Although expensive, the overwater bungalows in the remote paradise of Bora Bora are a bucket-list item for many. With COVID, travel to French Polynesia is cheaper-than-ever, and one of the few places in the world that are currently accepting American travelers with ZERO quarantine time!*
*UPDATE: Quarantine restrictions have been placed in effect through March 31, 2021. Conditions of Entry and Stay in French Polynesia are subject to change due to the nature of the pandemic, so check here before booking your adventure.
When I visited French Polynesia in October 2020, it was a simple 3-step process:
- Perform an RT-PCT molecular test for SARS-CoV-2 (for any traveler over 11 years old) within 3 days before boarding and being declared negative. You MUST use a provider from their approved list here. I used My Doctor Medical Group in San Francisco, CA, about a 20-minute drive from the San Francisco Airport. Test cost was $365.
- Complete your French Polynesia Electronic Travel Information System (ETIS) application 3 days before your flight. They are VERY strict about the timeline, so make sure you do this no earlier that 72 hours before your flight departure – down to the minute.
- Airline staff will check your documents prior to boarding, and customs will check your documents again when you land.
While not mandatory, if you plan on visiting an island other than Tahiti I HIGHLY recommend purchasing travel insurance. If you do not purchase travel insurance, you "agree to incur all medical expenses" in the event of an incident. There is only ONE hospital in all of French Polynesia (in Tahiti), and you will be expected to pay for the helicopter ride there – not to mention treatment. Yikes!
Suggested Itinerary
Here is my tried-and-survived ✅ itinerary for Tahiti + Bora Bora! I recommend spending 3 days in San Francisco to ensure stress-free test result timing. (One day to arrive, one day to test, one day to ensure you receive results before your flight). Check out my San Francisco post for ideas on how to spend your time here while you wait for your test results.
Day 1: Arrive at San Francisco Airport + prep documents for COVID test
Pick up Rental Car @ San Francisco Airport
📍780 McDonnell Rd San Francisco, CA
Head to Hotel
Sonesta ES Suites San Francisco Airport Waterfront $115/night
📍1350 Veterans Boulevard, San Francisco, California 94080, United States
🚗 10 minute drive from Airport
Day 2: Get Covid Test
Get COVID test at MyDoctor Medical Group.
Can not be more than 5 minutes early in the lobby.
📍450 Sutter St Ste 1640, SanFrancisco (16th floor)
🚗 20 minute drive from hotel
Day 3: Check Test Results
🚨 Check test results at the portal
🚨 Tahiti Tourism – Send test results to Airline. Complete the online health registration form.
Day 4: Travel to Tahiti!
Drop off rental car at Hertz (at airport)
📍780 McDonnell Rd San Francisco, CA
8H 35M Flight from San Francisco Airport (SFO) to Papeete Faa'a Airport (PPT)
Time Difference: 4 HRS behind CT
Check in at InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa
📍PK7, Fa'a'ā 98702, French Polynesia
🚕 10 minute taxi drive to hotel
Dinner Reservation at Te Tiare:
Tahitian menu specializing in fresh fish & prime New Zealand meat.
Dinner open everyday from 6PM-9:30PM.
Day 4: Bora Bora Jeep Safari
🚕 10 minute taxi drive to PPT airport
🛫50M Flight from Papeete Faa'a Airport (PPT) to Bora Bora Airport (BOB) on Air Tahiti
🚤 Boat Transfer from BOB to St. Regis Hotel ($280 total includes return home transfer)
🏨 Check in at St. Regis Bora Bora
Your butler will give you a golf-cart tour of the property.
Head to the St. Regis dock for boat pickup from the tour company. Once at Vaitape pier,, board the 4WD vehicle, perfect for scaling any mountain or rough track on the volcanic island. Your expert guide circles the entire island—an approximate 20-mile (32-km) route around Bora Bora. Stop at a lookout point at East Matira for exceptional views of the sparkling lagoon bordered by lush green mountainsides. Follow up with more vistas from the Faanui Canon lookout and find evidence left behind by US troops after WWII.When the 4x4 truck reaches the Faanui Valley, watch artisans demonstrate how to create tie-dye sarongs and make coconut oil, and sample tropical fruits at a small plantation. Your last stop is the Amanahune Bay lookout, which features more stunning views along with rock formations that were once inside the volcanic caldera of Bora Bora. If you selected the sunset tour, sip a complimentary glass of sparkling wine and listen to live local music while watching the sun slip past the horizon.Your circle-island 4WD tour ends with drop-off at your hotel.
Te Pahu Restaurant
Day 5: Bora Bora Jet Ski + Snorkel
Jet Ski Tour, Lunch at Bloody Mary's & Shark Stingray Snorkel Cruise
Includes all snorkel gear, lunch, transportation, and hotel pickup/dropoff . Drinks are not included.
· See picturesque motus and Mt. Otemanu on a Jetski tour with an experienced guide.
· Stops for swimming and a coconut husking demonstration
· Have lunch atBloody Mary’s, a legendary Bora Bora restaurant known for food and atmosphere.(seafood, burgers, sandwiches, local specials)
· Ride a power boat into a shallow lagoon to see reef sharks, stingrays, and a variety of fish up close either from your choice of in the water or on the boat
· Snorkel in prime locations to view black-tip reef sharks, stingrays and some of the 700 species of tropical fish found in Bora Bora.
· Head to the sandbar for a close encounter with stingrays for a perfect photo op. Final snorkeling stop is a vibrant coral garden.
· Learn about the marine life, history, and culture of Polynesia
Lagoon Restaurant at St. Regis
Considered by many as Bora Bora’s top dining experience, taste the unique French-and-Asian melding of cuisines created by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Fresh fish caught in the waters around the Society Islands is always on the menu, along with locally sourced ingredients like the local fresh Uravena. A fish that is difficult to catch, found between 200 and 400 meters deep, and which they are the only restaurant in Polynesia to offer. While the cuisine is spectacular, the view from this overwater restaurant is truly breathtaking. Mythic Mount Otemanu looms up outside the glassed walls that reflect the turquoise waters of the famed Bora Bora lagoon. Glance below your feet as well, for the floors of Lagoon’s terrace and dining room feature long glass panels that offer a window unto the many creatures who make their home in the lagoon underneath the restaurant. The overwater terrace is the perfect place to admire the unforgettable sunset.
Day 6: Lagoonarium
Free day to enjoy some lunch, check out the Lagoonarium, enjoy the complimentary stand-up paddleboards/kayaks at the Main Beach.
Day 7: Transfer to Tahiti
🚤 Boat Transfer from St. Regis Hotel to BOB
🛫50M Flight from Bora Bora Airport (BOB) to Papeete Faa'a Airport (PPT) on Air Tahiti
🚕 10 minute taxi drive from airport to InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa
Enjoy the resort and definitely don't miss the freshwater Lagoonarium!
- Pareo-dyeing
- Handicrafts exposition
- Shell and flower necklace making
- Basket weaving
- Torch lighting at sunset
- Coconut show
- Pareo show
- Fish feeding in the Lagoonarium
Day 8: Half-Day Circle Island Tour
· Round-island tour of Tahiti.
· Learn about tradition, history, and culture through engaging commentary while visiting Venus Point, Arahoho Blowhole, Maraa Cave, and Marae Arahurahu
· Arahurahu Marae –Religious archaeological site from the 18th century.
· Maraa Grotto –natural cave with a small lake, massive ferns hang down
· Faarumai Waterfalls – 300 ft. high waterfall
· Point Venus – The only Tahiti lighthouse. Surrounded by a beach of black sand.
