Bora Bora beach and sunset options

We know about the ship's private motu in Bora Bora. How does this compare to Matira Beach?

If we do one of the 6-7 hour lagoon tour/lunch combos on Day 1, what is the recommendation for taking in a beautiful sunset? Take a separate outrigger or catamaran sunset cruise or just hang out on Matira Beach? Is there a nice sunset just sitting at Le Grille on the Paul Gauguin? Is it worth doing dinner at a restaurant in Bora Bora (there is a combo sunset cruise and St. James or Bloody Mary's deal) or just do the dinners onboard because the food is so good?

What do most people day on the second day of the Bora Bora stop? Shopping opportunities? Hang out on a beach or in the water? Bike rental?

Thank you!

Great questions...I am following you! We booked the sunset cruise to see the sunset, but if it is just as good on the ship I will cancel it!

Well a sunset cruise would be lovely, I'm sure. The ship is anchored in the west side of the lagoon, which means good sunset coverage. I've not been to Matira Beach at that time of day, but I believe it faces south, so perhaps no optimal.

do you think it is worth it to do the sunset lagoon cruise,,it would be over $300 for the 3 of us....if we can see just as much from our ship I don't see a need for this?????

do you think it is worth it to do the sunset lagoon cruise,,it would be over $300 for the 3 of us....if we can see just as much from our ship I don't see a need for this?????

Only you can answer that. If it's the sunset that's mostly at stake, then give it a miss and stay on the ship. But the cruise would be more than that. Cocktails, music probably played by the crew, friendly ambience, right on the water. We've done something like that on Moorea twice and it was worth every penny!

Only you can answer that. If it's the sunset that's mostly at stake, then give it a miss and stay on the ship. But the cruise would be more than that. Cocktails, music probably played by the crew, friendly ambience, right on the water. We've done something like that on Moorea twice and it was worth every penny!

Sunset pictures are all about the correct angle in relationship to the sun and foreground secondary subjects.

There are trade offs for the different possible vantage points.

The catamaran will give your more choices of angles quickly as the perfect sunset is only 'perfect' for a small length of time. The trade off is you can only shoot a single exposure picture.

Taking the picture on the ship will give you a great vantage point as far as height, better then the Catamaran but only a single angle. You may be able to pull off a multi exposure shoot but remember the ship will move a bit so the picture might not be as sharp as a single exposure.

The use of a tripod is most helpful if your not moving. The vantage point from the marina for a sunset photo is usually very good and of course you can use a tripod but then again that requires one to bring a tripod on the trip.

Pluses and minuses for all 3 scenarios .... Frankly the excursion is about the ambiance of riding the lagoon at sunset and being with others who are having a thrill of a lifetime. The need for a sunset picture IMO is secondary to enjoying this special moment ... as a professional photographer it's easy to get my eye up against the viewfinder and miss the moments that are going on around me, you get tunnel vision. Enjoy the sunset cruise, snap a few sunset photos and hope for the best ... but don't get caught up in the need for the 'perfect' sunset photo, you will miss the point of the sunset catamaran cruise ...

Well if it's all about taking a photograph... For me it's experiencing the moment.

Only you can answer that. If it's the sunset that's mostly at stake, then give it a miss and stay on the ship. But the cruise would be more than that. Cocktails, music probably played by the crew, friendly ambience, right on the water. We've done something like that on Moorea twice and it was worth every penny!

We did a sunset catamaran cruise on Moorea in 2014, the one the ship offers. A real thrill and the sunset was incredible ... but the real thrill was when the captain took us outside the reef, the wind was really blowing and the sails full .... memory will last a lifetime. Camera? An inexpensive thing from Costco ... not perfect but captured the memory ;)