The Bora Bora List
Five editorial picks, ranked by the only filter that matters: why you are dining.
Lagoon Restaurant
Jean-Georges's overwater Bora Bora signature. Refined Thai-French dining with glass-floor lagoon views and the Mt Otemanu volcano framed in every window.
La Villa Mahana
Bora Bora's most intimate private-villa fine-dining. Chef Damien Rinaldi-Dovio's eight-table Polynesian-French kitchen and the canonical proposal-week reservation.
Saint James
Vaitape's village-French institution. Saint James's subtle and refined French cooking combining Polynesian flavours, with the canonical Bora Bora village-restaurant setting.
Arii Moana
Four Seasons Bora Bora's flagship. Arii Moana's casually elegant Mediterranean programme with classics blended into Pacific-Polynesian sourcing.
Bora Bora Beach Club
Matira Beach's institutional sunset spot. Bora Bora's most reliable beachfront-casual dining and the canonical island-village relaxed evening.
Best for First Date in Bora Bora
Intimate, conversation-friendly rooms. Impressive without being intimidating. The tables where first impressions are made.
La Villa Mahana
Bora Bora's most intimate private-villa fine-dining. Chef Damien Rinaldi-Dovio's eight-table Polynesian-French kitchen and the canonical proposal-week reservation.
Saint James
Vaitape's village-French institution. Saint James's subtle and refined French cooking combining Polynesian flavours, with the canonical Bora Bora village-restaurant setting.
Best for Business Dinner in Bora Bora
Power tables, private rooms, considered wine lists. Where the deal gets done.
Lagoon Restaurant
Jean-Georges's overwater Bora Bora signature. Refined Thai-French dining with glass-floor lagoon views and the Mt Otemanu volcano framed in every window.
Saint James
Vaitape's village-French institution. Saint James's subtle and refined French cooking combining Polynesian flavours, with the canonical Bora Bora village-restaurant setting.
The Top Five in Bora Bora
Ranked against a single question: if you had one night in Bora Bora, where would you go?
Lagoon Restaurant
Jean-Georges's overwater Bora Bora signature. Refined Thai-French dining with glass-floor lagoon views and the Mt Otemanu volcano framed in every window.
La Villa Mahana
Bora Bora's most intimate private-villa fine-dining. Chef Damien Rinaldi-Dovio's eight-table Polynesian-French kitchen and the canonical proposal-week reservation.
Saint James
Vaitape's village-French institution. Saint James's subtle and refined French cooking combining Polynesian flavours, with the canonical Bora Bora village-restaurant setting.
Arii Moana
Four Seasons Bora Bora's flagship. Arii Moana's casually elegant Mediterranean programme with classics blended into Pacific-Polynesian sourcing.
Bora Bora Beach Club
Matira Beach's institutional sunset spot. Bora Bora's most reliable beachfront-casual dining and the canonical island-village relaxed evening.
The Bora Bora Dining Guide
Bora Bora is a 30-square-kilometre volcanic atoll in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. 230 kilometres northwest of Tahiti. And is the institutional ultra-luxury Pacific destination. The island's defining feature is Mount Otemanu, the 727-metre extinct-volcanic peak that rises directly from the central lagoon and is visible from every overwater bungalow on the surrounding motus. The island holds about 11,000 year-round residents and the cluster of luxury resorts (St Regis Bora Bora, Four Seasons Bora Bora, Conrad Bora Bora Nui, Le Bora Bora by Pearl Resorts) is the most concentrated Polynesian luxury-resort programme on earth.
The dining is correspondingly serious. Lagoon Restaurant at St Regis to Jean-Georges Vongerichten's overwater dining room with glass-floor sections and Mt Otemanu views. Is widely considered one of the best dining-room views in the Pacific. La Villa Mahana runs the most intimate private fine-dining experience on the island. Saint James Bora Bora runs subtle and refined French cuisine combining Polynesian flavours. Arii Moana at Four Seasons runs the casually elegant Mediterranean programme. Bora Bora Beach Club runs the canonical Matira-beachfront sunset dinner.
Neighbourhoods
Reservations & Practical Notes
Lagoon Restaurant, La Villa Mahana, and Arii Moana must be booked four to six weeks ahead in peak (May to October dry season); two to three weeks in shoulder. Most resort restaurants are accessible to non-guests but require advance booking and water-taxi transfer. Dress is South-Pacific-resort-relaxed. Linen rather than tailored, sandals are acceptable everywhere except Lagoon Restaurant which enforces smart-casual. Tipping is not standard in French Polynesia; round up 5 to 10 per cent for exceptional service.
For a deeper editorial read, see our ongoing Editorial coverage. Including pieces on the
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