A Bora Bora Vacation with Kids!
Sometimes when we choose a destination or have a family vacation idea, we go in knowing it will be kid-friendly – e.g. a Disney Cruise. And sometimes we book our tickets, do our homework and hope for the best. A Bora Bora vacation fell into the latter category. We wanted to go because of the iconic photos of overwater bungalows perched over turquoise lagoons, and we wanted to take the kids. It wasn’t that anything about it seemed like it wouldn’t be kid-friendly. It’s just that people don’t seem to take kids there.
It’s fairly easy to get to Bora Bora from LA. We left a birthday party in Ventura at 8pm and were in our overwater bungalow by 9:30am Bora Bora time (11:30 CA time) the next day, with most of that time spent sleeping on the plane. The single negative for younger kids is the departure time of the flights, with the only non-stops leaving around 11:30pm. Our 4-year-old fell asleep in the car on the way to the airport and didn’t wake up until we were on the plane. That meant that we (mainly my wife) had to carry 37 pounds from the car to the airport shuttle to the ticket counter through security and to the plane. Our other two kids did great, staying up until we took off (late) at midnight when we could put their seats back and let them sleep.
Kid friendly hotels in Bora Bora? We found one!
We chose the Four Seasons Bora Bora primarily because we had stayed at a Four Seasons previously and the kids loved their Kid’s Club and organized activities. Plus the resorts always seem to welcome kids in their marketing – including on the website of the Bora Bora property. The hotel confirmed their family-friendliness during the reservations process, allowing us to have five people in one bungalow even though their normal limit is four. Their promised configuration of two queen beds and a sofa queen pullout seemed to easily accommodate five. And an update: readers have let me know that as of mid-2019 FS Bora Bora is still allowing families with three kids to stay in one overwater bungalow.
We flew to Tahiti and then connected to a very short flight for our Bora Bora vacation. The Papeete airport couldn’t have been easier. It didn’t take more than 20 minutes for us to walk off the international flight, go through customs, get our luggage and check in for the domestic flight. When we arrived in Bora Bora with kids, the hotel staff met us with leis and then grabbed our luggage while we got on a small boat for the 15-minute ride to the hotel. Definitely the most fun we’ve had getting into an airport anywhere. And then once we got to the Four Seasons Bora Bora, we jumped into a golf cart for a quick tour and a ride to our bungalow.
Bungalow Arrival – The Good
Waiting for us in the bungalow were plates of cookies and snacks with the kids’ names spelled out in chocolate, stuffed stingrays, backpacks and kid-sized robes. There was also a birthday cake for my daughter who turned four the day before. The kids, of course, loved all of it. And the first view of the lagoon from the back deck is an amazing moment, where you pinch yourself because instead of looking at the pictures on the internet, you’re actually there on your own Bora Bora vacation.
Bungalow Arrival – The Bad
I mentioned our expected room layout above – the two queen beds and a pullout sofa, perfect for two parents and three small kids. Well, that was what I requested. And that’s what I thought I booked. But when we got to our bungalow, it had a king bed and a queen pullout sofa. We seemed to be missing a bed. The hotel staff at the Four Seasons Bora Bora sprang into action, but there were no queen layouts available. They offered to move us to a beach villa, which would have had a lot more room, but we weren’t interested – the lure of the Four Seasons Bora Bora centered around the overwater bungalows. So we stayed put. It was a good decision overall since we loved being over the water, but we slept poorly all week, no matter how we rotated kids.
The other odd thing about the check-in was that I was asked to sign a disclaimer that stated that the hotel had strongly advised against any kids under 10 staying in the overwater bungalows, but since I had disregarded that warning and booked anyway, I was fully responsible if they drowned, etc… I understand the hotel wanting to limit their liability, but it was the tone of the letter that struck me, plus the fact that we had never received any warnings about staying in bungalows.
If you go to the website, the resort seems to be really family friendly, with no disclaimers about kids in the bungalows. And during the reservations process (via email) there was no warning. We of course still would have gone, but the Four Seasons’ marketing department and attorneys need to confer on that one.
Those were just small hiccups though. The rest of the week was great, with several outstanding elements:
The Kid’s Club
We had the only kids at the Four Seasons Bora Bora that week. So the Kid’s Club wasn’t automatically open all day for us, but they made it clear that they would open it, or plan activities, anytime that we wanted to take advantage of it. The first full day there Beatrice, the kid’s club manager, found us and planned a few activities. She took the kids fishing and showed them around the resort. She also did crafts with them. She even included our four-year-old, who ordinarily would have been too young, but since we were the only people there she didn’t mind at all being flexible. The third day she planned a scavenger hunt around the resort. The next day she arranged for a large bounce house to be set up.
