Conrad Bora Bora vs. Four Seasons Bora Bora
Deciding where to stay in Bora Bora can be overwhelming! What is the difference between all of the different dreamy resorts in Bora Bora? Surely one overwater bungalow can’t be all that different than another, right? But which one is really the best of the best to stay? Whether you’re traveling to Bora Bora on a honeymoon, or any vacation, when you’re paying as much as you are for a vacation like Bora Bora, you want to make sure you’re choosing the right resort, with world-class service and an experience that will blow you away.
Two of the most popular five star resorts in Bora Bora are the Conrad and the Four Seasons, and, chances are if you’re traveling to Bora Bora soon, you’re wondering what exactly the differences are between these two resorts, and if the Four Seasons is worth the cost over the slightly less expensive Conrad.
Let’s break it down! I recently stayed at both resorts on my trip to Bora Bora and have a TON of info for you guys to consider when choosing between the Four Seasons Bora Bora and the Conrad.
Four Seasons Bora Bora
Honeymoon heaven. Secluded. Romantic.
Four Seasons Bora Bora is the ultimate in luxury, seclusion, and service. It’s one of the top hotels in the world, and we absolutely LOVED our stay here. I think it is worth every penny. We found the clientele at the Four Seasons Bora Bora to be a lot of young honeymooners our age, and there were also one or two families, and a few older couples celebrating big anniversaries and birthdays, as well. The Four Seasons, in line with its worldwide brand, was top-notch, located on a secluded motu, with big overwater bungalows, one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen in my life, and a dreamy infinity pool.
The one-of-a-kind Four Seasons service definitely delivers the Bora Bora dream vacation. This hotel is a perfect honeymoon resort, and, in my opinion, one of the best resorts in the world. (If you read this post on the Best Resorts in the World, you can find out my others!)
The highlights of the FS are their huge bungalows (more square footage than the competing Conrad), the mountain views, the private beach, the cocktails (so good), their private island, the pool, spa, and their calm lagoon.
How much does a one week stay at the Four Seasons Bora Bora cost?
*Based on Fall 2020 pricing, in USD, check this site here to check your specific dates.
At the Four Seasons, you have the choice of 3 overwater bungalows:
1. The superior suite, 1 bedroom, beach view, overwater bungalow (~$1,500/night and up)
2. Premier suite, 1 bedroom, mountain view, overwater bungalow (~ $2,140/night and up)
3. Overwater bungalow, with pool (~ $3,130/night and up)
+ the beach villas, which are very spacious and are popular with families ( $5,000 per night and up).
The mountain view rooms at the Four Seasons are pricier than the beach and lagoon view rooms, which is common in Bora Bora, since the view of Bora Bora’s famed Mt. Otemanu is what many guests come to Bora Bora for. We were lucky enough to have a mountain view room during our stay and I can assure you it definitely DOES make a difference – the view is breathtaking from this resort. That being said, if it’s not something you care too much about, the beach and lagoon view rooms are gorgeous, as well, and that’s an easy way to save some money on your trip to Bora Bora.
The Food and Drinks at the Four Seasons Bora Bora
It’s important to know the expense of food and drinks in Bora Bora before your trip so that you don’t get shocked by the astronomical prices!!! To give you guys an idea, if you’re eating out at the restaurants at the FS Bora Bora, dinner will run at least $100 per head without alcohol. Our favorites were the French restaurant and the seafood restaurant on the beach. Also room service is a way to save on dinners – it is more like $75 a person without booze. A burger at room service is $40. Cocktails beachside or poolside are $25 each, but the cocktails at the Four Seasons are SO good, made with high-end alcohol, and are STRONG. I’m still craving their pina colada.
As far as wine goes, a glass of wine at the FS Bora Bora will easily set you back $16-$20, and I love the Iconoclast label chardonnay ($90 for a bottle) that is only available at Four Seasons properties (I first discovered it at the Four Seasons Maui – and was addicted!)
