We risk disappointing a few people. It has to be admitted that although on Bora Bora there are some fine sand beaches, they are not nearly as beautiful as those of St Martin, Anegada, Barbuda or even those in the Landes region of France! However by Polynesian standards, they are the best. And in any case, everyone is in agreement about the beauty of the lagoon, and even the Polynesians from the other islands are jealous of them. Matira is probably the most beautiful beach on the island; the others are generally on the motus. Access is a bit tricky, but there is deep water all along it. You must enter after midday, and leave before midday, so you have the sun behind you. Holding is poor in the anchorage, but the weight of the chain is sufficient in calm weather, in the 8 to 12 meters of water. The south-east anchorage is fun, as it slopes very gently upwards, and you can beach peacefully in the very fine sand. On the other hand, the place has a bad reputation; several cruisers have reported thefts, notably of...swimming costumes! Here there is a snorkeling spot, south of the Sofitel motu, with a few buoys for the dinghies. At the Hilton anchorage, the bottom is sand and the holding is very good; you can drink an aperitif in 1.5 to 1.8 meters, standing in the water with the glasses on the sugar scoop. It’s clearly our favorite anchorage on this mythical island. A slight problem however on the subject of the big hotels – they don’t readily welcome passing cruisers, whether round the world sailors or charterers.
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