We didn’t utilize her or the kid’s club nearly as much as we could have on our Bora Bora vacation, since our kids opted for other things most days, but it was great to know that we could have dropped them off anytime with short notice.
The Bungalow
We spent a lot of time in the bungalow during our Bora Bora vacation. The view of Mount Otemanu was spectacular. The kids loved hanging out outside and reading and playing games, and we were often jumping into the lagoon from the back deck and swimming with fish and rays. An unexpected advantage of the bungalow is that there was no one below or above us, and no other bungalows within 20+ feet. Although we made sure the kids weren’t too loud, since we didn’t want to disturb the honeymooners and other couples on romantic vacations, we let them run around and play and stomp a lot more than we usually would at a hotel.
My son brought his ukulele and he played often both inside and outside the bungalow and we never got the feeling that the sound traveled too far or that we were bothering anyone. And we only got positive comments from other guests, so that made us feel like we were blending in pretty nicely.
The Included Elements
One of the things that annoys me at hotels is that you have to commit to rentals, like stand up paddle boards, for an hour or more. That’s not very kid-friendly. The nice thing about the Four Seasons Bora Bora is that they included paddle boarding and kayaking, so if we went out for only 20 minutes, it wasn’t like we were wasting time that we paid for. We went kayaking three times and paddle boarding at least three times and there was always equipment available. They also included all the bottled water we wanted, and they had sunscreen available throughout the property. And the cabanas at the pool were free and always available. The kids enjoyed relaxing there, dining there, and even building pillow forts. A great way to be able to spend time at the pool but be out of the (very strong) sun.
Also included at the Four Seasons Bora Bora were washers and dryers. Literally 20 steps from our bungalow we were able to do laundry. We would have packed a lot less if we had known about that in advance. A very cool element that helped to offset the high room rates on a Bora Bora vacation.
The Food
The Four Seasons Bora Bora had included “breakfast for two adults” in our room rate. It turns out that that included the kids as well, since every day all three kids were listed as free. Breakfast was the best meal of the day on our Bora Bora vacation, with excellent buffet options: omelets; bacon; crepes; waffles or pancakes; many kinds of fresh fruit; French-quality pastries and juices. There were even chocolate-chip cookies most days, which of course the kids loved. We dined slowly every morning, making multiple trips to the buffet, relaxing, having coffee and freshly-made juices and enjoying the view. If the kids finished early, they would head over to the hammock or beach, more or less staying within view.
For lunch and dinner, there’s a standard kids menu, with all food seeming to come from the same kitchen no matter where we dined. The food was good with normal kid options (hamburger, grilled chicken, chicken fingers, mahi mahi, with French fries, fruit, salad or sauteed veggies) at decent prices – around $10/meal, which is far less expensive than anything else at the resort. The kids were happy with the food overall.
For adults, or adventurous kids, the other food was good, but very expensive. Over the course of the week we dined twice at the Sunset Bar, twice at Tere Nui with its theme nights, once at Arii Moana, and once at the event pavilion for the Polynesian show. None of the dishes particularly stood out, but the sushi at the Sunset Bar was very good.
The Walk to Dinner
A definite highlight in visiting Bora Bora with kids was the walk to dinner every evening. We were in Bungalow 423, which is located far from the beach, pool and restaurants – almost as far away as you can get. Although the view was spectacular, being that far from the center of the resort wasn’t very kid-friendly. A shorter walk would have been nice most of the time. However, in the evenings I was glad the walk was as long as it was. There was something magical about the 15-minute journey (walking slowly) while the sun was setting and the kids were cleaned up from the day and dressed for dinner, all in good moods, running, skipping, backtracking, holding hands, looking at the water, and occasionally dropping room keys in the lagoon. I saw other guests getting rides from their bungalows to dinner in the golf carts. They were missing out.
Bora Bora with Kids: The Excursions
We took the complimentary hotel boat to Vaitape twice. Vaitape is small, so the three-hours in town were perfect. We had lunch each trip at the Aloe Café, which has great shrimp and haricots verts. The town is all about pearl jewelry, and there’s a crafts market with carvings and shell/pearl jewelry.
