The difficult decision of deciding which overwater bungalow place you’d like to visit! Perhaps maybe the most “first world problem” there is??
Don’t worry we can help you decide which luxury honeymoon island is for you!
Let’s start with Bora Bora…
Bora Bora is part of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France with more than 100 islands. It’s probably the most well-known island of French Polynesia, filled with resorts made up of just overwater bungalows, surrounded by crystal clear blue waters.
To get to Bora Bora, you’ll first fly into the main island Tahiti, and then take a short flight to Bora Bora from there. Some people choose to split their stay and spend some time in Tahiti as well or add on other islands.
Next, the Maldives
The Maldives is a nation of islands in the Indian Ocean and is made up of over 1000 islands. When you fly into the country, you’ll arrive into the main island of Male and from there either take a boat or seaplane to your island resort. It’s not very common to stay in Male when arriving into the country, but instead move right into your island destination.
Things to consider:
Distance:
Bora Bora
From the US getting to Bora Bora can be much easier and faster. While it’s still a long journey, it’s nowhere near as long as getting to the Maldives. If you want to minimize the travel time, then this is definitely something to factor in.
Your journey to Bora Bora can look something like this:
LAX-PPT (8 hours) You’ll likely from Los Angeles into Papeete Tahiti
PPT-BOB (50mins) Take one of the several direct flights per day to Bora Bora.
Boat to resort (varies) Boat pick up from airport to resort.
In our case we flew from Dallas to LAX, which is only a 3.5 hour flight, making our total journey time around 13 hours. You’ll need to factor in where you’re originating to calculate your total journey time.
The Maldives
From the US to the Maldives it may look like this:
US-Doha (12/16hours) It’s common to connect either in Doha or Dubai flying Qatar or Emirates. This flight can be quite long depending where you’re starting.
Doha-Male (5 hours) Hopefully the flight times will workout so you don’t have a super long layover here. Once you get past the 12+ hour flight, 5 hours will feel like nothing!
Male-resort (varies depending on boat or seaplane time) Depending on the distance of your resort this time can vary, anywhere from a 40 minute boat ride or 30 minute seaplane ride to several hour boat ride.
In our case we flew from Houston to Doha, which was a 16 hour flight. We had a 9 hour layover in Doha and then a 40 minute seaplane ride to our resort once we arrived in Male. Although the journey is MUCH further to get to the Maldives, if you’re able to fly in business class, especially on Qsuites, the journey won’t feel so bad! (check out this post to see how).
If you’re flying from the US and prefer a shorter journey, then Bora Bora may be a better option. If you’re ok with the longer travel, and want to experience an international business class like Qatar or Emirates, then the Maldives is a great points redemption for it.
Food & drinks
In both countries, depending on your resort you will find 5 star international food. This part will largely depend on your resort and how good the food options are (St Regis Maldives 10/10 but EXPENSIVE). You’ll find some local dishes on the menu in the Maldives, but likely more in Bora Bora. Since Bora Bora has some French connections, you’ll find quite a bit of French options here from the cheese, wine, and water (Evian).
In both places you can stay at a luxurious resort with overwater bungalows and delicious food. However, for Bora Bora, it’s possible to save a little on the food and drink side by bringing things from home or from Tahiti when you land. You can plan to bring some wine from home in your checked bag to have in your overwater bungalow and pick up some snacks from a local shop in Tahiti before heading to Bora Bora. This is a great way to still experience the luxurious resort, but not spend as much on food and drinks as maybe you normally would, because as luxurious as the place is, it is equally as expensive for food.
For the Maldives, it is important to know that you are not allowed to bring alcohol into the country, so bringing wine in your checked bag is not an option. Only the resorts are allowed to sell and provide alcohol to their guests. Similarly, when you land in Male, more than likely you won’t have time to try and stock up on any snacks as you’ll probably have a quick layover. The Maldives can be the more expensive option especially if you’re staying in a 5-star resort, as there’s less opportunity to save on food & drinks. BUT it’s one of those YOLO experiences so just make a budget for yourself and enjoy it! It’s expensive, but worth it.
What to do:
If you’re doing the overwater bungalow resort experience, then I think both countries are similar in terms of activities and what to do. Personally we preferred the Maldives for relaxing and enjoying the water here, as you don’t have to worry about the sea cucumbers. This is something you don’t see in the photos that all the influencers post. You’re constantly trying not to step on the sea cucumbers that are all over the ground in Bora Bora.
Time of year to visit:
This is probably the most important thing to consider. Depending on the time of year you want to visit will depend on which place we would recommend you visit. Visiting outside of the rainy season is ideal, especially when considering the Maldives which can have some stronger rainfalls. The Maldives rainy season runs from April-October, with the heavier rain falling in October. If you’re interested in taking a trip during that time of year, then definitely choose Bora Bora!
Island Hopping
Some people look at the Maldives and want to plan to stay at multiple properties during their stay because there are soooooo many amazing resorts here! Since most of the resorts are on their own islands, getting to another resort can be quite expensive. You’ll need to book a boat or seaplane to the next resort which will cost hundreds of dollars per person. I wouldn’t recommend visiting more than 2 islands given the high transfer fee cost. When we visited, we stayed on one island the whole time for this reason. The cost for the seaplane from the airport to get to our resort was around $700/per person. You’ll pay close to that to transfer to another hotel, which may not be worth it if you’re only staying for a few days.
For Bora Bora, the resorts are much closer together, since it’s all technically one island, so the transfer fees are nowhere near as expensive as the Maldives. You could visit another French Polynesia island all together such as Tahiti or Moorea, which also won’t cost as much as moving around in the Maldives. But, unlike in the Maldives where you’ll go from one luxurious resort island to another, the French Polynesia islands are much different from one another. Although they’re all beautiful, Bora Bora is the only one where you’ll find the crystal clear blue waters. If you’re going to visit multiple French Polynesia islands, which we suggest, make sure to visit Bora Bora last!
Can you visit on points?
For both countries you can absolutely use points for your stays as you’ll find Hiltons, Marriotts and IHG properties here. Figure out where you want to stay, how many points you need, and start trying to accumulate enough points. The further out you can plan for the better, to find points availability. This may be easier to do in the Maldives because there are more properties to choose from compared to Bora Bora. If you’re open to visiting and staying in multiple islands in French Polynesia, that can open you to more options for point usage.
Click here to see how we visited Bora Bora with points.
Click here to see how we visited the Maldives with points.
