Today began with our free breakfast option. We were able to smuggle a croissant, two other pieces of French bread, and a tiny jar of jelly. I would call that a relative success. Within minutes of us eating, it began to rain fairly hard. It gave us a nice view of a rainbow while we ate our pastries.
The rain had conveniently stopped before we walked back, and we spent the next couple hours relaxing at our bungalow. I practiced my Japanese and went for a swim while Nicole got into a new book.
Then it was about time to catch the boat to Vaitape, and the main island of Bora Bora. It didn’t seem entirely right to spend our entire time at the resort — as nice as it may be. It was maybe a five to ten minute ride to the pier of the main island. The main town of Vaitape looked a bit rough. The recent rain had muddied the roads a bit and it seemed like a lot of stores are still closed. As a result, we decided to rent bicycles for a few hours to get out of town easier.
We rented from Avis, which normally I would avoid as a company, but the price was right for a couple of bikes for a few hours. We biked south along the coastal road. Things calmed down a bit once we got out of the main town, which isn’t even that big to begin with. Along the road we saw some fruit vendors, people selling fish, and lots of stray dogs. It’s certainly a different feel than the motu where the Conrad is. We passed a bar called Bloody Mary’s, which is often mentioned as a “Must-Do” item in many guidebooks and tripadvisor reviews. Maybe it’s the coronavirus, but it looked quite sad. I guess it’s very kitsch, which is something I can’t always get behind.
Needless to say, we didn’t actually stop at Bloody Mary’s. We continued down the road and eventually pulled off at the Intercontinental Resort for lunch. We had briefly considered staying there, but their cheapest rooms were over $500 per night. Nicole had already pledged her loyalty to Hilton AT LEAST a week ago when she got her gold status, so there was no turning back.
The Intercontinental was substantially smaller than the Conrad. It did however have much more reasonable prices for food. We had croque monsieurs for lunch before exploring the rest of the property. It is situated on one of the more popular beaches on the main island called Matira Beach. The water here is a lighter color blue than back at our place. Also, we thought the overwater bungalows looked a bit smaller, especially the size of the decks. Unacceptable.
The lunch/bar area was crowded. Perhaps because the Conrad is spread out more, it just seems like we see far more workers than actual guests. In fact, the ones we do see, we have seen before. There is a French family of four, an American couple with southern accents, an Asian couple, a young white couple with lots of tattoos, and a young French boy who is often seen riding an orange bicycle around. It is unclear if he has a family. He says, “Bonjour” to us. Maybe it’s a cry for help/adoption. Anyway, that’s everyone.
For as expensive as the Intercontinental is, it didn’t really blow us away, though the wind certainly did! For whatever reason, it is extremely windy in this southern part of the island. And while it’s probably not worth the money, it would be wise to stay there compared to the hotels further down the road. To be fair, hotels on this stretch such as the Sofitel are technically closed until they can figure out how to operate with coronavirus protocols, but they looked BEAT. Thatched roofs were missing from some buildings, and the overwater bungalows looked like they were perched over a murky Louisiana bayou instead of the turquoise waters of the South Pacific. We’re perhaps a bit snooty today, but it felt reassuring to know we picked the right hotel.
We then doubled back along the road and made our way back to Vaitape. We wanted to get some beverages and snacks to help us avoid the Conrad’s exorbitant meal charges. The Chin Lee market was absolutely packed with people. I guess it’s basically the only place in town where one can buy such goods. We made it out unscathed. We attempted to get some tourist tchotchkes as well, but pickings were slim since most stores were closed. We ended up getting two magnets with the intent of converting one to an ornament somehow.
When we got to the boat dock to go back to the Conrad, we were abandoned because the boat was full. Fortunately, it didn’t take too long for the captain to make a return trip. On the plus side, we had more room to move around and take pictures as we departed. Arriving back at the Conrad was like going to a totally different world. Bora Bora is kind of a bizarre place. There are super fancy hotels where tourists stay and drop thousands of dollars per day, and then there’s real people living on the island with tin roofs and stray dogs lying in their driveways. It really makes one think for a minute.
Back at our bungalow, we went for a sunset swim where we made friends with a group of yellow fish that kept following us wherever we went. We eventually gave them the slip and climbed back up to our deck, where it started raining shortly thereafter. It was a pretty solid downpour and we ended up eating in our room again. After a very active day on the main island, I think we’re both ready to just chill tomorrow.
passports & pepto bismol 