The great thing about doing a post on Bora Bora is that you have to literally do zero edits on your photos because life there is just one giant beautiful filter that trumps all of Instagram.
(Also, maybe I'm a little bit lazy and don't feel like doing any photo editing right now?)
Jon and I had an INCREDIBLE honeymoon in Bora Bora, and it seriously needs to be on everyone's bucket list of places to go. The entire island (Islands? I suck at geography.) is absolutely breathtaking, the water has every shade of blue you've ever seen and more, and the people are lovely. It really is like waking up in a dream!
I didn't know if it'd be possible for us to go there for our honeymoon because a trip to Bora Bora is not exactly cheap. HOWEVER, we booked our trip through Costco Travel (who knew, right?), and we ended up paying half of what we should have for the whole trip. Don't get me wrong, it still wasn't cheap, but it was much more manageable! We stayed at the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort and Spa in one of those dreamy little overwater bungalows, and we had the most relaxing, amazing time. So onto the pics!
When we arrived at the resort, they greeted us with the best water of our lives. Jon and I still don't know what was in it (blood orange? vanilla? Polynesian magic? debatable.), but it was the most refreshing, delicious thing we could have asked for after a full day of travel that included four plane rides and a ferry.
When we checked in to our bungalow, we were greeted with this (I think for booking through Costco? In the end of pontoon bungalow? Again, unclear, but welcomed!)
Also, we were greeted with this view:
We were there during the off-season, so only two of the resort's restaurants were open - a laid-back bar at the pool, and a more formal dining room for dinner/breakfast. Both were great, and we got to see a Polynesian show at dinner one night!
Breakfast was included with our stay, and it might have been my favorite meal offering from the resort. Every day they had a full breakfast buffet, with a variety of freshly squeezed juices and lots of veg options for yours truly.
We took the ferry to the mainland a couple of times to visit the shops and Aloe Cafe, which we really liked. And since the prices of meals do add up, we went to the grocery store to stock up on some snacks, meats, and cheeses to have on hand.
So the first half of our trip, it rained A LOT. So much so, that one of the nights, Jon and I woke up thinking there was a hurricane going on, and that our bungalow was definitely going to blow over. You think you've seen it all during a Texas rainstorm? Honey, you ain't seen nothin' til you seen a Polynesian rainstorm!
It was okay, though because we brought Bananagrams and lots and lots of books, and they had a pool table that we got good use out of.
(Umm, sidenote, I just noticed Jon played the word "Hydrogen." High five, husband!)
(...but he also played the word "ane" which...is definitely not a word.)
(UPDATE: Jon just texted me a screenshot of Google telling him that "ane" is actually a word. I still disagree.)
We still got snippets of sun here and there, so we took advantage of the resort's mini golf course and live outdoor music one night by the pool, which we loved!
On the morning of day four though, I do admit that I woke up very downtrodden from all the rain. I started frantically looking to see if we could hop a "quick" flight to Hawaii, New Zealand, or Australia (spoiler alert: we couldn't.), and just when I thought all hope was lost and I started really feeling sorry for myself (you definitely have my permission to punch me in the face), the clouds lifted, and we got several hours of uninterrupted sun (with clouds and rain here and there) for the rest of the trip!
You know those Instagrammers who practice yoga on the beach and look really inspiring and incredible doing it?
THAT WILL NEVER BE ME.
But despite what those stunning pictures above suggest, I tried stand up paddle boarding for the first time ever (you could rent them for free from the resort), and was actually pretty darn good at it!
(I can say that because I'm historically terrible at all sporty things, just refer to the previous two pictures.)
We also snorkeled around the reef gardens in our resort, which were beautiful but it also sort of creeped me out? I'd never really done snorkeling before, but I'm out on boats all the time for work, so I expected to be a natural at it. But I gotta admit, I felt super vulnerable and a tiny bit freaked out.
To be fair there was a 6 foot sting ray rumored to be milling about nearby, SO.
That view was through the floor in our bungalow. So cool!
More eating, more drinking, more drowning in the beauty of it all!
I'm not normally one to stay put when on vacation. I like an itinerary and lots of exploration, but after an admittedly very stressful 7-month wedding planning stint (I'll be real with y'all, Type A Sally over here really really did not enjoy planning a wedding, a fact that Jon and I are still in shock over), having a quiet, relaxing vacation in paradise with my new husband was everything and more. If you ever have the opportunity to go to Bora Bora (wherever that is, still not sure.), GO. Get a Costco membership (they didn't pay me to say that, promise!), book a trip for half the price, and GO.