The highlight of our trip, though, was our five-hour trip around the island on the shark / snorkeling tour arranged through the hotel. The five hours actually went by very quickly. We anchored a few places for snorkeling and then to pet stingrays. The hotel provided all snorkeling equipment and life vests, and the kids had a great time getting into the water with the fish. We saw lemon sharks, mahi-mahi, yellow fin tuna, and dozens of other kinds of fish at the coral reefs and the other places we stopped.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have an underwater camera, but just picture being right in the middle of a really amazing aquarium. After we had spent a lot of time in the water and on the boat, we stopped at a portion of the atoll not far from the resort and the boat guys grilled up a great lunch of mahi-mahi, chicken and lobster. They completed the experience with some ukulele playing and cutting open coconuts. The kids loved dining on the floating picnic table surrounded by fish.
The Kids’ Favorite Things
The kids all agreed on the highlights of our Bora Bora vacation: breakfasts; kayaking and stand up paddle boarding; the boat trip around the island with snorkeling and petting stingrays; jumping in the water and swimming at the bungalow; turning the pool cabanas into pillow forts; spending time at the beach and in the pool; taking golf carts back to the bungalow sometimes; and having hermit crab races.
The Kids’ Least Favorite Things
The kids didn’t have many complaints, but they usually centered around the long walks back to the bungalow and the heat and humidity, and of course the long walks back to the bungalow in the heat and humidity.
Overall our Bora Bora vacation was a great trip – not an annual destination, but a once-in-a-lifetime splurge, or maybe a trip to do every ten years.
Summary Information
Kid Friendly: Very
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Airline/Routing: Air Tahiti Nui – Los Angeles-Papeete-Bora Bora
Hotel: Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora
Total Trip Length: Seven Days
Days of School Missed: Zero (winter break)
Ways We Brought the Cost Down: A Bora Bora vacation isn’t cheap, but there are a couple things you can do to reduce costs. First, Air Tahiti Nui has an ongoing special where kids fly free – basically for every adult ticket you buy, you get a child ticket free. Also, a friend went with us so we got two bungalows, with the second one at half-price, and we split the cost. The Four Seasons Bora Bora throws a lot of things in free, like water activities, kids’ breakfasts, sunscreen, laundry and Kid’s Club activities, and the kids meals aren’t expensive. So kids don’t actually add that much to the overall cost of the trip. That’s a huge plus. The kids enjoyed the resort as much as we did, so it really was a very family-friendly trip.
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I will like to have more information about package
Hi Emisael. You should be able to find information about the hotel, including pricing and packages, on their website at: http://www.fourseasons.com/borabora/
Thanks for this post! We just booked Bora Bora for May 2016 (my 35th Bday) and will be bringing our 4 year old daughter, seasoned traveler. I was very much an “adventurer” in my early 20’s and am excited (albeit nervous) about the trek… Your post has calmed my nerves, and ignited my excitement!
That’s awesome! Have a great trip. I don’t think you’ll have any problems at all, and your daughter will love it.
How was your trip with your 4-yo?
We had a good trip, but six is a better age than four for a lot of the activities, overwater bungalow safety and the long walk to/from our bungalow.
Hey, it appears the 2016 Victoria’s Secret swimsuit catalogue creators took your advice and did their photo shoot at this hotel! (It makes my fifteen-year-son even more interested in a family vacation!)
I know your children are younger, do you happen to know of any quality blogs or websites about traveling with early teens?
Love your site. Thank you!
That’s funny – I haven’t see the catalog yet. (Really, I haven’t!) Perfect timing for your question, since yesterday I added a section to my website with links to other blogs. https://travelbabbo.com/resources/ I’ll be adding more over the next week and I’ll likely be modifying the categories. Most travel sites are broad, but if I have enough for just toddlers or teens I’ll break those out. For now go down to the bottom – there are several blogs there that specifically mention teen travel.
About how much would you say the trip cost you in all? Including airfare & anything extra you had to pay for. I would love to go to bora bora, but I couldn’t find a price with the link you posted, and I’m trying to figure out if it’s in my budget!
I would never put the words Bora Bora and budget in the same sentence! It’s expensive. For lodging, I just ran a quick TripAdvisor search looking at the first week in March. The nicer places (overwater bungalows, etc… – basically what you picture when think of Bora Bora) are $500-800/night. Airfare is around $1300/person the same dates from LA. Food is expensive – easily $200 for dinners at the Four Seasons, but fairly expensive even to have lunch in Vaitape. Like I posted, it’s a once-in-a-liftime splurge, not an every-year destination.
