Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa
French Polynesia

Wednesday

Dangling our legs off the deck of an overwater bungalow at the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort, the seven-hour flight from Los Angeles behind us, it is easy to understand why James Michener described this French Polynesian atoll as the most beautiful island in the world.

Before us, across a reach of calm water, rises Mt. Otemanu, a 900-foot monolith of basalt cliffs and verdant rain forests that has become the postcard icon for a South Seas paradise. Locals claim Michener—who served here in World War II—found his inspiration for Bali Hai in the rugged skyline of Bora Bora. I think they're right.

Thursday

Sitting on the deck, flipping through my guidebook. Of the 118 islands that make up French Polynesia, Bora Bora is the most luxurious. This is where the beau monde come to sip fluted glasses of Gosset Grande, chat about their portfolios, swim in the gentle waters and indulge in a winter tan.

"And look for Bali Hai," I laugh as Shawna pops her head out of the turquoise waters. She's been snorkeling from the sundeck for the last half hour, exploring the same coral gardens that we can actually watch through our glass-topped coffee tables.

Finding Bali Hai is easy at the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort. Nestled at the base of a low hill on Motu Toopua, the resort is a 15-minute water taxi ride from the mainland. This offshore location adds to the seclusion and also means the resort boasts some of the best views of both the lagoon and the island.

Despite the contemporary terra-cotta tiled bathroom, the soft hum of air conditioning and the satellite TV, our bungalow has a timeless Polynesian feel that seems to hover between modern resort décor and traditional islander construction. The open rooms, trimmed with oiled yucca woods and dressed with ivory drapes, lend the bungalow the feel of a shaded retreat during the heat of the day and of a warm ship's cabin after dusk.

Saturday

We have yet to stray far from our bungalow. Why bother? I find myself spending most of my time relaxing on the private deck—snorkeling with Shawna, enjoying a picnic lunch of grilled shrimp, reading Mutiny on the Bounty, and cat napping in a canvas recliner. From our brief strolls around the grounds, we know there is plenty to do at the resort: hiking to a hilltop lookout, swimming in the freshwater pool, working on our tennis game. We even tried windsurfing.

Sunday

Escaping the relaxing orbit of the bungalow was tough, but now we've actually made it off island! Last night we caught a water taxi across the lagoon to Paofai Bay for an evening at Bloody Mary's.

With an outrigger canoe and tiki torches on the front lawn, the sand-floored thatched-roof restaurant is an island institution. Wooden billboards at the entrance list celebrities who've partaken here. Shawna reads off the who's-who: Pierce Brosnan, Harrison Ford, Cameron Diaz, Denzel Washington. Why do they come? That question is answered when I bite into my sautˇed moonfish with a side shrimp kabob.

Monday

Off-island twice! A new record. Today we visited several marae—stone temples where ancestors and gods were revered. These cobbled courtyards of volcanic stone have raised limestone altars on one end where ancestral bones—and sometimes the remains of human sacrifices—are interred. The temple that catches my eye most is Marae Fare-Opu. There at the water's edge thousands of years ago, a Polynesian artisan chiseled intricate petroglyphs of sea turtles into the dark stones.

Yesterday, we joined a scuba group from TOPdive for a lagoon tour. Shafts of sunlight pierced the waves above and danced brightly along the sandy bottom. We drifted along a sunken shelf of coral, pausing now and then to admire the butterfly fish and even a baby moray eel.

And then, out of the blue, a sea turtle winged his way above us, silhouetted against a liquid sky. We drifted motionless for a few minutes and watched the graceful creature's passing. I thought of the turtle carvings on the temple stones and the love of the island that must have been in the heart of the craftsman who carefully chiseled out the forms. Michener might have been the most famous person to describe Bora Bora as the most beautiful island in the world, I mused as the turtle faded away, but he certainly wasn't the first.

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