On Motu Omee, a long flat islet off Bora Bora's northeast coast, this all-bungalow resort set a new standard for the island's luxurious accommodations when it opened in 2007. It's the only resort in French Polynesia with swimming pools set in the decks of some bungalows already over the lagoon.
Guests are delivered by boat from the airport and greeted on the gleaming marble floor of reception, which shares a thatch-covered building with four boutiques including a high-end black pearl outlet.
Walkways under thatch roofs supported by carved wooden poles lead to another building holding the
resort's large Mediterranean grill—serving all three meals—and the over-water Lagoon Restaurant by Jean-Georges, where chef Jean-George Vongerichten oversees gourmet dinners. Also here, Sushi Take Restaurant satisfies Japanese tastes, while the casual, poolside Aparima has a swim-up bar and seating for 10 actually in the pool.
Activities are centered at two beaches and two swimming pools. Kayaks, canoes, sailboats and bicycles are complimentary, while guests ante up for diving, snorkeling expeditions, lagoon excursions and island tours. A lighted tennis court and air-conditioned gym are ashore, and the full-service spa has its own beach for after-treatment relaxation. Children are occupied in the Honu Iti (Little Turtle) 
kid's club with Internet access, computer games and other high-tech toys.
Meeting space can accommodate 200, while a business center has both ADSL and wireless Internet access.
Concrete pathways lead to the accommodations, which are led by the Royal Estate, a super-private, 13,000-sq-ft encampment with its own swimming pool and private beach. Seven other land-based villas face the ocean, but most units are reached by pathways leading across manmade islets in the lagoon. Tops among these are the Royal Overwater Villas, each with two bedrooms, two baths, and swimming pools set in their decks and facing Bora Bora's trademark mountain. The remaining over-water bungalows have only one bedroom and one bath but still fall in the super-luxe class. Air conditioners, TVs with DVD players, phones, wireless Internet access, espresso makers, minibars, hair dryers, robes and slippers, and large baths with dual basins, walk-in showers and heart-shaped tubs are de rigueur. Butlers serve every unit around the clock.
The spa ranks below the unique facility at the InterContinental Resort and Thalasso Spa but the other amenities and the accommodations put the St. Regis at the top on Bora Bora.