PS check out my wine hack on my How to Save Money on Your Trip To Bora Bora article here – these easy tips and tricks saved us so much money on our trip!
Activities at the Four Seasons Bora Bora
There are definitely some awesome activities at the Four Seasons. My fiance and I found ourselves loving the beach, pool, and bungalow so much we hardly wanted to leave, but all non-motorized water-sports (such as the Va’a pictured below, paddle-boarding, kayaking, etc.) are all included in your room rate, which is awesome.
If you choose to do something like a shark and ray snorkeling excursion (which I highly recommend), you can expect to pay about $100+ per person. If you do something special like a canoe breakfast at your bungalow, it is $250 for 2 people (but beautiful, and so memorable). And there are also options to do private romantic dinners in the sand on the beach.
What does it cost for the boat transfer to the Four Seasons Bora Bora from the airport?
The boat transfer is LOVELY, and I do recommend it, but is definitely pricey. It costs about $300 round trip per person. The other way to get to your resort, wherever you stay, is to forego the resort airport transfer and book a private transfer instead. This is significantly cheaper than the resort transfer, and an easy way to save some money on your trip to Bora Bora.
What does a week long vacation cost at the Four Seasons Bora Bora in total?
All in, a vacation to the Four Seasons Bora Bora for a week costs around $12,000 at minimum without your flights, with that price obviously fluctuating depending on how many activities you do, how much you spend on food and drinks at the resort, etc. From California, flights to Bora Bora are around $1200-$1500 round trip, and can be more affordable if you’re flexible on when you fly. We also were able to use credit card points for these (check out my list of favorite travel reward credit cards here). For two people, if you’re not using credit card points, you’re looking at about $15,000 and up for a honeymoon or week-long vacation.
Kenny wearing his Kenny Flowers ‘All-Inclusives’ swim trunks to match his coconut!
The Conrad Bora Bora Nui
Great dining, a fun, social atmosphere, and gorgeous bungalows with endless views of blue that feel more like you’re on a yacht than at a resort
We absolutely loved Conrad Bora Bora, too! An overwater bungalow at the Conrad is about two thirds the cost of the Four Seasons and a great choice for an epic resort in Bora Bora. But it’s definitely a different feel than the FS!
I loved the fun, energetic vibe of this hotel and the clientele.
The food and drink at Conrad Bora Bora
The highlight was the restaurants and dining here – the sushi bar Upa Upa – which has glass bottom floors (where you can glimpse some sharks occasionally swimming by), is absolutely BEAUTIFUL, and so delicious.
We met multiple people at the resort who had eaten there multiple times throughout their stay – it’s so good! I’m also still day-dreaming about the Banyan restaurant – an upscale Chinese restaurant with some of the best dumplings I’ve ever had.
The Conrad breakfast buffet is also fabulous, and we loved the views from breakfast!
My only complaint about this hotel was the cocktails are severely subpar compared to the delicious drinks at the Four Seasons – the margaritas at the Conrad are made with Jose Cuervo… and cost $27.. WHYYY??
I thought the cocktails were better at FS, and the food better at Conrad. Both were about the same price.
The Beach at Conrad
The beaches at Conrad Bora Bora were stunning, and surrounded by tropical palms, with crystal clear water. This beach was windier than the FS beach, which is sheltered from the wind in a lagoon, so we didn’t spend as much time on the beach here.
But, the pool at the Conrad was one of the most beautiful resort pools ever! We loved the cabanas by the pool for hanging out all day in.
All in all, the Conrad is an awesome choice for choosing the best resort in Bora Bora, but what exactly does a vacation in an overwater bungalow at the Conrad Bora Bora cost?
How much a one-week stay at the Conrad costs exactly, with food, drinks, travel, transportation, all factored in:
*Prices based on Fall 2020 pricing, in USD, check this site here to check your specific dates.
