BORA BORA
Ok, here it is. I came home and went straight to Palm Springs for a shoot and the week escaped me before I had an opportunity to really sit down and put together a proper travel guide for Bora Bora. First off, this trip was a belated 30th birthday celebration for Paul since it was his dream destination. What’s mine? Well, I haven’t quite figured out what my dream for celebrating 30 will be yet, but all I know is it better be fabulous after this trip! Not really sure you can top the natural beauty of Bora Bora but I’ll come up with something.
Bora Bora is everything you see in the pictures. So incredibly blue and vibrant that filters are almost unnecessary. Almost. I actually struggled a bit when editing my pics because I didn’t want to mask the natural color of the water. But not to worry, I figured it out (obviously). In that regard, taking pictures in Bora Bora is easy peasy. Everything is picturesque–the water, the bungalows, the sand, the mountain, the sunset, the sunrise, and drinks, and pathways, the lagoons…did I make my point yet?
I’ve linked my waterproof case below, as well as all my packing necessities since so many of you have DM’d me asking about outfits, SPF, etc. I’m trying my best to give you all the info you request 🙂
Pretty much anyone we met on this trip was on their honeymoon. It makes total sense. Bora Bora is insanely romantic and expensive. It’s the kind of place that you save up for, a place you reserve for your honeymoon. Since Paul & I have clearly already been on our honeymoon (Santorini & Lake Como are pretty damn romantic, too), this was somewhere we planned to visit at some point in life when we could afford it. We wanted to stay in the over-water bungalows and splurge on all the delicious food & drinks without dying inside every time the bill came. The point is, save your money and do it right!
Bora Bora is a very small island, so as you can imagine there isn’t a TON of things to do. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I love nothing more than lounging allllllllll day long, sipping rosé, reading a book, listening to music, and dipping into the ocean every 20 minutes to cool down. Sounds like heaven, no? Many have asked me how Paul and I can be so secluded [together] for such a long time (7 days) without getting bored. The truth is, I’ve never been bored with Paul. In fact, we look forward to these “nothing to do” vacations because they are our opportunities to spend quality time together.
We brainstorm business ideas, discuss our life goals, read, cuddle without the dogs pushing their way between us. You know, all that good vacation stuff. And I just have to mention that we didn’t realize there was an English option on the TV until the last night so we really had to get creative morning to night. If you’re the type that likes to do actual activities, you still have that option. There’s jet-skiing, parasailing, shark & ray snorkel (more on that soon), paddle boarding, kayaking, diving, etc. I typically opt out of these activities but Paul was really insisting that I do the shark & ray snorkel with him. Because it’s his “birthday trip.” That got old fast.
Let me preface this story by saying the excursion should have been cancelled. I’m also deathly afraid of sharks. The weather was awful. The hotel is situated in this perfect little crest with sunshine most of the time, but as we sailed further and further from the hotel & Bora Bora, the water got darker, deeper, and rougher and the rain and wind was coming down HARD. By the time we reached the shark spot you could hardly see 5 feet in front of you from the fog. The boat was rocking like crazy. It was not ok.
While I thought I had mentally prepared myself for this excursion, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I mean, I braided my hair and wore a one-piece for crying out loud! Everyone jumped right in except me. I sat on the ledge of the boat watching everyone struggle to not get swept away by the strong current or get knocked out by the extremely violent, rocking boat. Then, to make matters worse, I started seeing all the sharks circulating the boat, with full-on Jaws fins-out-of-the-water shit. Not kidding. I started crying instantly. There was NO way I was doing this.
Paul was already in the water and he started yelling at me to come in (“we came all this way you have to do it” “you’ll regret not doing it” “it’s my birthday”). Fine. I jumped in and immediately straddled his back, drowning him. I could see the sharks and the boat was nearly trampling me. Now I’m full-on hysterically ugly-crying. Paul kept insisting I put my head under water because it was “calmer” but putting my head under water meant I would SEE the sharks up close and personal. No thank you. After him not shutting up about it for 5 minutes I finally did and nearly had a heart attack. Fuck this shit. I was D-O-N-E. I had to threaten Paul’s life (“I will drown you!” “YOU will regret not taking me back!” “your birthday is OVER!”) before he took me back to the boat. And let me tell you, even THAT was a struggle.
Back on dry land, Paul now admits that it was pretty ridiculous. Needless to say, I have no usable footage from this, as the water was too rough to see anything, and I clearly didn’t have the mental capacity to give a fuck. When we got to the stingray part, the water was shallow and much calmer. I still didn’t love it, but I managed to get a few snaps and videos that you can see on the vlog. The last part was a fish snorkel that I all-together skipped to eat an orange. Seriously. I was so emotionally & physically drained that eating fruit with a complete stranger (our guide) sounded 1000 times better to me. I calmed down (thanks to a glass of crisp rosé) by the time we got back to our bungalow and the trip resumed on a much more relaxing note.
If you’re waiting for me to get into the details about my hotel, food, flights, etc. it’s coming. In the meantime, don’t forget to watch the vlog, which will give you a pretty good idea!