Affordable Bora Bora resort for families
Are you looking for a budget friendly resort option for your trip to Bora Bora? If you’re okay skipping the luxurious overwater bungalows, there are actually plenty of affordable options on the main island, including Hotel Royal Bora Bora.
We spent 6 nights at this Bora Bora beach resort (see highlight reel here). It’s one of the best family hotels in Bora Bora because it has a private beach and swimming pool.
In this post, we share our experience staying at Hotel Royal Bora Bora.
Our hope is that this honest review will help you decide if this Polynesian beach hotel is right for you. We took a lot of photos to show you the property, beach, pool and restaurant. Scroll down. It’s a long post with 50+ photos.
Before we get started, we feel it’s important to inform you that we did NOT partner with this hotel. We did NOT receive ANY compensation, discounts or perks. We paid for this hotel stay in full. Check availability here.
Related post – What does it really cost to travel to Bora Bora?
Why did we choose Hotel Royal Bora Bora?
We chose this 3.5 star Bora Bora beach resort for a few reasons.
First, it’s one of the more affordable Bora Bora family resorts. Second, it has a private beach with snorkeling. Third, it has a swimming pool. Many of the budget hotels in Bora Bora do not have swimming pools.
Finally, it has a nice breakfast buffet included with the price. This is a big selling feature for us. Some of the breakfast buffets at other resorts charge $40-50 USD per person, per day. That adds up quickly. The Hotel Royal Bora Bora breakfast is pretty good. More on that below.
There are no true Bora Bora all-inclusive resorts. Some hotel deals in Bora Bora offer a combination of breakfast, hotel transfers and activities. But none of the resorts offer all of your food, drinks and transfers included with the hotel price.
Related post – Travel tips for French Polynesia
Beach at Hotel Royal Bora Bora
One of the most important things to consider when booking a Bora Bora resort is the beach. For us, it’s important that the beach be accessible and swimmable. Having a nearby reef with fish and underwater creatures is a bonus.
The beach at this property checks the main boxes. It’s a small and intimate beach. It has a gradual entrance to the water and it’s shallow, which is great for kids. There’s an accessible reef near the dock and to the east, towards the abandoned Sofitel Bora Bora Marara Beach Resort next door.
There’s limited seating and loungers on the beach, but that’s because it’s a smaller property. We always found space and the hotel was at capacity during our stay.
Watch this short video of snorkeling in the rain in front of the resort.
The view of Sofitel Bora Bora Marara Beach Resort from the dock at Royal Bora Bora (above).
The Sofitel is now abandoned and picked clean. It looks like a nice resort from afar. However, once you get closer, you can see that the resort is now in ruin.
There’s a decent reef surrounding this resort. It’s an easy snorkel/swim from the hotel. Although, I’m not sure if you’re allowed to snorkel there right now, so you didn’t hear that from us.
Does it get any better than this?
Even though the beach is small, we always found space with unobstructed views of the ocean. There are only 80 rooms in the hotel, so even at full capacity there’s not a lot of people at the resort.
During the day, most guests are on an excursion or tour. Therefore, you will sometimes have the entire beach all to yourself.
We spent 6 nights at this hotel, so we had a few chill days on the beach. It’s a quiet beach. You can actually hear the calming waves splash on the shore as your read a book or play games on your phone. It’s a nice peaceful atmosphere.
However, if you’re looking for a raging beach party vibe, this is hotel is not for you.
Note – the hotel provides nice beach towels (see towel above). You can swap your dirty/wet towel every day. And, you can use these towels on tours and excursions, so you don’t need to pack a towel.
Royal Bora Bora swimming pool
When searching for the right Bora Bora resort, a swimming pool is high on our list. After swimming and snorkeling in the ocean, we like to rinse off with fresh water. Our boys love swimming pools, so this is an essential feature for us.
The swimming pool at Hotel Royal Bora Bora is good. Not great, but good.
It’s small and there’s limited seating. However, similar to the beach, we always found a pool lounger and there aren’t too many people swimming at the same time.
As you can see in the above photo, limited pool loungers but most are available. The building in the backdrop is a lounge area with pool table, ping pong table and sheltered seating.
Easy access from the pool to the beach. Only 50 feet away.