Is the airfare the same price for all age kids ?
Yes. I’ve never seen a time when kids were priced differently – e.g. 5-year-olds vs. 10-year-olds. Sometimes kids’ international fares are less than adult fares and sometimes they’re the same.
Looks absolutely stunning! A place I’ve wanted to visit for years but has always been soooo expensive. We are planning a trip to Papeete and then hopping a cruise for a couple of weeks next season. As you mentioned, a once in a lifetime experience! I totally agree with you, if this is a family resort and they have you sign a waiver on check in, they really need to reword their advertising and claims. Must have been a surprise when you checked in. I don’t see the time of year you traveled, was it March? We are looking at March or April next season. Great article and pics! Rob
Thanks Rob! Yep, it’s expensive, but when I was doing my comparison of Palawan and Bora Bora I realized that for families of five it’s not that much more than Palawan or other places that force you to get multiple rooms. We traveled in late February. Perfect weather!
I have been wanting to go to Bora Bora and been wondering about being kid friendly especially in the bungalows. Only thing that concerns me is being over the water, bring easily accessible. I’d be paranoid and my son sleep with a swim vest on.
How old is your son? We weren’t concerned at all with our 4-year-old running around or sleeping there.
do u know how much bora bora cost
There is no way for me to answer that question for you without knowing how many people you have, where you’re coming from, the dates you want to travel and where you want to stay. The prices for a peak-season overwater villa stay are very different from a low-season, island-based stay.
I’m planning a trip to The Four Seasons Bora Bora for about 8-12 days. Do you think $12,000 is enough for food and activities for a family of four. My kids like to order off of the adult menu, they will be 13 and 12 when we go.
We ate enough at breakfast that we sometimes skipped lunch, and our kids ate off the kids’ menu a lot, but I would think that $150/lunch and $300/dinner is a decent benchmark? That’s what I remember anyway. So that’s $400-500/day for food, assuming that your bungalow comes with breakfast. A lot of activities are included, but others, like island tours, could be upwards of $1000. As long as you’re not doing half-day or full-day tours every day, $12,000 should be plenty.
Hi, I’m visiting from the Pinterest Link-up and I just loved this post. It was very comprehensive and the photos show just how gorgeous this place is – not that I ever think I will get to go there!
Thanks Jan! I hope that you’re able to make it! It’s even prettier in person.
I found this post after writing an article on the same topic. Although our visit to Bora Bora was before we had a kid, and I seem to spend at least a few minutes of my day EVERY DAY considering travelling there again with my husband and son. I think the verdict is that we will wait until our son is at least 10 years old before re-visiting this beautiful part of the world. We had stayed at the St Regis, and found it to be phenomenal, and I would probably try the Four Seasons next time. It sounds very family friendly too!
I would say that six is a good age. Our six-year-old had a great time and participated in most of the water sports. Four was probably too young. I wouldn’t hesitate to return with the kids – I think they would have a great time right now at 7, 9 and 11. They would definitely be more confident jumping off the dock at this point.
I’m taking my 9-year-old to the Maldives this summer and I’m expecting it to be similar.
Thanks for the great post! My wife and I were married at bora bora four seasons a couple of years ago. What an incredible experience! We made friends with a Canadian couple who were spending 4 weeks there with their 9 and 7 year old who were having a fabulous time in the kids club. We plan to bring our kids there in a few more years (maybe for the 10th wedding anniversary?). Cheers!
Wow, four weeks there is crazy, with or without kids! I was good with a week…
with $15 corona bottles a week is about my limit as well!
We are thinking of taking our son who would be 9 months old at that time…would we still enjoy Bora Bora with such a young one?
Usually I would say yes, but Bora Bora is expensive, and he’s obviously not going to appreciate where he is. If he’s into beaches and pools, you may as well go somewhere closer to home and save the money until he’s old enough to participate in more Bora Bora activities and know that he’s somewhere special. And flying with a 9-month-old isn’t the easiest – that’s the age when kids really don’t like to be confined to a plane seat. I’d recommend holding off a little, but at the same time you are going to be somewhere in the world that week. Why not Bora Bora? 🙂 It just won’t be that romantic!
