because it’s just so gorgeous.

The pool has several cabanas that are open for grabs every morning, which we were lucky to snag a few times. Otherwise there are plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas around the pool so we never had a problem finding a place to lay our stuff. We didn’t spend much time laying around though since we were having too much fun splashing in the pool.

Water Sports and Activities

The activity desk at the pool has everything you’ll need to enjoy water sports and other activities around the island. They let you borrow (free of charge) snorkel equipment, life jackets, mini golf equipment, and tennis gear. They also provide beach towels, reef-safe sunscreen, aloe vera, cold water, and fresh fruit kabobs. There are also different cultural activities at the activity desk throughout the week, such as learning how to open a coconut and Polynesian dance lessons.

We cannot say enough positive things about the staff at the activity desk. William, Gautier, and Gilles became best buddies with our kids during our stay. They were so incredibly kind and friendly towards our children that they didn’t want to say goodbye. They even let the kids help hand out towels and equipment at the activity desk, which the kids thought was so much fun. The crew at the pool, led by Olivier,  blew us away with their heartwarming hospitality and outstanding service.

There are non-motorized water sports to enjoy for free, including kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, and 4-person paddle boats to explore. We took one out with the kids but it was harder than it looked thanks to the ocean current and waves. The kayaks were much easier to navigate.

Make sure to spend some time snorkeling around the resort as well. They built special biorock structures to help regenerate the coral reef and there were hundreds of fish swimming around them. Pro tip- snag a piece of bread from the breakfast buffet and fish will come from everywhere to gobble it up.

The resort also has a Hobie Cat boat and gives free 30-minute tours on certain days of the week. We took a trip out onto the lagoon and had a blast. We started moving so fast that we were went up onto one side and had to hold on tight. The kids had never experienced a sailboat ride like that before and loved every minute.

Breakfast at Iraitai Restaurant

The resort has three restaurants and three bars offering a variety of cuisines including Polynesian, Mediterranean, French, Chinese, and Japanese. We enjoyed breakfast every day at the French restaurant Iriatai located in the main building.

Iraitai has an impressive breakfast buffet. As Hilton Diamond members, we received complimentary breakfast buffet each day. The setting for breakfast is absolutely breathtaking overlooking the bright blue waters and beach.

The buffet was extensive with a selection of juice, milk, fresh fruit, pastries, fresh bread, yogurt, cereals, salad, charcuterie, hard boiled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, Asian cuisine, fried rice, roasted veggies, and some local specialities like raw fish with coconut milk. The kids were huge fans of the pastry selection, especially the sugary beignets and sweet banana cake. You can definitely feel the French influence when it comes to the tasty pastries at this resort, which were outstanding.

The buffet offerings but did not change throughout our stay (except for the fruit options), so by the end of the week we were hoping for some variety at least with the hot dishes. Nonetheless, the buffet was delicious and satisfying, even for our picky 5 year old. We heard from some other guests who had stayed at other luxury hotels in Bora Bora that the food at the Conrad was far superior than any of the other resorts.

There is a menu that you can order off to supplement the buffet with items like pancakes, french toast, crepes, and eggs for a charge of about $11. We’ve heard from several people that even though they ordered off the menu, they were not charged extra, so you might get lucky.

One of our only critiques about the resort was that service at breakfast was at times slow. As they say about Bora Bora, locals are on island time. However, for a 5-star resort, we think they can improve in this area. On several mornings we had to wait for 15 minutes or more for a table since there wasn’t enough staff to clear the empty tables quickly enough. Every morning we ordered hot tea and juice, but sometimes we were done eating before our drinks showed up. Other mornings we had quick service, so it varied from day to day. We did appreciate how the hostess greeted us by name every morning and knew that we wanted the table on the balcony with the best views.

