Three Kids and a Dog: Spring Break 2023

We decided to go big this year. Not that we don't every spring break but somehow it feels like time is running out on how many we have left as a family of five. Soon Austen will be off to college so that now leaves just two spring breaks remaining for all of us, together.

So why not make them memorable and a bit extravagant?! I actually waited awhile to book this one because I could not decide on where we should go (each trip is getting harder to top). I liked Bora Bora but every time I called to check on the price, I couldn't fathom spending that much money on a trip. Okay, so I wanted to stay at the Four Seasons and that was just ungodly expensive so once one of my friend's convinced me to take a look at where she stayed (Le Bora Bora by Pearl Resorts) and I learned it was absolutely gorgeous too and 1/2 the price, I was sold.

The view from our bungalow

So off we went a bit early from school break. It took a bit to get there but now that the kids are older it's pretty easy to travel with them (that and the fact that for these long haul flights we do First Class which is, as I've said, another trip in and of itself). First, we flew to San Francisco. We had about a 2-hour layover which passed quickly in the Polaris Club Lounge with food/drink. Then we boarded United's Dreamliner for our 9 hour flight to Papeete, Tahiti. We arrived at night so had to spend one night in Tahiti at the Intercontinental before we could take an inter-island flight the next morning to Bora Bora. The first thing I notice when we get off the plane is the heat, or rather the humidity. It's hot and sticky. We board our shuttle to the hotel, take a quick evening stroll around the property and go to bed. The next morning, it's breakfast at the hotel and another quick stroll before taking a shuttle back to board our short flight to Bora Bora. Once in Bora Bora, a boat from the hotel arrives and takes us to the resort but not before being crowned with palms and flowers.

We rented two overwater bungalows and were lucky that they were next door to each other so the kids slept in one room, and Tom and I in the other. They're old enough now and I think they rather liked the independence. Let's just say the rooms/bungalows were amazing. The water was beautiful and the views of Mount Otemanu were stunning. If this wasn't paradise, I don't know what is. It's simply the most beautiful place I've ever been.

Swimming off the lagoon was our favorite morning activity as was feeding the fish through the opening below our bungalows. We saw stingrays and sharks and a small octopus! It was like our very own aquarium. In the afternoons we ventured to the beach to kayak and stand up paddle board or lay out by the pool and enjoy some drinks (milkshakes or coconut water for the kids) at the swim up bar. I got a massage at the spa (ambience was beautiful) and Tom, Austen and Peyton did some jet skiing around Bora Bora.

Each night, we had 3 course meals and each morning we had big buffet breakfasts (which Austen loved). Hailey ate the same thing for breakfast each morning - Nutella crepes, watermelon, white sticky rice, bacon and a chocolate croissant. And, for dinner our favorite thing was of course the seafood (Mahi Mahi, tuna, shrimp) and the steaks as well as the coconut ice cream. Hailey also liked feeding the island's stray dogs our leftovers each time we went to the Mikki Mikki restaurant. We'd cut up our leftover meat or chicken and tell her to walk down the path away from the restaurant to feed them. But most of the time, she would get too anxious and dump all the food out in one spot too close to where we were eating and then she'd take the long way around the pool back to the restaurant so the dogs wouldn't follow her back!

We also did two excursions too which I will write more about in part 2 of our trip .... stay tuned...