View of the poolside restaurant in the evening. You can grab drinks and food at this bar/restaurant throughout the day.
Rooms at Royal Bora Bora
The rooms are clean and simple. We stayed in a Standard room. I believe all of the rooms are basically the same. We’re told that the rooms were recently updated in 2019.
There are 80 rooms on the property, spread over several buildings with rooms on two levels.
We shared a short room tour on Instagram here.
Hotel royal bora bora cost per night
The price of hotel rooms at Royal Bora Bora is quite reasonable, when compared to the Bora Bora bungalow price per night.
We paid approx. $175 CAD per night, per room. Plus resort fees and taxes.
In total, we paid $2,085 CAD for 6 nights and 2 x rooms. See our budget breakdown here.
Important travel tip – Room capacity is 3 people.
Yes. You read that correctly. Room capacity at this hotel is 3 people. This is common throughout French Polynesia.
We’ve read conflicting info about this policy. Some resorts will allow 4 people if the children are very young. However, given that our boys were 11 and 9 years old at the time, we did not want to risk it.
Therefore, we booked 2 bedrooms. They were located side-by-side. Obviously, we did not want to pay for 2 rooms. But it was still much cheaper than sharing one overwater bungalow. We actually liked having the extra space.
Above is a map of Hotel Royal Bora Bora rooms and property layout.
The main road splits through the property. Guest rooms are located on the north side, surrounded by palm trees, flowers and vegetation.
The reception and lobby are located in the main building on the south side of the road. This is also where the restaurants, pool, lounge area and beach access is located.
Watch a short video room tour here.
Amenities at Hotel Royal Bora Bora
Although the property is not huge, this Bora Bora kid friendly hotel has plenty of things to keep the family busy. Besides the swimming pool and private beach access, the hotel also has a games room with pool tables, ping pong table and other games.
The hotel is a little dated, so temper your expectations. It is not a 5-star Bora Bora resort like the big luxurious properties on the lagoon. However, it is a relaxing resort with a family friendly, peaceful vibe.
Snorkeling and Kayaking from the hotel
The hotel has kayaks available for guest use, including life jackets. Typically there is a fee to rent these kayaks. However, the hotel did not charge us to use two double kayaks for about 2 hours.
We paddled across the lagoon to Piti Uu’Uta islet. This is a popular snorkeling spot that’s appropriately named Bora Bora Aquarium Snorkeling Location.
This is where many of the Bora Bora snorkeling tours visit. It’s a nice bonus to be able to easily kayak here from the hotel. It takes about 30 minutes each way.
Watch this video about our snorkeling in Bora Bora adventures.
This is one of the most popular snorkeling locations in Bora Bora. Most of the Bora Bora snorkeling tours will stop here, as you can see in the above photo.
We docked our kayaks on the nearby island and swam to the reef.
In the afternoon, the hotel offers free presentations and activities for guests to learn about traditional Polynesian culture. In the above photo, guests are learning how to open coconuts the traditional way.
Guest can also rent bikes from the hotel to explore the island.
Restaurants at Royal Bora Bora hotel
The Ori Ori restaurant at Royal Bora Bora is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It has set dining times, so it’s important to show up on time. However, there is a poolside bar that’s open during the times when the main restaurant is closed.
The menu specializes in local and international cuisine. You can order fresh seafood or stick with pasta and burgers.
In addition, the hotel restaurant offers a buffet and traditional Polynesian music a couple times per week.
Below are a few photos of meals we had at the restaurant.
Price range is from 2,500 XPF ($30 CAD) to 4,500 XPF ($50 CAD). It’s an expensive restaurant, when compared to menus in Canada. However, food prices in French Polynesia are high regardless of where you dine.
For example, the cheeseburger, fish burger and chicken burger are approx 2,500 XPF ($30 CAD).
Reservations are required for dinner.
Hotel Royal Bora Bora breakfast buffet
The breakfast at Hotel Royal Bora Bora is a nice feature. It’s included with your stay (no additional expense).
Breakfast is served at Ori Ori restaurant from 6:30AM to 9:00AM. You can enjoy your meal inside the restaurant or outside with your toes in the sand.
The buffet has everything you would expect, including fresh fruit, slice meats and cheese, French toast, pancakes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, breads, pastries, coffee and juice.
