Bora Bora: Where to Stay: Luxury: St. Regis

St. Regis

Anyone who likes to be cocooned in the safety of knowing exactly what they are getting should know that the famous brand’s first foray into French Polynesia is officially the most luxurious property on Bora Bora (at least until the Four Seasons opens, sometime in 2008). The 44-acre expanse of the St. Regis, which opened in June 2006, sits within a lagoon on five man-made motus with bridges linking them. The 91 over-water villas, all suites, were put together for the price of $1 million each. Each is constructed hale style, as as thatch-roofed huts. On the outside, the effect is a bit like army barracks, with the huts lined up side by side. Once you’re inside them, though, the 1,550-to-13,000-square-foot suites are exotic and intoxicating. The St. Regis spared no expense with the interiors, using wood floors; rattan furniture; cushy mattresses with Pratesi linens; enormous bathrooms, including oversized tubs; and stone showers with rainfall fixtures. Some of the larger suites have an outdoor deck with a private Jacuzzi or a swimming pool. Each has, at a minimum, double lounge chairs and a small dining area. All face either the inner lagoon or the ocean, with its background shot of the green and jagged peaks of Mount Otemanu. The St. Regis also claims the best service in the region. It’s the only resort to offer butler service, although I never saw mine until the day before I left, when there was a problem with items disappearing from my minibar that I hadn’t taken. The resort has one of only two swim-up bars in French Polynesia. Besides the main pool, there is a more private one for adults only that comes with curtained cabanas, a favorite of honeymooners, who make up most of the visitors.

The St. Regis’s Spa Miri Miri, a 13,000-square-foot masterpiece that certainly ranks as one of the most dramatic in the South Pacific, sits on its own motu off to one side of the resort. It is all open air, has lots of couples’ treatment rooms for honeymooners and offers exotic-sounding treatments, from a Polynesian Taurumi Massage with a volcanic coffee foot scrub to the Tamanu Green Balm Sunburn Relief Wrap, for those who have imbibed too much sun.

Room to Get: The 13,000-square-foot Royal Estate is posh enough that Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban spent their honeymoon there. Perfect for larger families or couples traveling together, it has three bedrooms, five bathrooms, a boudoir, a private pool, three living rooms, koi fishponds and a full-sized kitchen with touches such as green Versace plates. It is decorated with art from the Marquesas Islands, and for complete privacy, it has its own separate white sand beach. $15,000 a night.

Restaurants: While French Polynesia has never been famous for gourmet food, the St. Regis is close as it gets. Be prepared, however: meals at this and other resorts can be devastatingly expensive ($60 for a buffet breakfast). Its three restaurants include the upscale Lagoon, a Jean George outpost. Sushi Take, Bora Bora’s first sushi restaurant, opened in July and is headed by world-acclaimed chef Kioshi Ogawa. The more casual Te Pahu was actually my favorite, serving an incredible poisson cru, tuna tartare marinated in coconut milk and a fish burger that is arguably tops on the island.

INDAGARE TIP: Until a few years ago, it was considered an insult in French Polynesia to leave tips for service. The locals felt that if they wanted to do something for you, they would; if not, they wouldn’t. Things are changing now that more luxe resorts are built. The idea of tipping is catching on, as locals who work in these resorts realize that being nice all the time is a good way to make extra money. Still, the typical 20 percent left for service in the States would be a bit excessive here. Leaving 10 percent will make you a popular guest.