We stayed two nights at the Intercontinental Le Moana Bora Bora in August of 2015. This is our tour of the property.
Our stay was booked with free nights and points.
Previously, Mr. J wrote about our booking process and our observations for IHG free nights. We were trying to stay at the Thalasso for 6 nights, but ended up with the Moana for 2 nights, the Le Crusoe for 1 night and the Thalasso for 4 nights.
Le Moana Bora Bora
The Le Moana originally opened in 1987 as the Moana Beachcomber hotel (quite well known in its heyday). In the early 2000s, the property became an Intercontinental.
The hotel bungalow renovations were completed 2004. The renovations kept the beach hut feel with wicker walls and teak bathroom.
Logistics
The Intercontinental Le Mona is only accessible by boat from the Bora Bora airport. You will need to pre arrange your transportation with the hotel.
Note: There is also a public ferry that goes to the main town of Vaitape, but then you will need to locate a taxi to take you to the hotel. If you are going all the way to Bora Boar, then why cheap out on the transportation.
The hotel’s private water taxi is worth the “splurge” IMO -it’s convenient, it’s private (or with other hotel guests), someone helps you with your bags, and its direct to the hotel (you may stop at the Thalasso, but that is the only other stop).
Ambassador Status
At the time of our stay we had Intercontinental Ambassador status, which gave us the VIP treatment – Our own check in lounge area with refreshments.
IHG Members also have their own area in the check-in lounge.
One Mile at a Time put together a nice post on the difference between an Intercontinental Ambassador and IHG member status – if you are curious about what each are.
Accommodations
Le Moana only has 51 bungalow units ranging from beach bungalows to the Poevai overwater suite (two adjoined junior suites).
We were upgraded from a beach bungalow to a lagoon bungalow (i.e., overwater but closer to the beach), thanks to our Ambassador status.
Here is our lagoon unit.
The lagoon bungalow is considered a junior suite consisting of a bedroom with a king size bed.
The bedroom, also, has a beautiful picture window and a small tv (as if you need to watch any tv with that view).
The bed was quite comfortable and the linens are luxury quality, so soft!
Pocket doors give the bed room privacy from the sitting area which consists of a couch seating area and a desk.
The glass coffee table provides a view of the water below.
Off the bedroom is the bathroom with a double vanity, shower and a tub. The decor makes you feel like you have just walked onto a sailboat.
Click to view slideshow.
The best part of having an over water bungalow is the access to the lagoon. The bungalows have a double deck with a table and sun loungers.
I noticed that Mr. J didn’t include any photos of the lower deck. This is probably because the lower deck is where his drone attacked me, and he didn’t want me bringing it up again. Too bad Mr. J. :)
Breakfast
The breakfast is buffet style with eggs to order. Our Ambassador status gave us breakfast with the room.
A pretty nice spread, I really enjoyed all the fresh fruit. The photos are from the end of breakfast, so some of the dishes look sparse. However, you can always ask for an item that is out and they will either bring you a plate or re-fill the buffet item.
Click to view slideshow.
Seating is both indoor and outdoor. No one is sitting outside because it was super windy during our stay. Even with the barrier, it was not pleasant to sit outside. We tried one day, but we were those people and asked to move inside after chasing our napkins around.
Happy Hour
We really enjoyed happy hour at the Le Moana. The bar offers 2 for 1 specials, snacks and an array of infused rums.
The bar tender was great funny and mixed some good fruity cocktails.
The Property
The property is compact, but beautiful.
Click to view slideshow.
You, also, have a view of the Sofitel hotel island.
The property is also beautiful at night.
The Beach
The beach is wonderful with no crowds. Although, I think this was due to the wind. No one can relax when sand is blowing on you.
At the beach you can utilize non-motorized equipment (snorkel gears, SUP, kayak). You can also schedule use of motorized equipment and excursions (jet-skis, snorkeling, wind surfing lessons).
If the beach isn’t your thing, then I am surprised you are on a tropical island. However, the Le Moana has a lovely pool, too.
Peaceful and relaxing.
Recommendation
Le Moana Bora Bora is a lovely property, especially if you are looking for an overwater bungalow experiences. You can tell the bungalows are older, but the furnishings are well maintained.
The wind was quite strong during our stay, great for wind sports, but not so much for other activities (snorkeling and SUP).
Le Moana is a nice alternative in the IHG family if the Thalasso is not available or not in your budget.
This concludes our tour of the Intercontinental Le Moana Bora Bora.
Till our next post.
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