Iriatai serves dinner as well, although we didn’t eat dinner there during our stay. It is a formal atmosphere and with 2 young boisterous kids we preferred more casual settings. We had planned to eat there for our anniversary, but ended up having so much fun with our new friends at the pool that we stayed in our swimsuits all day drinking wine at the pool bar until long after sunset. We plan to return for our next anniversary so hope to have dinner there.

Tamure Beach Grill and Tarava Pool Bar

Lunch is served at Tamure Beach Grill, which is right on the beach with sand under your toes. There’s also Tarava Pool Bar with seating next to the pool, where the tables appear to be under water. You take a stone path over water to the tables and it’s a very unique dining setup.

We ate dinner and lingered over wine at the bar with our new friends while our kids splashed in the pool. It’s the perfect setup for families with kids who want to stay in the pool all day and all night. However, the pool is not heated and was too cold at night for us adults. We wish the resort had a heated pool or hot tub for those chilly Bora Bora nights.

Dinner is served at Tamure until 8pm, but most nights they have a special dining event that is a fixed price so they won’t allow you to order off the regular menu. We ate there and thought the pizzas were good but my Polynesian salad was very bland and disappointing. Bertaut ordered the Tex-Mex pizza which was filling and would be enough for two people to share.

Just for an idea of pricing, the pizza cost $32 and so did my salad. The kids meals were almost $20 each and didn’t include a drink or dessert. So be prepared for extremely high prices on food and drinks, which is our only other critique of the resort. It’s a 5-star luxury resort in Bora Bora, so we knew prices would be high. However, the food and drink prices were still difficult to swallow. To cut down a little on meal costs, ask for tap water since the bottled water costs $9 and you’ll need several to stay hydrated.

We planned to eat at Tamure for dinner later during our stay but found out they were having a special dinner event (that was even more expensive) so went elsewhere for dinner. Tuesday nights they have a Polynesian Buffet and show, which we unfortunately missed during our stay but heard it was very entertaining with traditional dancing.

Banyan Chinese Restaurant

For dinner another option is the Banyan Chinese restaurant. It is located up near the French restaurant next to a giant Banyan tree. They offer both indoor and outdoor seating, although you need to make a reservation. We ate there a few times because both the food and service were very good.

The kids can order off the kids menu from any restaurant at the resort, and it offers the same options everywhere. The only problem was that the kids meals must have come from a different kitchen because we received our Chinese food at least 15 minutes before our kids received their kids meals. Our server was kind enough to bring them some rice while they waited for their food, which kept them happy. They also serve complimentary green tea with your meal, which was appreciated.

Upa Upa Lounge Bar

The best place to enjoy a drink at sunset is the Upa Upa Lounge Bar. This chic bar is on the welcome dock and has both indoor and outdoor seating with stunning views. The floors inside have glass sections so you can look at the reef below while sipping a cocktail and nibbling on sushi. They light up the water underneath at night so it is fascinating to see what swims under your feet. We saw black-tipped reef shark swimming underneath and thought it was incredibly cool.

Like the rest of the resort’s dining prices, the Upa Upa Bar is costly. A sushi roll or a cocktail will set you back at least $30. But suck it up and splurge because you’re in Bora Bora baby! There’s no other dining venue at the resort with a better ambiance. They offer live music some nights too, which happened to be local Polynesian music on the night we went. It is a popular spot to grab a pre-dinner cocktail while watching sunset or dinner for those who love sushi.

Iraitai Bar and Lounge

One last place to grab a drink or light meal is the lounge next to the French restaurant. We ate there one night and played pool while we waited for our meals. The food options are limited but kids can still order off the regular kids menu, which was nice. We ate there the night we had planned to eat at Tamure Beach Grill but didn’t realize there was a special dining event. So if you just want to order a pizza, this is a back up option in case you didn’t make dinner reservations at any of the other restaurants. However, we preferred the ambiance of the other restaurants.