This blog entry was SO helpful! Our youngest is almost 4. I think we will wait until she is 6 to splurge on this trip! Thank you 😊
Thanks for the feedback Brittni! It definitely doesn’t hurt to wait a little while.
I cannot thank you enough for this insanely amazing post! We just booked an over water bungalow here for my hubby and me and our 2 girls 10 and 15. We had so many questions and you literally answered them all and made this decision so much easier. We feel so much better knowing so many amazing details! Thank you for taking the time to share your beautiful families experience. I will write again after we visit.
Thank you so much for the comment Nicki! Have an amazing trip!
It’s been a few years since you wrote this blog. Does Air Tahiti Nui still offer the kids fly free special? Thank you.
Googling “Air Tahiti Kids” I found their current deal: https://www.tahiti.com/specials/kids-fly-free
hi Erick, we are in TANZANIA and would like to come for vaca in bora bora with Two kids in 2020 as the kids will be 2 years and 1 year. how much will it cost?
Sorry Agnes – I’m not a travel agent. You’ll need to find a travel agent, or research hotels and flights for your exact dates, yourself.
we are trying to book a room the bora bora four seasons hotel and it allows only (3 people max per water bungalow) meaning 2 adults and one child. I am getting a package from expedia with flights and hotel and it won’y allow me to book flight for my 2 kid since room only allows up to 3. is this something the hotel would need to approve or how do they allow more kids per room? we are wanting to travel with our 2 kids (ages 6 and 7) plus two adults. Im pretty sure they won’t have any issue allowing an extra child in the room or did you have to pay extra for having extra kids in room ? also how were the breakfasts free for the kids? please let me know. Thank you
Yes, you need to contact the hotel first and make sure that they’re fine with four people in one bungalow, and what bungalow category it would need to be. Even if they approve it though, you’ll still need to find a work-around with Expedia.
FS Bora Bora let all five of us stay in one bungalow, and they didn’t charge us for the kids’ breakfasts. Part of that may have been the package we were on, booked directly through the hotel? Remember that the hotel gets less revenue if you book through a third party, and most hotels will give you a better deal and/or be more lenient with guest numbers, breakfasts, etc… if you book directly through them.
I was so excited to read your post and see your beautiful pictures! We are planning an end of year trip when our youngest will turn 4, and I always thought this would be off limits until we had teens. After reading your article, I thought “this was meant to be!”. I’m curious about the safety aspect with a young one. How was the entry/exit to the room secured, or is it open (i.e. while sleeping)? Do you have any further pics of the room you stayed in? Our little one can swim, but the middle of the night possibilities are what scare me.
Also, how did you feel about the exploration factor of this locale? Is there enough to do for a 10 day or 2 week stay?
Thank you for any further thoughts you may have!
I just looked through all of my photos and I don’t have any of the inside of the bungalow. Sorry – our trip took place before I started travel writing! I remember standard locks to secure the door between the bungalow and patio, but nothing between the patio and the water. Our kids have never wandered around any hotel room, or even our house, in the middle of the night, so we never thought about those possibilities in Bora Bora.
We were ready to leave after a week. Bora Bora is sometimes known as Boring Boring. It’s paradise on some level, but 10 days or two weeks seems like a long time, unless you really like relaxing at the beach/pool.
what was the kind of bungalow you stayed in?
Our confirmation says “mountain view overwater bungalow”.
was it one bedroom or two?
Just one. I don’t think they even had a two bedroom overwater option until recently.
what airline did you use?
Listed in Summary Information at the end of the post.
about how much did the trip cost in total including dining?
Sorry, I don’t remember at all. And this was seven years ago, so those costs wouldn’t be relevant to right now. Just email them and get the best deal you can.
Thank you for your excellent information. Even though it was several years ago, I still find it very helpful. We plan to travel to Bora-Bora with a 6 year old. We are thinking of simply staying 8 nights on Bora-Bora in two different resorts – no inter-island. Less travel more beach. Given our child is only 6, we think it’s OK to skip seeing another island. Do you think we’re really missing out by not exploring with such a young child?Thank you.
That’s really all we did – beach and relaxation and tiny bit of culture/local sites. I don’t think you’d ever regret focusing on relaxation instead of exploration with young kids. Having said that, my friends Anna and Matt took their very young kids to a lot more destinations there recently. Anna will have a post on her website tomorrow on the trip if you want to check it out for a different perspective: https://annaeverywhere.com.