Bora Bora bars are abundant on the island. Most bars are found in the Matira and Vaitape areas. Not all bars are stand-alone operations, as there are a number of good watering holes in both the resorts and certain restaurants.
Here’s a run-down on what’s pumping, starting from Matira and ending in Vaitape. None of the bars are far from wherever you might be. Just check with any local, and they’ll point you in the right direction.
Here is a guide on the best bars, what they offer, their individual specialties, when they’re open, and dress codes.
Hurricane Bar
The bar takes its name from the 1979 Dino de Laurentiis movie Hurricane, which starred Mia Farrow, Trevor Howard, Timothy Bottoms & James Keach. The bar is situated at the Sofitel Marara, the hotel built by de Laurentiis to accommodate all those involved in the movie during its shooting.
It’s a great setting overlooking a huge infinity pool and out over Bora Bora’s famous lagoon. There is often good night-time entertainment happening poolside.
It’s open from 10:00 am – 11:00 pm, with happy hour at 5 pm. Bar snacks are available throughout the day. It’s comfortable and laid back, with table service. It’s hard to find a better option, particularly when the entertainment is humming.
Fare Manuia
Fare Manuia is the spot where Matira locals gather. The bar is set amidst a free–flowing restaurant offering a compact yet generous drinks area backed by a small pool.
Fare Manuia likes any excuse to party, so most occasions are celebrated. It’s staffed by a young and knowledgeable team. The wooden bar has an extensive list of spirits on display and is backed by a large full-screen TV.
This is where Bora Bora gathers to watch major international sporting events with an owner/operator sufficiently flexible to ensure the bar is humming irrespective of the time of such events.
Those are some photos from Euro 2016. All concerned started around 8 am with croissants and beers, pain au chocolate, and beers. Great day!
The bar tends to close around 10 pm other than on big nights. This is perhaps Bora Bora’s closest equivalent to the English-speaking world’s pub & accordingly offers the corresponding camaraderie. Pub rather than bar prices, so it’s a good spot to chill out.
Bloody Mary’s
Bloody Mary’s is Bora Bora’s most famous bar, visited by the rich & famous and celebrities from all over the world. There’s an honor board at the entrance for all to read.
This is a huge traditional style fare made from local timbers with a thatched pandanus roof & its famous white sand floor. The bar is crafted from coconut, and the stools on which you sit bar-side are likewise made from the trunks of coconut trees.
The place has a good feel, excellent ambiance & reasonable prices. A must for anyone undertaking an honest bar crawl!
This is a great spot to stop for those cruising the islands by boat with excellent moorings. Its here where the $150 million plus club moor. Access to the establishment is simple via the prominent jetty. A good restaurant and a relaxed, casual atmosphere make it a top choice.
L’Elixir
The L’Elixir bar & restaurant opened in 2017. Situated virtually opposite Moana Adventure, there’s no better place to celebrate a great lagoon tour than here!
The Bar has been meticulously set up in a comfortable fare packed with ambiance– pandanus thatched roof and local timbers for the bars. It has subtle usage of local volcanic stone, well-thought-out lighting, a great sound system and good music, live entertainment, friendly staff & a wide selection of drinks!
This is a bar in the true sense of the word, somewhat akin to what English speakers would associate with a wine bar/restaurant. It has a casual yet slightly sophisticated feel and clientele, it’s greatly patronized by the local upwardly mobile.
L’Elixir is open from late afternoon between 3 and 5 pm until early in the morning, 1 am at the earliest. Bar snacks are available.
It’s a great place to meet, chill and get a feel for life as a local. There is easy access from yachts moored off Bloody Mary’s and a top spot to end a great night out.
Saint James
Saint James has a reputation with locals as a great value place to eat with quality high and prices low. It’s also home to an interesting cozy bar set virtually at water level with a night-time beach feel.
It includes a white sand floor and the sense of being in a restaurant yet feeling a thousand miles away. This is an excellent place to kick back as it’s the only bar around where you can feed wild stingrays from the deck of the bar. Magic!
Open 8 am to 1 am Monday to Saturday.
Mai Kai
Mai Kai is situated in a large high thatched pandanus roof-top structure that exudes ambiance. The bar is a favorite with the locals. It has an inviting open layout with a good-sized bar area and is filled with comfortable seating. Plus, a great open-deck area framing a nice pool.
The bar often promotes live bands & entertainment, pool parties, and so on. Linked to one of Bora Bora’s better restaurants, this is a good option for those looking for the complete package encompassing drinks, dining, entertainment, and hanging out. Free transport shuttle arrangements are available under certain circumstances.
Open 7 days a week from 8 am to 12 am
The Recif
The Recif (Reef) is the only nightclub on Bora Bora. It has been operating since 1972, so it clearly knows what is required.
Karaoke is from 8 pm to midnight, followed by a pumping discotheque onwards from midnight is popular with locals and those looking to party hard!
The Recif is situated along the way to Faanui, just before the Bora Bora Yacht Club.
It’s open Wednesday & Thursday from 8 pm-2 am and on Friday & Saturday from 8 pm to 3 am. There is beer on tap and late happy hours.
Bora Bora Yacht Club
This is a great spot with plenty of history. The bar is situated lagoon-side in a thatched roofed, wooden floored, open-ended ‘fare’.
Pull up a stool at the wood top bar, sit back comfortably bar-side and undercover, or kick back on an expansive open-air deck sitting atop the lagoon. You can watch the sun go down in what many hold is Bora Bora’s ultimate sunset experience and beer on tap at the ready!
If you wish to kick on, then the Bora Bora Yacht Club has a good casual restaurant. Coming by road, the Bora Bora Yacht Club can be found at the Faanui end of Vaitape just before the Farepiti cargo wharf.
There’s good parking directly opposite the club. Enquire directly with the clubhouse concerning free transport options.