We enjoyed the Hotel Royal Bora Bora breakfast. There’s a lot of food to choose from. We would fill up at breakfast and take a few pastries and fruit back to our room. Then we would skip lunch and have a few snacks in the afternoon before going out to dinner.
With breakfast included, and by skipping lunch, we were able to save a lot of money on food.
Tiare Market Bora Bora
Another reason to stay on Bora Bora main island is to be able to visit the markets and restaurants. We like that Hotel Royal Bora Bora is within walking distance to Tiare Market. It’s less than 5 minute walk.
Tiare Market has everything you need on your vacation. It sells fresh pastries and pre-made meals, wine and beer, chips and snacks, bottled water and drinks, toiletries, etc.
Every afternoon we would wander to the market and pick up snacks and drinks to enjoy on the beach. In the evenings, we’d pick up a few cold beers or wine and our boys would get ice cream.
We saved a lot of money buy purchasing beer from the market next door. The hotel rooms have a fridge, so we filled it up with drinks during our stay. This is the view from our ground-floor garden patio.
There are a few restaurants within walking distance from the hotel. This is the main road on the island.
This is Restaurant Tama’a Maitai, located on the beach at Hotel Maitai Polynesia. The Hotel Maitai is another resort in Bora Bora that is reasonably priced. You can check out rates here.
We dined here one evening. The waterfront views are fantastic. The food is pretty good, too.
Lucky House Fare Manuia Restaurant is a popular Bora Bora restaurant. We ate here twice during our visit. Both times the place was very busy.
Reservations are recommended. In fact, reservations are recommended for all restaurants in Bora Bora.
Can you go all inclusive in Bora Bora?
As mentioned at the start of this blog post, there are no true Bora Bora all-inclusive resorts. Some Bora Bora vacation packages include flights, hotel, transfers and breakfast, but all meals and drinks are NOT included.
Some resorts will include breakfast, like the Hotel Royal Bora Bora breakfast buffet, but not include unlimited drinks and food during your stay.
If food and drinks are not all included, is it really an all inclusive resort? We don’t think so.
That said, there are ways to reduce the cost of your Bora Bora vacation. See our trip budget here.
The best luxury resorts in Bora Bora are:
- Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora
- InterContinental Bora Bora Resort (Thalasso Spa)
- The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort
- Conrad Bora Bora Nui
- Le Bora Bora by Pearl Resorts
- Hotel Maitai Polynesia
Related post – What does it really cost to travel to Bora Bora?
Above is a photo of overwater bungalows at Maita Polynesia Bora Bora.
Bora Bora Airport to Hotel Royal Bora Bora
The Bora Bora airport, also known as Motu Mute Airport, is located on the islet of Motu Mute. The airport is only accessible by boats. This means that all passengers arriving and departing Bora Bora will need to take a ferry or private boat transfer to/from the airport.
The Bora Bora Airport ferry shuttle is free.
After you pick up your luggage from the small baggage claim, head to the boat pictured below (on the left). The ferry takes about 30 minutes from Bora Bora Airport to the Vaitape ferry dock.
There is a Hotel Royal Bora Bora shuttle waiting at the ferry terminal. It’s best to make a reservation ahead of time. Notify the hotel ahead of time. There are only a few flights per day, so there’s typically a shuttle or transfer waiting at the docks.
If you don’t make a reservation ahead of time, there are taxis available. However, there aren’t a lot of taxis on the island, so don’t be surprised if you have to wait awhile.
Above is the Bora Bora Island dock at Vaitape, the port town and main settlement on the western coast. This is where the Bora Bora airport ferry picks up passengers from the main island (and vice versa).
More blog posts from Bora Bora and French Polynesia:
- French Polynesia travel tips: What we learned on our trip
- What does it really cost to travel to Bora Bora with kids?
- Swimming with Sharks and Stingrays in Moorea
- Where to stay in Tahiti? Recap from our time at Te Moana Tahiti Resort
- Our experience on the new Air Tahiti Nui flight from Seattle to Tahiti
- Abandoned InterContinental Moorea Resort in French Polynesia
- Review of Manava Beach Resort Moorea, French Polynesia
Are you planning to visit Hotel Royal Bora Bora?
Leave a comment below if you have questions.
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