Bora Bora---which tour company

[JenniferLY]

I have a full day tour of BB with 2 different companies and was wondering which one is better. I will cancel the one we don't do.

 

Both do 4x4 Tours, lunch, and snorkeling . Moana tours does lunch at Bloody Marys.  The other one  (Patrick's) does Traditional lunch on the family motu. I'm not too fussed about eating at Bloody Mary but we want to go there for a cocktail..I've confirmed BMs will be open for drinks mid afternoon.

 

I've heard awesome things about Patrick's. Just wondering if one is better than the other.

Thanks all

[regularcruiser]

Hi Jennifer. We are onboard Regatta now but going for a long sleep. Our cabin no is 8028. What time shall we meet you tomorrow for the Mo’orea tour . My phone is not working so please contact us on hubby email benavon@hotmail.com. Thx

[Petoonya]

If you've not gone to BB yet, it's important to know that Patrick's is one of the most popular tours in Bora Bora. That's what I'd choose. Bora Bora is all about being on the lagoon and you'll get lots of that with Patrick's. Bloody Mary's was meh to me. and I wouldn't waste lagoon time with a 4x4 tour if you only have one day.

[roddee]

On 3/9/2022 at 1:11 AM, Petoonya said:

If you've not gone to BB yet, it's important to know that Patrick's is one of the most popular tours in Bora Bora. That's what I'd choose. Bora Bora is all about being on the lagoon and you'll get lots of that with Patrick's. Bloody Mary's was meh to me. and I wouldn't waste lagoon time with a 4x4 tour if you only have one day.

I whole-heartedly agree!!

[Cru Doll]

We will be on Bora Bora on October 25 and have not be able to book Patrick’s tour.  
 

In June, the scheduler, Vaitiare, responded to my email with detailed information.  At that time he said that there were no reservations made for that date as yet.  I immediately responded that we would like to book.  Several emails and on line reservation forms later, and we still have not received a confirmation.  
 

Has anyone else had this problem?
 

Anne Marie 

[Dbld777]

Another provider to consider, we had a great snorkel tour with H2O Bora Bora, as recommended by Petoonya. David was a fantastic host and Aimee handled all communications and reservations efficiently. We felt it was the best excursion/tour of our visit and cruise in FP. We felt the drift snorkel here at BB was even better than the drift snorkel at Taha'a. We also saw huge rays directly below us. https://boraborah2o.com/

[Cru Doll]

6 hours ago, Dbld777 said:

Another provider to consider, we had a great snorkel tour with H2O Bora Bora, as recommended by Petoonya. David was a fantastic host and Aimee handled all communications and reservations efficiently. We felt it was the best excursion/tour of our visit and cruise in FP. We felt the drift snorkel here at BB was even better than the drift snorkel at Taha'a. We also saw huge rays directly below us. https://boraborah2o.com/

Thanks for this information.   I’ll check it out.

[Petoonya]

H2O Bora Bora is the very best. A reason they are number one on Tripadvisor. Just returned on  an 18 day Wind Spirit Tahiti cruise yesterday and spent two days with them. The captains on both tours, Diego and Rudolph were amazing. They do not want anyone on the tour to miss anything! Just as Dbld777 says the coral gardens far surpassed that on Taha'a. The rest of the tour included manta rays, eagle rays, dolphins, stingrays, sharks....gorgeous clear waters. Far surpassed the ships tours. Plus the two boats H2O has only accomodate 4 or 6 persons not the usual 8-12 of some operators, yet price for a 4 hour tour was $120, less than the 3 hour tour offered by our ship or most other companies. Like Dbld777 the people I set up on the H2O BB tour all said it was the best of their cruise.

Lastly H2O Bora Bora is eco minded- do not feed sea life to attract them. Important to me.

[Cru Doll]

On 8/24/2022 at 5:32 AM, Petoonya said:

H2O Bora Bora is the very best. A reason they are number one on Tripadvisor. Just returned on  an 18 day Wind Spirit Tahiti cruise yesterday and spent two days with them. The captains on both tours, Diego and Rudolph were amazing. They do not want anyone on the tour to miss anything! Just as Dbld777 says the coral gardens far surpassed that on Taha'a. The rest of the tour included manta rays, eagle rays, dolphins, stingrays, sharks....gorgeous clear waters. Far surpassed the ships tours. Plus the two boats H2O has only accomodate 4 or 6 persons not the usual 8-12 of some operators, yet price for a 4 hour tour was $120, less than the 3 hour tour offered by our ship or most other companies. Like Dbld777 the people I set up on the H2O BB tour all said it was the best of their cruise.