Heaven!
(Also, maybe I'm a little bit lazy and don't feel like doing any photo editing right now?)
Jon and I had an INCREDIBLE honeymoon in Bora Bora, and it seriously needs to be on everyone's bucket list of places to go. The entire island (Islands? I suck at geography.) is absolutely breathtaking, the water has every shade of blue you've ever seen and more, and the people are lovely. It really is like waking up in a dream!
I didn't know if it'd be possible for us to go there for our honeymoon because a trip to Bora Bora is not exactly cheap. HOWEVER, we booked our trip through Costco Travel (who knew, right?), and we ended up paying half of what we should have for the whole trip. Don't get me wrong, it still wasn't cheap, but it was much more manageable! We stayed at the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort and Spa in one of those dreamy little overwater bungalows, and we had the most relaxing, amazing time. So onto the pics!
When we arrived at the resort, they greeted us with the best water of our lives. Jon and I still don't know what was in it (blood orange? vanilla? Polynesian magic? debatable.), but it was the most refreshing, delicious thing we could have asked for after a full day of travel that included four plane rides and a ferry.
When we checked in to our bungalow, we were greeted with this (I think for booking through Costco? In the end of pontoon bungalow? Again, unclear, but welcomed!)
Also, we were greeted with this view:
We were there during the off-season, so only two of the resort's restaurants were open - a laid-back bar at the pool, and a more formal dining room for dinner/breakfast. Both were great, and we got to see a Polynesian show at dinner one night!
Breakfast was included with our stay, and it might have been my favorite meal offering from the resort. Every day they had a full breakfast buffet, with a variety of freshly squeezed juices and lots of veg options for yours truly.
We took the ferry to the mainland a couple of times to visit the shops and Aloe Cafe, which we really liked. And since the prices of meals do add up, we went to the grocery store to stock up on some snacks, meats, and cheeses to have on hand.
So the first half of our trip, it rained A LOT. So much so, that one of the nights, Jon and I woke up thinking there was a hurricane going on, and that our bungalow was definitely going to blow over. You think you've seen it all during a Texas rainstorm? Honey, you ain't seen nothin' til you seen a Polynesian rainstorm!
It was okay, though because we brought Bananagrams and lots and lots of books, and they had a pool table that we got good use out of.
(Umm, sidenote, I just noticed Jon played the word "Hydrogen." High five, husband!)
(...but he also played the word "ane" which...is definitely not a word.)
(UPDATE: Jon just texted me a screenshot of Google telling him that "ane" is actually a word. I still disagree.)
We still got snippets of sun here and there, so we took advantage of the resort's mini golf course and live outdoor music one night by the pool, which we loved!
On the morning of day four though, I do admit that I woke up very downtrodden from all the rain. I started frantically looking to see if we could hop a "quick" flight to Hawaii, New Zealand, or Australia (spoiler alert: we couldn't.), and just when I thought all hope was lost and I started really feeling sorry for myself (you definitely have my permission to punch me in the face), the clouds lifted, and we got several hours of uninterrupted sun (with clouds and rain here and there) for the rest of the trip!
You know those Instagrammers who practice yoga on the beach and look really inspiring and incredible doing it?
But despite what those stunning pictures above suggest, I tried stand up paddle boarding for the first time ever (you could rent them for free from the resort), and was actually pretty darn good at it!
(I can say that because I'm historically terrible at all sporty things, just refer to the previous two pictures.)
We also snorkeled around the reef gardens in our resort, which were beautiful but it also sort of creeped me out? I'd never really done snorkeling before, but I'm out on boats all the time for work, so I expected to be a natural at it. But I gotta admit, I felt super vulnerable and a tiny bit freaked out.
To be fair there was a 6 foot sting ray rumored to be milling about nearby, SO.
That view was through the floor in our bungalow. So cool!
More eating, more drinking, more drowning in the beauty of it all!
I'm not normally one to stay put when on vacation. I like an itinerary and lots of exploration, but after an admittedly very stressful 7-month wedding planning stint (I'll be real with y'all, Type A Sally over here really really did not enjoy planning a wedding, a fact that Jon and I are still in shock over), having a quiet, relaxing vacation in paradise with my new husband was everything and more. If you ever have the opportunity to go to Bora Bora (wherever that is, still not sure.), GO. Get a Costco membership (they didn't pay me to say that, promise!), book a trip for half the price, and GO.
Heaven!
