#2 in Top 20 Bora Bora for a Honeymoon · ★★★★★
The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort
The largest overwater villas in French Polynesia, a private pool, and a butler for every villa.
The largest overwater villas in French Polynesia, a private pool, and a butler for every villa.
"The largest overwater villas in French Polynesia, a private pool, and a butler for every villa."
The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort is a 90-villa, five-star resort on the 44-acre motu of Ome'e, home to some of the largest overwater villas in French Polynesia and the brand's signature per-villa butler service. It ranks #2 on our Bora Bora honeymoon list for its space, its Mount Otemanu views and its private-pool villas.
Independently scored against every Bora Bora resort we track. How we score →
Because it pairs the biggest overwater villas in French Polynesia with the service to match. The St. Regis opened in 2006 on Motu Ome'e, a private island a short boat ride across the lagoon from the main island, and it built its reputation on scale: roughly 90 villas set across a 44-acre estate, with overwater accommodation that consistently ranks as the largest in the South Pacific. The honeymoon proposition is straightforward. You get a private-pool villa perched over the lagoon, a butler assigned to your villa around the clock, and one of the postcard views of Mount Otemanu rising across the water. For couples who want their splurge to feel unmistakably generous, in square footage and in service, this is the resort that leans hardest into both.
It earns its #2 place on our Bora Bora honeymoon list on that combination. The rooms are exceptional, the St. Regis butler program is a genuine differentiator rather than a marketing line, and the resort delivers the classic French Polynesia honeymoon at full volume. The one hotel we rank above it trades some of that scale for a more intimate feel, which is the central choice a couple makes here.
Large, and larger than almost anywhere else in the region. The overwater villas start at around 1,550 square feet, which is bigger than the entry bungalow at most competing resorts, and the categories climb from there to villas with private pools and, at the very top, the three-bedroom Royal Estate. The Royal Estate is a compound of roughly 1,200 square metres, enclosed on three sides by coral walls, with its own pool and a private beach facing the lagoon and Mount Otemanu. Most honeymooners do not need that much room; the sweet spot is an Overwater Villa with a private plunge pool and, crucially, a Mount Otemanu view rather than an open-ocean orientation. The mountain view is the shot you came for, so when you book, ask specifically for a villa facing it. Interiors lean into Polynesian materials and glass floor panels over the lagoon, and the sheer size means the terrace, not just the room, becomes the place you spend the day.
The butler is the reason to choose St. Regis over its neighbours. Every villa comes with butler service, and used well it is the resort's best feature: arrange a sunrise breakfast delivered to your deck, an in-villa dinner for an anniversary night, unpacking on arrival, or the timing of your lagoon excursions, and let the butler handle the logistics that otherwise eat into a honeymoon. Dining runs across several restaurants and bars, from all-day lagoon-side tables to a signature overwater venue, and the resort's private lagoonarium, a protected coral garden, gives guests a calm, fish-filled place to snorkel without leaving the property. Reserve the marquee restaurant and any private-dining experience through your butler as soon as you arrive, because the best slots go quickly in high season.
It is the main thing to weigh. Spreading 90 villas over 44 acres buys privacy and generous villa footprints, but it also means the resort is physically large, and getting from your villa to the restaurants, spa or beach often means a bicycle, a buggy or a call to be collected. Some couples love the sense of having their own stretch of motu; others find it reads as sprawling rather than intimate, particularly compared with smaller Bora Bora properties where everything is a short walk. Neither reaction is wrong, it is a matter of preference, so go in knowing the resort is a place you move around rather than a compact hideaway, and pick your villa location with the walk to the main facilities in mind.
Book a Mount Otemanu-facing villa, not an ocean-facing one; the mountain is the view worth paying for. On arrival, sit down with your butler and lock in the sunrise breakfasts, one in-villa dinner and your lagoon-snorkel outing for the week. If the resort's size concerns you, request a villa positioned near the main restaurant and pool rather than at the far end of the motu.
The trade-offs are real and worth naming before you commit. First, the size: the 44-acre spread relies on bikes and buggies, and it can feel large rather than cocooning. Second, getting here is a genuine journey and a genuine cost, with a flight to Tahiti, a connection to Bora Bora Airport on Motu Mute, and then a boat transfer of about 20 minutes to the resort. Third, this is among the most expensive resorts in an already expensive destination, and once you add dining, excursions and transfers, the real nightly spend runs well above the headline villa rate; Bora Bora is a place where food and activities are priced for a captive island market. Finally, as a large branded flagship it is polished and reliable but not a hidden, owner-run secret, so travellers seeking something small and idiosyncratic should look elsewhere. None of this dims the appeal for the couple who wants space, a private pool over the lagoon and full-service ease; it simply defines who the resort is for.
How big is the resort?
About 90 villas, roughly 77 overwater and 13 beachfront, across a 44-acre estate on Motu Ome'e. Large in footprint, but limited to 90 keys.
Are the overwater villas really the largest in French Polynesia?
They are among the largest in the South Pacific, starting at around 1,550 square feet, up to the 1,200-square-metre Royal Estate with its own pool and beach.
Which villa should you book for a honeymoon?
An Overwater Villa with a private pool and a Mount Otemanu view for most couples; the Royal Estate if budget is no object. Face the mountain, not the open ocean.
How do you get there?
Fly to Bora Bora Airport on Motu Mute, usually via Tahiti, then take a resort boat of about 20 minutes to Motu Ome'e.
Is it good for a honeymoon?
Yes, for space, private-pool villas, butler service and the Otemanu view. The trade-off is the spread-out 44-acre layout.
The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort earns an aggregate 9.8 out of 10 across our three editorial criteria and ranks #2 within the Top 20 Hotels in Bora Bora for a Honeymoon. It is the pick for couples who want the largest overwater villas, a private pool and full-service butler ease, and who see a resort you move around by bike as part of the fun rather than a drawback. If you have already chosen your dates, book about twelve weeks ahead; the pool villas facing Mount Otemanu are the first to sell out, and in peak season the lead time runs to months.
Affiliate disclosure: this is an independent editorial review. When you book through links on this page we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. We never accept payment for placement or ranking.
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