Arrival/Check-In: The Four Seasons greets guests at the Bora Bora Airport and transfers them in style on its handcrafted taxi boats, which are inspired by the commuter boats of 1920s New York City that transported Wall Street executives from their homes on Long Island to the tip of Manhattan. We transferred from another property, so we showed up on our own, but the Four Seasons team met us at the dock with chilled oshibori towels and cold bottled water. Philippe took us immediately in a golf cart to our overwater bungalow. I handed over the wahoo fish I had caught that morning, and Philippe promised to keep it chilled and present it to the chef for our dinner. At our bungalow, he checked us in and secured reservations for a couple’s massage and dinner that evening.

Guest Quarters: The bungalows are beautiful, with warm wooden floors and lighter wood walls with Polynesian art accents. The overwater bungalows have traditional thatched roofs made of the leaves of the indigenous pandanus trees. The layout was a large rectangle with the living area on one side and the bedroom on the other. In the center was the bathroom, with an open area with a tub that can be closed off.

A large, built-in closet offered plenty of space, and the super-comfy king-sized bed had a free-standing, built-in headboard with a long row of shelves — my extra snorkel gear ended up there when the cleaning crew came in each night. The bathroom had facing double sinks; a nice, large shower on one side and a commode on the other.

The living room was very functional — thank you, Four Seasons, for providing electrical converters. What a wonderful idea! Even though I brought my own, their converters fit more snugly in the sockets. The counter/bar held an excellent single-cup coffeemaker. A pull-out sofa bed and a chair with an ottoman in light-colored fabric complemented the room. The bedroom and the living room each featured a flat-screen TV.

From the living room, sliding doors led to a long deck on the beautiful lagoon. Two chaises longues and a table and chairs offered a relaxing space for enjoying breakfast or lunch. There is nothing like jumping right off your deck into the warm Pacific waters.

Services/Amenities: Each room includes flip-flops with the Four Seasons Bora Bora logo, a snorkel mask and a snorkel — but no flippers! The cleaning staff were tops, coming in and out like a hurricane to keep everything in order. A few more bath towels would make their efforts perfect.

There are three distinct restaurants at the resort. Tere Nui, an open-air restaurant near the pool, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is a buffet, and hot items are cooked to order.

Arii Moana, the signature restaurant, blends Tahitian and French cuisines and serves dinner only. Here Executive Chef Nicolas Boutin prepared my wahoo as a beautiful sashimi starter and a grilled main course. It was spectacular, and the sashimi might be the best I have ever tasted; a ginger soy sauce complemented the fish very well.

The Sunset Restaurant and Bar specializes in sushi and Asian tapas in a fun outdoor setting, where we had a fine meal of sushi and sashimi our last night.

The spa is beautiful, with high ceilings and warm woods — take some time to relax in the whirlpool overlooking the ocean. The sound of the waves breaking on the rocky beach is quite soothing. (Sorry, ladies: The men’s side faces the ocean, and the ladies’ side faces the lagoon.) There is also a large and welcoming fitness center.

It seems to be the thing in Bora Bora to order items for your minibar; you pay for items you select rather than those you use. Don’t over-order, as there are no refunds.

The Experience: A wonderful and relaxing place that should be on your “must-visit” list.

GT CHECKLIST

• Doorman/valet
• Less than 10 minutes for check-in
• Separate tub and shower
• Large vanity
• High-quality towels
• Powerful, unattached hair dryer
• High-quality bed linens
• Large, flat-screen television
• Large desk with convenient outlets
• Large, complimentary laptop safe
• Complimentary in-room WiFi
• Complimentary bottled water
• Stocked minibar
• Ample lighting
• In-room coffeemaker
• Iron and ironing board
• On-site restaurant and bar
• 24-hour room service
• 24-hour state-of-the-art fitness center
• Turn-down service

Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora

Motu Tehotu – BP 547
98730 Bora Bora
French Polynesia
tel 689 603 130
fourseasons.com