Having just returned from one of the most remote and romantic destinations in the South Pacific, I can say without a doubt that Bora Bora is a vacation you and your significant other cannot miss!
Our airline was Air Tahiti Nui and we flew out of Los Angeles International Airport, the flight was a redeye so we were asleep through most of the plane ride. The flight to Bora Bora has only one layover in Tahiti, our layover was just an hour and a half long, and we were rushing to get off of the plane to get through customs before our plane left without us. While waiting in line to get to customs, there were Tahitians singing and playing drums welcoming travelers from the long flight. Once we were through customs, we had to pick up our luggage from one terminal to drop it off to our gate and go through security again. Luckily, the airport employees knew some English and were able to direct us to the correct gate. We were running almost thirty minutes behind! We were not the only ones that got held up in customs, thankfully we were able to get to our gate and not five minutes later all the travelers going to the Island of Bora Bora were all herded onto a bus to take us to the plane. This plane was much smaller than the first, we all were waiting outside patiently for the last of the luggage to be loaded in the bottom of the plane. In a single file line, we were finally able to board the plane. This flight being only one hour, there were no designated seating charts. All the passengers loaded in from the rear of the plane from the tarmac, us being the last to get on the plane we sat in the first row. Bora Bora is part of the Society Islands; this is a group of fourteen islands in French Polynesia. During our flight, we were able to see Taha’a and Raiatea below us and it made us very eager to start exploring. The water was the most amazing turquoise color, and you could see the coral reef drop-off separating the shallow shores to the deep blue ocean that was simply breathtaking.
Artwork by Marlon Holden “Outer Reef” Limited Edition of 50
Finally, we had arrived! All of the guests were greeted with leis by each of their respective resorts, our resort was the Conrad Bora Bora Nui. The airport for Bora Bora is on its own island so all travelers must be shuttled from the airport to the main island or their designated resorts location. We decided to do some exploring of the main island since we had a rental car to cruise around in. Once arriving to the dock, the car rental was walking distance just right up the road in central Vaitape. However, we arrived hours early before tour intended pick-up time, so we decided to grab some brunch around the corner. Let me tell you, this food was incredible! The Aloe Café had some of the best food that we had our entire trip! We went there every morning for breakfast and if you have a trip planned, you absolutely have to check this place out. Once we were able to get our rental car, we ventured around the island looking for remote and idyllic locations to capture. The main island of Bora Bora is not very large, it only takes about forty-five minutes to drive around. After a short while, it was already time to check into our hotel, we were greeted on the dock by a ukulele player and a complementary exotic cocktail that was simply amazing. The resort itself was absolutely stunning and I could understand why guest would just want to stay on the resort’s grounds, there was everything you could need from five-star dinning to pristine beaches. I am generally more compelled to capture nature in its purest forms, however on this trip we were taking inspiration from many of French Polynesia’s man-made structures and thatched huts around the islands.
Artwork by Marlon Holden “Tranquil Dawn” Limited Edition of 100
The next morning, we were up bright and early as today was the first day of our pontoon boat rental with La Plage Tours. We took the first shuttle leaving the resort at 8:30am to get the main island. This was one of our favorite excursions that we chose to do during our entire trip since it gave us the ability to go at our own pace to see the different surrounding motus. La Plage Tours provided us with a map of different secluded white sand beaches for us to explore along with a route to get completely around the main island. Us being able to do what we desired was exactly what we had in mind, as the most compelling captures are ones rarely anticipated. It was very easy to drive up to these remote beaches, perfectly untouched as if no one had stepped foot there before and only made us think that this is how it looked thousands of years ago.
