LIVING THE DREAM
- I created a vision board years ago and on it was a picture of a hut overlooking various shades of turquoise and blue, clear, pristine water. This vision came to fruition when we spent 5 glorious nights at the Conrad Hilton in Bora Bora.
Our number one travel tip to make a reality trip happen? Get a credit card that earns points such as a Hilton Honors credit card or a similar competitor such as JW Marriott, then you can earn points for your stay, sometimes you obtain perks such as free weekend night certificates, or pluses such as the 5th night free if you stay five versus 4 nights. If it still costs a little money to upgrade to something more luxurious (like an over the water hut) then the price is somewhat reasonable and doesn’t hurt the pocketbook so much.
We were fortunate to be able to stay at an overwater villa which had nets on the deck for lounging and easy access to the water for snorkeling (with a ladder from the deck directly into the water).
With our honors card we were given free breakfast, which is a wonderful perk with a great food selection, nice tables with white tablecloths, and an amazing ocean view.
The Conrad’s location is good but not ideal as it doesn’t have the iconic view of Mount Otemanu but other activities allow you to see the view, and it is a nice experience to have a view of the vast ocean and feel tucked away in a private paradise.
The challenge of the island is the high cost of food and drinks as everything has to be imported in. We stayed in March of 2019 and the price of a hamburger was $35, a salad $32, and if you wanted to drink alcohol such as a Pina Colada or glass of wine, you had to be prepared for a price of $30 for a mixed drink and $17 or $18 for a glass of wine. The trick to keep expenses within reason, is to take a day trip to the main island where you can purchase groceries or alcohol at the local grocery store there which is much more reasonably priced. Although there is a charge for boat transport, it is well worth the price. There are also a couple of places to eat that are more moderately priced than the hotel and which have great reputations for food and atmosphere. Bloody Mary’s is a very popular restaurant with a sandy floor and rustic log tables. Known for their daily fresh fish and a legendary place where starts such as Ringo Starr, Bill & Melinda Gates, and Jimmy Buffet. St. James is more upscale with one customer raving that her husband is a chef but their steak beats his!
Time of year to go? We are told November and April. We went the week of March 12th to celebrate my hubby’s birthday but we found it a little too humid for our liking. Also, we were surprised to discover that restaurants did not have electricity but only utilized ceiling fans and counted on it being breezy. Thankfully our room had A.C. but it was just too humid for us in March. December through March is wet and visitors become mosquito bait. We were fortunate that it only rained once during our stay as it was still considered rainy season. Locals will say anytime is a good time to visit as the weather is warm year-round.
Entertainment? We made the mistake of not taking the tour where they go on a half day snorkeling trip. One guest’s photos were amazing with the brightly colored variety of coral. We snorkeled every day from our room, but just didn’t see coral as colorful as they witnessed on the half day trip. They also had a Polynesian show that we almost didn’t attend as we were so used to the commercialized shows offered in Hawaii where everyone is on a stage and you feel so removed. This was a feet in the sand kind of show with the group right in front of you. Best show that we have ever seen.
People? We always enjoy meeting people on vacations. This time we met a really fun Japanese couple at the poolside bar. They spoke limited English but well enough for us to understand that Manabue had a fabulous sense of humor and his wife Rui thoroughly enjoyed his entertaining personality as much as we did. They live in Osaka, Japan so we did discuss visiting them in Osaka, possibly this year in September. We hear they have a fabulous Hilton there! More adventures to come
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