Overwater bungalow options at the Conrad:
1. Overwater villa ($1,200-1,315/night)
2. Deluxe overwater villa ($1,260-1,365/night)
3. Overwater pool villa ($1,990-2,100/night)
4. Other overwater pool villas ($2-3k/night)
5. Horizon pool villa ($1-1,115/night) – these are on land, but still beautiful!!
So let’s say you stay at the least expensive overwater villa possible for 6 nights, totaling to $7800 for accommodation, then you add in your food and drink, transportation, and activity costs. With 7 days of food and drinks for two people, a snorkel trip, and a day exploring town, you are likely looking at around $10,000 for a one week trip and up, without flights, with that price obviously fluctuating with how many activities you do, how much you drink and eat at the resort, etc. With flights, you are looking at a cost of about $12,000 and up for 2 people for one week.
Flights can be less if you’re flexible on when you fly, and also if you are able to use credit card points for these, I definitely recommend doing so! (check out my list of favorite travel reward credit cards here).
How much does the food cost at the Conrad Bora Bora?
Food & drinks at Conrad Bora Bora are just as expensive as Four Seasons Bora Bora, so an average of about $100 per head for dinners without booze, or $75 per head for room service. You can save money here if you go into town to get some groceries (and alcohol), and I especially recommend this here since I thought the cocktails were much better (and stronger) at the FS.
But, the Conrad is closer to town, so it’s easier to do this here!
Taking the shuttle into town from the Conrad Bora Bora to Bora Bora town
The shuttle costs $22 per person round trip and takes about 10 minutes to get into town. It’s best to go for the day because they actually charge you more to go at night (and the times are really inconvenient, which was a bummer).
I definitely recommend going into town one of your days here, and going Tahitian pearl shopping (they’re only found here in French Polynesia, and are GORGEOUS!), as well as renting a motorbike or car for the day ($55 at Avis, you can organize through the hotel). On your motorbike, explore the island and stop at the world-famous Bloody Mary’s for lunch! It’s a super fun bar and restaurant that almost every celebrity has been to at one point or another. Think of this place as where Jimmy Buffett hangs out when he’s in Bora Bora – super fun.
Then stop at a grocery store on your way back to the ferry where you’ll want to stock up on some snacks, wine and booze at the local prices and bring them back to your room!
The different bungalow types at Conrad Bora Bora
We stayed in the 200’s and loved our view of pure blue ocean! Our villa was the Deluxe Overwater Villa category. The 200’s are also the most convenient wing, but the resort has some bikes to get around, too!
Here at the Conrad for me it was less important to me to have a mountain view, since it isn’t as prominent of the quintessential Bora Bora mountain view, but I have heard the mountain view rooms here are great, too, I just loved the endless blues of the 200 bungalows. We were in bungalow 208 and this was our view!
Located in the 300’s, with panoramic ocean views, the presidential villas are actually where Kim Kardashian stayed in Bora Bora in an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. These villas are humongous, and multiple levels. These presidential villas are well known as being some of the most impressive and beautiful overwater bungalows in all of French Polynesia.
If budget is no object or you have a group, these Presidential Overwater Villas are for you.
My honest final thoughts on the Conrad vs. Four Seasons Bora Bora debate
Both of these resorts are amazing, and you’re going to leave having had the best vacation EVER. So it all comes down to what you’re looking for – do you want a little more society / action that a place like Conrad delivers? Or do you want to retreat into privacy and seclusion, with the top notch service that Four Seasons is known for? I’d happily go back to either of these resorts, but if I HAD to choose between the two (and let’s be honest, you guys have already been blowing up my Instagram comments asking for an answer to this!) , I would probably return to FS Bora Bora, as I think it’s just out of this world beautiful, exclusive, and I loved it so much. I think it is worth the added expense.
So what do you guys think – is the Conrad or the Four Seasons more your vibe? What other questions do you have?
Check out these other blog posts:
How to travel to Bora Bora during the pandemic
The best travel reward credit cards
The top honeymoon destinations
The best matching couple swimwear
The Ultimate Beach Vacation Packing Guide
The Best Overwater Bungalows in Bora Bora