Artwork by Marlon Holden “Polynesian Dreams” Limited Edition of 50
This was so relaxing and romantic to have these beach to ourselves. Being that you are required to have your captains license in order to rent a boat meant that these places were very quiet and untouched! Time moves so very different here, it moves slowly, and you are simply in bliss just trying to soak in the moment. However, we could not sit still for too long as the day was quickly passing by. While we were slowly heading back to return the boat as our time slot was coming to an end, we noticed a tour group off the coast snorkeling. We knew we could not pass this opportunity up, so we set anchor and got all of the underwater camera equipment ready as we were about to capture something truly remarkable. There were so many different fish swimming in schools of thousands, it took my breath completely away! We were swimming together trying to capture every moment, I had the AquaTech underwater camera housing and Shannon followed with the iPhone documenting the journey. In this time I was able to compose an over-under shot of the fish swimming with a small, lush motu in the distance, such a marvel of nature and a memory we won’t soon forget!
Artwork by Marlon Holden “Ocean Delight” Limited Edition of 50
Once we returned the boat, we headed around the main island of Bora Bora to get to our shuttle boat back to the resort to make our dinner reservations and relax for the night. The next morning, we had another early wake-up call. We had breakfast at our favorite little café and today was our day to visit the Four Seasons Resort. We were excited to capture some iconic Bora Bora scenes with the overwater bungalows along with the main island in the distance. Where this resort is positioned, it is the perfect vantage point for what we were looking to capture. This resort is nothing short of luxurious, nothing was out of place!
Artwork by Marlon Holden “Daydreams” Limited Edition of 100
On our third day, we booked a private, doors off helicopter tour with Tahiti Nui Helicopters. Their team was extremely helpful with ensuring we achieved the shots that we had already planned out. We did not opt for the usual helicopter packages, so the pilot had to veer off course. It was incredible seeing Bora Bora from a completely different perspective. Thankfully, the wind cooperated with us as we needed to be low to the ocean to capture this small motu with iconic Bora Bora in the distance.
Artwork by Marlon Holden “Motu Taha’a” Limited Edition of 50
Now, it was time to gain some elevation and get an iconic overhead view of the entirety of Bora Bora. There was some wind so along with that came some light turbulence, but our pilot handled it with ease and gradually made our way to what seemed like the top of the world. We were sitting above the clouds, taking in everything as this moment would be over far too soon. While hanging out of the opened helicopter door, Marlon dropped his shutter to achieve the perfect capture of the French Polynesian island of Bora Bora!
Artwork by Marlon Holden “Dreaming Bora Bora” Limited Edition of 50
Unfortunately, the wind intensified the next day. This was our final day for our pontoon boat rental, but nature had other plans for us. With the wind we could not safely go out and explore on our own, however, La Plage Tours was extremely accommodating and booked us a completely separate excursion that wasn’t even on our radar. Our tour guide picked us up from the Conrad’s dock and took us to a remote location to swim with sharks. Blacktip reef sharks to be exact, there was a group of six peacefully gliding through the shallow water. These blacktips are very friendly and so long as you keep your hands to yourself, they are very accepting to your presence. Luckily for us, they were very calm and didn’t mind that we were there in any way. We brought our AquaTech underwater camera housing to capture this special moment that many people haven’t had the opportunity to experience and in these few moments I had captured one of my favorite underwater captures that simply captures the essence of the place, coconut treetops and all!
Artwork by Marlon Holden “Blacktip Bay” Limited Edition of 50
On our final day, we were sad about leaving this absolutely amazing romantic getaway. Everything about this trip was perfect from our luxury resort accommodations, the incredible different excursions we had the opportunity to partake in and the priceless memories we will remember forever. I cannot say enough good things about this trip. Right off the shore of the Conrad, I had been planning a unique perspective of the main island of Bora Bora that I had never seen captured before. A perfect combination of the lush vegetation, turquoise waters and corals visible beneath the ocean. I feel blessed to have so many of our memories captured so beautifully to share with you all and hopefully this will inspire you to visit French Polynesia or remind you of your own special memories in the remote South Pacific.
Artwork by Marlon Holden “Coral Shores” Limited Edition of 50
Artwork by Marlon Holden “Lost Isle” Limited Edition of 50
Artwork by Marlon Holden “On The Water” Limited Edition of 50
Artwork by Marlon Holden “Quiet Isle” Limited Edition of 50