Lastly H2O Bora Bora is eco minded- do not feed sea life to attract them. Important to me.

Thanks for this information.  I appreciate the specifics.  

[Petoonya]

@Cru Doll

Still believe H2O BB is the better of the two experiences if it's snorkeling you're after.

But if you really want to reach Maohi Nui (Patrick's), as you said you've been trying to do on a different thread....sometimes it's best to just bite the bullet and call. +689 87 79 19 11.

 

We were just there and our itinerary was changed while we were cruising due to a storm. Had to call several companies to adjust dates. Not cheap but worth it.

[Cru Doll]

On 8/26/2022 at 10:28 AM, Petoonya said:

@Cru Doll

Still believe H2O BB is the better of the two experiences if it's snorkeling you're after.

But if you really want to reach Maohi Nui (Patrick's), as you said you've been trying to do on a different thread....sometimes it's best to just bite the bullet and call. +689 87 79 19 11.

 

We were just there and our itinerary was changed while we were cruising due to a storm. Had to call several companies to adjust dates. Not cheap but worth it.

Thanks Petroona,  Since I last posted, I was able to reach them using the California number.  Finally found a number that got through.  I also received a written apology from my first email contact.  That was June 21st.  She said she thought I was on the Noordam.  We are arriving on the Seabourn Odyssey on October 24-25.  Oh well.  
 

We continued trying to reach Maohi Nui because we wanted a full day and would rather not have mostly snorkeling.  In our four week cruise in the Pacific we’ll have several snorkeling opportunities.  😊

 

Thanks again for sharing your experiences.  Looking forward to our first time in the South Pacific.  
 

Anne Marie

[Petoonya]

@Cru Doll

Anne Marie. Just one last thing. Keep in mind that Bora Bora has some of the best snorkeling in the world, and even if you have other opportunities, BB is matchless. We think it bests the Great Barrier Reef. With Maohi Nui you'll get just a little snorkeling, not a lot. It's all about the cultural experience with them as you probably already know. 🙂

[kclinton]

I just received a quote from Patrick's tour and it's 1K for 2 people for the 3/4 lagoon and lunch?

Vaitaire says they only do private tours?

Does the Wind Spirit book Patrick's tour or a different tour operator?

That seems like a lot of money even for Bora Bora.

 

[Petoonya]

4 hours ago, kclinton said:

I just received a quote from Patrick's tour and it's 1K for 2 people for the 3/4 lagoon and lunch?

Vaitaire says they only do private tours?

Does the Wind Spirit book Patrick's tour or a different tour operator?

That seems like a lot of money even for Bora Bora.

 

Holy moley- that is awful! And they used to do group tours but lots of changes with them. No Wind Spirit doesn't do a lunch/snorkel day tour in Bora Bora- they have their Polynesian dinner motu feast with show while in Bora Bora and it far surpasses Patrick's- and it's part of the cruise. WS also has their motu picnic on Huahine (one of their excursions and it's terrific). You also have their lunch barbecue on Motu Mahaea that is also part of the cruise.

 

My suggestions for Bora Bora? And I have done these (and many others) and think they are better than Patrick's....do H2O Bora Bora - the absolute best in BB. I just did WS 18 day Twice the Tahiti and went out three times with them, they were that good. Several couples said it was the best snorkel trip of their lives. And one of the beauties is that they have just 2 boats, one for 4 passengers and one for 6 so it is essentially a private tour. You can do a 1/2 day (4 snorkel sites) for $120pp.  Then they have a full day, (I think it's $170) but they don't offer lunch themselves. They have a lunch arrangement with a private tour operator on a private motu that is superb. And the whole 9 yards on the Polynesian experience. You can add that on $35pp. So their full day with lunch is about $200. We lucked out and it was just the two of us on the full day. What a day!

 

The other option is Lagoon Service which is excellent,, edged out by H2O BB though! Fun captains, good snorkeling, gorgeous motu for lunch (lunch was just OK- H2O BB lunch was yummy.)

 

Look at Tripadvisor- H2O BB and Lagoon Service are number 1 and 2 for snorkeling tours for a good reason.

 

You'll love Wind Spirit!