Hina Spa

The Conrad Bora Bora Spa sits up high on the hill and has the best view of the entire resort. So even if you don’t get a treatment you should go check it out because even the path up there is heavenly. We wandered up before sunset and enjoyed sublime views of the many shades of blue. The spa lobby is open and serene, and you feel relaxed just entering the elegant space. Make sure to check out the chapel and viewing platform up there too for perfect views of Mt. Otemanu.

The spa provides services including massages, facials, and reflexology. There is a relaxation room, steam room, sauna, and invidious villas for treatments. The spa uses ELEMIS skincare products. We did not get any treatments but heard they are great.

Fitness Room

The fitness room is located next to the Kids Club and is open 24/7. The gym has two rooms with a decent selection of cardio and strength equipment. There’s a large window so you can have views of the ocean while you burn off those extra vacation calories.  They also provide bottled water and apples to fuel your workout.

Kids Club

The complementary Kids Club has a fenced in playground and two separate rooms for kids based on their age. Unfortunately the woman in charge of the kids club was sick during our visit so it was not staffed, but it was still open for kids to use supervised by their parents (or older siblings).

When we mentioned how we were hoping to use the kids club to get some one-on-one time for our anniversary, the fantastic guys at the activity desk offered to take our kids there so we could enjoy some time to ourselves. So a huge shout out to William for offering, and to Gautier for watching our kids for an hour.

Shuttle Service to Main Bora Bora Island

If you want to get off the island and see where the locals live, you can take a shuttle from the resort to Viatape. The shuttle costs 1,500 XPF ($14 per person) roundtrip but children under 12 are free with an adult. The shuttle departs the resort every few hours from 8am to 7:15pm and the last return shuttle is at 11:30pm. However, the shuttle price increases to 2, 200 XPF ($20.50) after 4:15pm, which is when you’d want to leave if you were planning on having dinner in Viatape.

We took the shuttle over one afternoon at 4:15pm because there was a fair and festival in town with a Polynesian dance show at night. It started pouring down rain on us so we ate dinner at the only place that was open at 6pm, a restaurant near the pier. The food was much cheaper than at the resort, but was not good.  After walking through the kitchen to get to the restroom, I had concerns about the food hygiene.

So if you decide to eat dinner on the main island, go to Bloody Mary’s which we heard rave reviews about from several other guests. We thought about returning another night to eat there, but we couldn’t pull ourselves away from the paradise setting of the Conrad.

What several guests did (and we planned to do but got sidetracked by the torrential downpour) was go shopping for snacks, drinks, and alcohol in Vaitape. We met a couple who said they had spent $800 just on alcohol during their visit, so they stocked up on liquor and wine in town and saved a lot of money during the rest of their stay. We recommend doing this at the beginning of your visit to cut down on food and beverage costs, especially if you’re big drinkers.

Last Thoughts on our Conrad Bora Bora Nui Review

In conclusion, we absolutely loved Conrad Bora Bora Nui and are already planning another Bora Bora vacation in the near future. The resort is gorgeous, from the ultra-luxe villas with jaw-dropping views to the dazzling infinity pool, pristine beach, elegant restaurants, and chic lounge spaces throughout the resort.

We experienced outstanding service for the most part, although service at breakfast was slow on some busy mornings. Although the resort doesn’t face Mt. Otemanu like some of the other resorts on the lagoon side of Bora Bora, the ocean views are nonetheless fabulous. The benefit of being on the ocean side is more privacy since there aren’t shuttle boats going back and forth all day.

With a free kids club, mini golf course, bikes for the entire family, snorkeling gear, paddle boats and more for families to enjoy, it’s a great place to stay in Bora Bora with kids. There are also many fun things to do in Bora Bora outside the resort, like snorkeling with sharks and stingrays. Our snorkeling tour was incredible! Book yours here with Viator. ( **This is an affiliate link so we may earn a small commission if you book through our link.)

Our biggest critique is the high price of food and drinks, which can add up quickly for families. Bora Bora prices are high due to being on an island. However, it’s absolutely worth splurging on for a bucket list vacation!

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