Over water Bungalow Day Pass?

I've seen some posts about getting a day pass/room for a day and was wondering if it's possible to get a day pass for an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora or Tahiti? Thought it would be great way to spend a day in port. Does anyone know if any of the hotels do this or do you have to book for the night?

Well, the responses I've gotten from the emails I sent to different hotels indicate that none of them do day rooms (oh, well, it was worth asking :o).

I'm thinking about going ahead and booking an OWB at the Intercontinental Bora Bora Le Moana during our port stop since our ship will be there overnight. A little more expensive than other "excursions," and hoping the experience of staying in one of these unique bungalows is worth it.

Has anyone done this? And if anyone has stayed here, what did you think?

I'd make sure your ship arrival to departure time allows enough daylight time in an OWB (after allowing for transfer time to, checking in and out, and transfer time back) to make it all worthwhile. For instance, if you arrive late adternoon and depart midday the next day it may not be enough time there to be worth it.

Have you considered an OWB stay before or after the cruise? That is what we are going to do.

I'd make sure your ship arrival to departure time allows enough daylight time in an OWB (after allowing for transfer time to, checking in and out, and transfer time back) to make it all worthwhile. For instance, if you arrive late adternoon and depart midday the next day it may not be enough time there to be worth it.

 

Have you considered an OWB stay before or after the cruise? That is what we are going to do.

Our ship arrives at 8:00am, overnights in Bora Bora, then departs at 5:00pm the next day. Check-in at the OWB is at 2:00pm, and check-out is at 11:00 the next morning, so this would give us most of the afternoon, all evening, and the next morning. Not sure when the sun goes down, but assuming going to dinner at 6:30 or so, that gives about 4 hours in the afternoon, and a few hours the next morning (I usually wake up early).

Unfortunately, circumstances won't allow me to stay before or after the cruise, so this would be the only way to enjoy an OWB.

The practical side of me is having a hard time justifying the expense of another "room" and dinner at the hotel when I have a cabin and can eat on the ship at no additional cost. I'm trying to talk myself into thinking it's an "excursion" since I have no qualms about paying for excursions ;).

I'm hoping others have either done this on an overnight port stay, or have stayed in an OWB and thought the expense was worth it (it certainly isn't cheap :eek:).

Yes. We're booked for a Moorea OWB pre-cruise and you can count on some $700 for the OWB plus likely $300+ for dinner and breakfast for two - plus the cost to get to and from.

So that's $1,000+ for X hours when you're already paying for the cruise room night and meals...

To me, as an upcoming first-timer to FP and who has always dreamed of an OWB stay, I wouldn't do that and would think of this as a scouting trip for a future OWB stay to see where to stay (island and property).

But that's just me - your economics may be different.

The IC Moana is set on the windiest side of the island and lacks a view. So not worth it. If you are on a small ship, like the ones I go on, you can get a zodiac to drop you off at a hotel, have a lunch, use the pool and the beach, and the zodiac will pick you up at a pre-arranged time. The Pearl has the best view of any of the hotels on Bora Bora and the best beach.

I've seen some posts about getting a day pass/room for a day and was wondering if it's possible to get a day pass for an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora or Tahiti? Thought it would be great way to spend a day in port. Does anyone know if any of the hotels do this or do you have to book for the night?

Day passes are normally for the use of a hotel's beach, pool and dining facilities, or for those who don't enjoy water activities or touring.

I recommend you arrange a pre/post cruise stay to get a full OWB experience. You could book an excursion in BoraBora which would include snorkeling, swimming with rays & sharks and a motu BBQ. For non swimmers the boat trip is worth doing. You would get a much better value & experience than the exorbitant $$$ you would spend for a few hrs in an OWB. Tahiti is best seen by land tour, beautiful sites when you venture away from the dock-PPT area.

Well, despite the advice not to, I booked the OWB for our overnight in Bora Bora. I was able to get a 425xpf rate and with three of us sharing, it works out to less than $200 per person. We can't check in until 2:00, but we can use the hotel facilities all day as well as the next day, although we have to check out of the OWB by 11:00. So, two days use of the hotel facilities (beach, pool, equipment such as snorkel gear, canoe, kayak, etc.) plus the overnight in the OWB, which we wanted to experience, will cost a little more than the price of an excusion.

