Hi everyone! Bonjour from Bora Bora! Aside from Tahiti, Bora Bora is probably the most well known of the French Polynesian islands, partly thanks to being the 'Bali Hai' of James Michener's "South Pacific" and also, as her images are often used to portray the ideal tropical island getaway. Stunning as they are, pictures do not do the place justice. We gazed down spellbound by Bora Bora's beauty as we came into land on one of the motu in the lagoon. We were awestruck by its unusually shaped mountains, rising majestically from the ocean, but it was the lagoon's vibrant shades of turquoise that really 'blue' us away! Third island, third time lucky as far as airport/hostel transfers were concerned and we successfully made our way from plane to boat to bus to hostel. It was then that the problems started! The hostel had ceased accepting internet bookings (despite us receiving a confirmation e-mail to the contrary) as they had disposed of their computer the previous week - they had no record of our reservation for a basic room, and only one top-of-the-range deluxe bungalow left. So, there we were, stranded on the most expensive island in the most expensive archipelago in the South Pacific, with no bed and no trusty guidebook. Next stop - tourist information office. When we arrived, there was no one there, and after hanging around for half an hour, we decided to go for lunch. An hour later, the office was still deserted, so we rifled through lots of flyers until we stumbled across a guesthouse whose name was familiar from previous budget accommodation searches. It was easy to get a taxi to take us out there, but when we arrived, no one was home. We left our backpacks at the house and went for a wander to check out other options nearby. Failing to find anything better, we returned to our backpacks and waited for the owners. Luckily, we didn't have to wait long, and they had space in a 40 GBP per night room (which had nothing in it except two beds) with a shared bathroom (though no hot water)...bargain...not!!! Still, it wasn't a bad place, and it did have a friendly cat ("Fat Cat"), and a superb location right next to the 5-star Intercontinental Beachcomber Resort. It was this final fact that really sold it to us, and the Intercontinental became our adopted daytime home for the duration of our stay. When not at the beach, we sampled some of the island's excellent restaurants. Our favourite was "Bloody Mary's", renouned for its fantastic seafood and famous patrons from Hollywood stars to legendary musicians. While sipping strawberry daquiris at the bar, we got chatting to a couple of Americans, who kindly refilled our glasses, and were great company as we waited for a table in the restaurant. Rather than printed menus, we were talked through the available dishes, the day's catch spread out on ice before us. We followed the chef's advice, and shared a couple of house specialities. It was the best fish either of us had ever tasted. If you happen to be passing, we wholly recommend you dine there...though you might want to warn your bank manager first! Delicious food aside, what we will really remember about Bora Bora are the days relaxing in the sun on the loungers by the sea at the Intercontinental. Initially unsure whether this stretch of sand was for hotel guests only, we based ourselves on a couple of sunloungers at the far end of the beach. None of the hotel staff walking past asked us to leave and we even cheekily got some "other" guests to take our photo chilling in the hotel swimming pool! The highlight of our "stay" at the Intercontinental was being given a free glass of champagne just prior to our departure for the airport - the perfect end to another perfect day in Paradise! We came down to earth with a bump when we got to Tahiti airport as we bedded down on our beloved benches to while away the hours until our 4am flight to New Zealand. Hope you are all well! love Kirstie & Zena