Bora Bora on a budget: 7 tips for a more affordable trip
- Jul 21
- 5 min read
Bora Bora is the ultimate tropical paradise, with beautiful mountain peaks, white-sand beaches and a bright blue lagoon. It is the perfect destination for an unforgettable holiday! Unfortunately, Bora Bora—and French Polynesia in general—is also an extremely expensive destination. As a result, many travellers decide to skip these beautiful islands altogether. Because we did not want to go bankrupt visiting Bora Bora either, we found several ways to make the trip more affordable and save money here and there.
Planning your dream trip to French Polynesia? Read everything you need to know about this incredible destination here!
Choose the right flight route
To reach Bora Bora, you will usually need to take several flights. Bora Bora is one of the many islands of French Polynesia and, for travellers from Europe, it is located almost on the other side of the world. Many people therefore assume that the island is extremely difficult to reach, but it is actually more manageable than you might expect. You simply need to allow for at least two or three flights, depending on your departure airport and route.
One of the most common routes to French Polynesia is via North America. From the Netherlands and several other European countries, you can fly to cities such as Los Angeles or San Francisco before continuing to Tahiti. A direct flight from the west coast of the United States to Tahiti takes around eight hours.
From Tahiti, you take the final domestic flight to Bora Bora. This journey takes less than one hour, so fortunately, the final part of the trip is relatively short. You can also travel to Moorea first and then fly from Moorea to Bora Bora. Flights from Tahiti to Bora Bora may sometimes be cheaper than departures from Moorea, but this depends on your dates and the available fares. Compare the complete itinerary rather than looking at each flight separately.
When visiting several islands, an Air Tahiti multi-island pass may also be cheaper than purchasing separate tickets. Air Tahiti offers several passes covering different combinations of islands.
Travel outside the high season
This may sound like an obvious tip, but travelling outside the high season can make an enormous difference in Bora Bora. Luxury resorts in particular can be considerably cheaper during quieter months. When we compared prices, for example, three nights at Le Bora Bora by Pearl Resorts cost €2,197 in March, while the same room was priced at €4,605 in June. That is a huge difference. Hotel prices change constantly and depend on the room type, booking conditions and availability, but this example shows how much your travel dates can affect the total cost. The weather may be slightly less predictable during the quieter season, but there are still plenty of beautiful and sunny days.
Would you rather visit during the high season? In that case, we recommend booking your accommodation as early as possible. This can also make a considerable difference to the price.
Stay on the main island instead of at a resort
This is perhaps the best way to save money during your trip to Bora Bora. Besides the outer motu, where many of the luxury resorts are located, you can also stay on Bora Bora’s main island. Here, you will find small boutique hotels, guesthouses, homestays and apartments. Depending on your travel dates, you may be able to find lovely accommodation for three nights from around €400.
We stayed at Villa Yrondi, where we also had a beautiful view of the mountains.
There are also several resorts with overwater bungalows on the main island, including InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana and Maitai Polynesia Bora Bora. These do not offer the same iconic front-facing view of Mount Otemanu as many resorts on the outer motu, but they can be considerably more affordable.
Besides saving money on accommodation, you can also choose to cook some of your own meals or eat at local restaurants. This is often much cheaper than having every meal at a resort restaurant.
Want to know all the differences between staying on Bora Bora’s main island and at an outer-motu resort? Read more here!
Split your stay to save money
You can also spend the first part of your trip on the main island before relaxing at a luxury resort for your final few nights. This is what we did, allowing us to stay in Bora Bora for longer. It was not only much cheaper than spending our entire holiday at a resort, but it also left us with enough money to book several excursions. Tours booked from the main island can also be cheaper than booking the same or a similar experience through a luxury resort. Always compare what is included, as resort excursions may include private transfers or smaller groups.
Spend a day at a luxury resort
Would you like to experience a luxury resort for a day without necessarily staying overnight? Some Bora Bora resorts occasionally offer day passes or day-use packages.
These may include a boat transfer, access to the beach and swimming pool, and lunch, snacks or drinks.
Day passes are not offered by every resort and are often only available when hotel occupancy allows. Contact the resort directly several weeks before your visit to ask about the options. This allows you to enjoy some of Bora Bora’s famous resort luxury without paying for an overnight stay.
Avoid expensive resort transfers
When staying at a resort on one of Bora Bora’s outer motu, bear in mind that the boat transfer from the airport can be surprisingly expensive. Depending on the resort, a private or shared return transfer can add hundreds of euros to your booking.
Fortunately, there may be cheaper alternatives. Air Tahiti passengers can use the Bora Bora Navette between the airport and Vaitape on the main island. This transfer is included in the price of an Air Tahiti ticket. From the main island, you may then be able to arrange a separate transfer to your resort. However, not every hotel permits guests to arrive with an independent boat, so always ask the resort before making arrangements.
We stayed at InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa and were able to arrange a cheaper transfer through its sister property, InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana, on the main island. This option saved us more than €150.
Choose Moorea instead of Bora Bora
Finally, you could choose to skip Bora Bora altogether and stay on Moorea instead. Moorea is at least as beautiful in its own way and is generally much more affordable.
You can reach Moorea from Tahiti by ferry, which means you do not need to book another domestic flight. Ferry tickets usually cost far less than flights to Bora Bora, although the exact difference depends on your travel dates and luggage.
Moorea is also considerably larger than Bora Bora. As a result, there is a wider selection of hotels, apartments and resorts, and average accommodation prices are often lower.
You can still stay in a beautiful resort with overwater bungalows, such as Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort or Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa.
We do recommend renting a car in Moorea. This makes it easy to visit a larger supermarket and buy affordable groceries for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Restaurants and excursions are also generally cheaper in Moorea.
More information about Moorea can be found here!
In short
A holiday in Bora Bora will never be truly cheap. However, by following some of these tips, you can reduce the cost considerably and make a trip to Bora Bora feel much more achievable. Staying on the main island, splitting your stay, travelling outside the high season and avoiding unnecessarily expensive transfers can save you hundreds—or even thousands—of euros without taking away from the experience.