We thought it would be worth it since this may be the only chance to do this (and for some of us, it fulfills one of our bucket list items which we're trying to get to little by little).

Thanks for the advice and suggestions. Now we have to figure out the best way to get to the hotel...maybe take a taxi and whether to have dinner at the hotel or somewhere else.

Well, BassettMom, I do hope you enjoy your little trip and think it worth the expense. The whole OWB thing is one of the cleverest marketing ploys ever devised. The OWBs exist purely to increase the room capacity of hotels which have a very small footprint on land.

And of course, dwellings over the water do not exist in traditional Polynesian or Melanesian culture because the people know that cyclones are regular as clockwork. People live inland because of that. In fact, the first OWB structures you find in the Pacific are in the offshore islands of Papua New Guinea and these are lavatories.

425xpf rate?

Sign me up!!!!

I will take it for $5

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Ops, left out a couple of zeros...[emoji1]..it was 42500xpf.

I know there are quite a few tourist-trap, marketing ploys people visit, but some of them bring joy to the ones visiting. My dad, who is 80, has had this vision of the Tahiti islands and OWB for years (yes, most likely from marketing photos) and has always wanted to do this. He looked at going there on vacation a few years ago and staying in an OWB, but said paying $600-700 a night for a week was too expensive and they couldn't afford it. Now (with limited time left), my parents are trying to do the things they've always dreamed of, so my Dad decided a cruise would be one way of fulfilling his dream of seeing these islands (and all of us love cruises [emoji1]).

Several folks have posted about getting day passes at hotels to use the beach, pool, etc., and are paying $75-100 for a day pass and although lunch is included, that still seems high to me ($300 for three of us) just to use a beach. So when I started asking around about the OWB, and explained what I was looking for, I was offered the 42500xpf rate for the three of us overnight (the posted internet rate was 60000xpf), I thought this would be a good way to fulfill one of my Dad's bucket list items. I told my parents about it and my Dad was so excited, so I had to book it.

If it turns out it wasn't...well I've had other excursions I've paid for on past cruises that didn't quite live up to expectations (although I enjoyed them anyway). Time will tell if this "excursion" is worth it.

We're doing an OWB pre-cruise for similar "bucket" reasons as we expect this cruise will be our only time to FP. Enjoy!

We're doing an OWB pre-cruise for similar "bucket" reasons as we expect this cruise will be our only time to FP. Enjoy!

I thought my first trip to FP would be my only one back in 2002. I just finished trip number 7.....

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I'm hoping that is the case for us as well but we're planning as if not and if it is the case more is the better!

Enjoy it! Only you can know what you will like. My wife and I reserved an OWB at the IC Moorea prior to our cruise and we couldn't have been more thrilled. Sitting out there with my wife was one of the most relaxing things I've ever done in my life.

Here's a picture taken from our OWB of the MS Paul Gaguin leaving Oponohu Bay the day before we headed back to Tahiti to board for our cruise.

DSC_0069 by rgz3, on Flickr

My dad, who is 80, has had this vision of the Tahiti islands and OWB for years (yes, most likely from marketing photos) and has always wanted to do this. He looked at going there on vacation a few years ago and staying in an OWB, but said paying $600-700 a night for a week was too expensive and they couldn't afford it. Now (with limited time left), my parents are trying to do the things they've always dreamed of, so my Dad decided a cruise would be one way of fulfilling his dream of seeing these islands (and all of us love cruises [emoji1]).

 

. . .I thought this would be a good way to fulfill one of my Dad's bucket list items. I told my parents about it and my Dad was so excited, so I had to book it.

BassettMom,

If this is one of your Dad's bucket list items, then go for it! You sound like a wonderful and considerate daughter.

The five nights we spent at an OWB are one of our favorite vacation experiences ever. In fact, we are planning another trip to FP in late 2015. We will be spending part of the trip back at the same OWB because we loved it that much.

BassettMom,

 

If this is one of your Dad's bucket list items, then go for it! You sound like a wonderful and considerate daughter.

 

The five nights we spent at an OWB are one of our favorite vacation experiences ever. In fact, we are planning another trip to FP in late 2015. We will be spending part of the trip back at the same OWB because we loved it that much.

I'm glad I booked it. My Dad is so excited he can hardly wait, and I'm excited that he's excited! Hard waiting till January.