Bora-bora in a nutshell!

Bora Bora is one of the most enchanting of the French Polynesian islands. Bora Bora, has a population of 4,300 p. and  is in the center of a multicoloured lagoon, surrounded by offshore motu islets inside a protective coral reef. The motu islets of Bora Bora are the ideal location for a Bora Bora honeymoon and are full of small bungalows on the water. Bora Bora beauty has let to the creation of numerous luxury hotels and resorts, Hotel Bora Bora being the first Hotel in French Polynesia to build bungalows over water  No matter what kind of vacation you are planning, Bora Bora is a must when visiting French Polynesia.There is only one navigable pass, facing the principal village of Vaitape. A 29 km (18 miles) partially sealed road circles the Bora Bora, passing through colorful villages, archaeological sites, old Army bunkers and cannons left over from World War II. Bora Bora lies 240 Km (150 miles) northwest of Tahiti in the Leeward Society Islands. Matira beach has white sand and warm, shallow water. Bora Bora's lagoon is world-famous for its beauty.

Bora-Bora hotels

Hotels are the most popular accommodation option in the whole world. It is time experienced quality, good service, comfortable equipment and all
needed facilities suggested in hotels. The most popular hotels in Bora Bora Island include Hotel Bora Bora, Le Meridien Bora Bora, Sofitel Bora
Bora Beach resort, Maitai, St. Regis Bora Bora and Bora Bora Lagoon Resort and Spa. For example, St. Regis Bora Bora hotel is the most luxurious
accommodation option in the island. This hotel provides even 100 rooms to choose from. Moreover, each room is equipped with king-size luxury bathroom.
By the way, some rooms are done overwater. They have glass panels in the floor that creates the spectacular ability to see the water life and have the
private lagoon shimmer in room. According to the statistics, even 80 percent of guests of St. Regis Bora Bora Resort is honeymooners.

Bora-Bora from wikipedia (more info)!

Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island, located
about 230 kilometres (140 mi) northwest of Papeete, is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef. In the center of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano
rising to two peaks, Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu, the highest point at 727 metres (2,385 ft). The original name of the island in the Tahitian language might be better
rendered as Pora Pora, meaning "First Born"; an early transcription found in 18th- and 19th century accounts, is Bolabolla or Bollabolla.

The major settlement, Vaitape is on the western side of the island, opposite the main channel into the lagoon. The products of the island are mostly limited to what can
be obtained from the sea and coconut trees, which were historically of economic importance for copra. During the August 2007 census, the population on the island was about 8,880 people.

Administration

The island is administratively part of the commune (municipality) of Bora-Bora, itself in the administrative subdivision of the Leeward Islands. The French government, as with all its
South Pacific territories, employs over 50%of the population to discourage any question of independence. The majority of the French government's
employees are emigres from France.[citation needed] The indigenous Polynesian population are not on the payroll. The commune of Bora-Bora is made up of the island of
Bora Bora proper with its surrounding islets emerging from the coral reef (29.3 km²/11.3 sq. miles in total) and of the atoll of Tupai (11 km2/4.2 sq mi), located 20 kilometres (12 mi)
north of Bora Bora. The atoll of Tupai has no permanent population apart from about 50 workers in the coconut plantations. Former President of French Polynesia Gaston
Tong Sang is the current mayor of Bora Bora.

History

The Island was first inhabited by Polynesian settlers around the 4th century. Its previous Polynesian name was Vava'u. The first European sighting was made by Jakob Roggeveen in 1722.
James Cook sighted the island in 1769 and landed in 1777. A London Missionary Society arrived in 1820 and founded a Protestant church in 1822. In 1842 Bora Bora was made a protectorate
of France following the actions of Admiral Abel Aubert Dupetit Thouars.

Durring WW2 following the 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan, the United States entered World War II. The US chose Bora Bora as a South Pacific military supply base, and an oil depot,
airstrip, seaplane base, and defensive fortifications were constructed. Known as "Operation Bobcat", it maintained a supply force of nine ships, 20,000 tons of equipment and nearly 5,000 men.
Seven massive naval cannons were set up at strategic points around the island to protect it against potential military attack.

However, the island saw no combat as the American presence on Bora Bora went uncontested over the course of the war. Although the base was officially closed on 2 June 1946, many American
personnel loved the island and the people so much that they refused to leave. The World War II airstrip, which was never able to accommodate large aircraft,
was French Polynesia's only international airport until Faa'a International Airport was opened in Papeete, Tahiti in 1962.

Commune of Bora Bora

The commune of Bora-Bora is made up of the island of Bora Bora proper with its surrounding islets emerging from the coral reef (29.3 km²/11.3 sq. miles in total) and of the atoll of Tupai
(11 km2/4.2 sq mi), located 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Bora Bora. The atoll of Tupai has no permanent population apart from some workers in the coconut plantations.
The commune is in the administrative subdivision of the Leeward Islands. The administrative centre of the commune is the settlement of Vaitape, on the island of Bora Bora.

Today

Today the island is mainly dependent on tourism. Over the last few years several resorts have been built on motu (small islands) surrounding the lagoon. Thirty years ago, Hotel Bora Bora built the first over-the-water bungalows  on stilts over the lagoon and today, overwater bungalows are a standard feature of most Bora Bora resorts. The quality of those bungalows ranges from comparably cheap, basic accommodations to very luxurious - and pricy - places to stay. Most of the tourist destinations are aquacentric; however it is possible to visit attractions on land such as WWII cannons. Air Tahiti has five or six flights daily to the Bora Bora Airport on Moto Mute from Tahiti (as well as from other islands).

Although French and Tahitian are the main languages spoken by the inhabitants, people in contact with tourists generally have some command of English. Most visitors to Bora Bora are American, Japanese, or European. Public transport on the island is limited, consisting of a single bus that goes halfway around the island and back approximately every hour. Bicycles are the recommended method of transport. There are also small fun-cars for hire in Vaitape. Bora Bora is predestined for snorkeling and scuba diving in and around its lagoon. Many species of sharks and rays inhabit the surrounding body of water. There are a few dive operators on the island offering manta ray dives and also shark-feeding dives.
In addition to the existing islands of Bora Bora (called Motu in Taihitian), the new man-made motu of Motu Marfo has been added in the north-eastern corner of the lagoon on the property of the St. Regis Resort.