Maldives vs Bora Bora - Which one is better & why?

If you are dreaming of a beautiful tropical destination for a luxury getaway or a memorable honeymoon, the Maldives and Bora Bora appear as some of the best destinations in the world. But which one actually is better between Bora Bora and the Maldives? What are the main differences and similarities?

After being many times to both destinations and exploring all the best resorts, let us help you decide between Bora Bora or the Maldives.

The beauty of the place

Let’s start this comparison Maldives vs Bora Bora with one thing where both destinations are absolutely amazing: the natural beauty of the place.

While both are tropical beach destinations, there is quite a difference in landscapes as the Maldives is the flattest country in the world while Bora Bora has quite some relief.

The views may be a tiny bit nicer in Bora Bora with a bit more variety while the Maldives may be winning when it comes to the beauty of the beaches with much nicer sand and palm trees by the beach.

This first section of our comparison Maldives vs Bora Bora is therefore extremely tight but we may give the point to Bora Bora on this one.

The quality of service

Being somewhere beautiful is important to make your trip special and memorable. Yet, it does not matter if the global experience is not at the same level.

For us, one of the most important criterion to judge the quality of a destination is the level of service.

When it comes to that, we’re going to be a bit harsh, but Bora Bora is sub-par. The level of service in Bora Bora was the biggest disappointment, and this applies to the very best resorts (Four Seasons, St Regis, Conrad,…).

Being so used to the awesome level of service in the Maldives, it came like quite a shock when being faced with such average service in Bora Bora.

But what does this mean exactly? Slow service that often forgets about your order, long waiting time for the buggy, issues in communication between the teams, late or non-existing housekeeping and so many things that created many frustrations.

In comparison, in the Maldives, the service is always next level and one of the reasons most people love the Maldives so much. If you aim for the most exclusive resorts in the Maldives, around $3000 per night, you’ll get something so much better than in Bora Bora at the same price range.

If you are hesitating between the Maldives or Bora Bora and service is important for you, you don’t have to read any further. The Maldives is the best option, by far.

The quality of food

Let’s continue this duel between the Maldives vs Bora Bora with the food.

This is an other very important criterion that we of course want to analyse when comparing these two amazing destinations.

Here again, there is a huge gap between the Maldives and Bora Bora.

The biggest disappointment was maybe at breakfast. While in the Maldives you are used to the best breakfast buffets in the world, the ones at Bora Bora were very disappointing. The biggest disappointment was maybe the buffet at St Regis. At this price range, you would expect something so much better. The best in Bora Bora when it comes to breakfast buffet may be at the Westin or Conrad.

In the Maldives, we can’t think of one resort that does not have amazing breakfast buffet. Milaidhoo, Anantara Kihavah, Ozen Reserve Bolifushi, Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru,…the list is long.

When it comes to lunch and dinner, the food may be comparable between the two destinations but the advantage still goes to the Maldives. We have tried all the best restaurants in Bora Bora’s top resorts and none could match the food level of the best resorts in the Maldives. Think of The Nautilus, Kudadoo, Soneva Jani, Cheval Blanc and so on, which deliver Michelin-worthy food. Something you don’t get in Bora Bora.

For this section of our comparison Maldives vs Bora Bora, once again, the point goes to the Maldives with much better food options overall.

The level of exclusivity

When you are going to pay more than USD 1000 per night, you may be expecting a certain level of exclusivity.

This is created by very attentive staff but also a limited number of villas to not make you feel like you are in a big resort full of people.

On this, Bora Bora was also a disappointment, particularly at Four Seasons where you had this bad feeling of overcrowded resort at the beach (all long chars being taken) or at the restaurants, particularly at breakfast.

The number of villas in most resorts is really important, making it feel not so exclusive.

In comparison, most resorts we recommend in the Maldives have less than 80 villas, and you’ll never get this impression of crowd. You will never be faced with all the long chairs being taken at the beach.

If you hesitate between Bora Bora or the Maldives, this point may be very important, particularly for a honeymoon. This trip has to be ultra special and unfortunately, this is not something that gets delivered in Bora Bora. The Maldives offers a next-level exclusivity feeling which makes this destination really ideal for honeymoon.

Once again, the Maldives wins by a mile vs Bora Bora when it comes to the level of exclusivity.

The villas - Size & comfort

An other important criterion to find which destination is better between the Maldives and Bora Bora is the villas.

You’ll be able to find overwater bungalows (villas) in the Maldives and Bora Bora.

So, which one has the better ones?

Well…sorry to disappoint you if your dream was Bora Bora, but, here again, the Maldives wins by a mile.

Indeed, the villas are much bigger and much more modern in the Maldives than they are in Bora Bora. Also, it is very common to have a private pool in your overwater bungalow in the Maldives while it is way more rare in Bora Bora. And IF you have one, it is often much smaller than what you’ll get in the Maldives.

Overall, when it comes to the villas size and comfort, the Maldives wins easily and offers much better accommodation than Bora Bora.

Snorkeling

As tropical destinations, both the Maldives and Bora Bora are home to amazing nature and underwater experiences.

But, where will you be able to get the best snorkeling?

On one hand, Bora Bora is a huge lagoon without a proper house reef. Your villas will be above crystal clear waters, but without much fish swimming by.

On the other hand, the Maldives unique disposition makes that each island is surrounded by a house reef. They are plus or less good depending on the resorts, but in our favorite establishments, the house reef is amazing for memorable snorkeling.

You can just jump in the water and you’ll already be swimming in the middle of fish, turtles, sharks, rays and witnessing beautiful corals.

As someone who spends 90 to 120 minutes everyday snorkeling, I definitely prefer the Maldives over Bora Bora when it comes to this.

For diving, both offer the same and both are world-class diving destinations.

Easiness of access

If you are still here reading, I’m sure you have figured out by now that the Maldives really is a better destination than Bora Bora. But that’s not all! There are more reasons to prefer the Maldives to Bora Bora.

Indeed, French Polynesia is extremely hard to access with super expensive flights. Even if you are coming from the West Coast US, it is still a solid 8h flight + transfers. If you are coming from Europe, then, it’s a long day traveling.

The Maldives is way more accessible, particularly for people in the Middle East who can reach it with a quick 4h flight. For Europe, some direct flights will get you there in just 10h.

Once in the Maldives, the transfers can be done via seaplane, domestic flight or speedboat. In Bora Bora, once at the airport, you will take a speedboat that will bring you to your resort within 30 minutes.

While getting to the country is much easier in the Maldives, the transfers are a bit easier and faster in Bora Bora.

Still, the Maldives is overall way easier (and cheaper) to reach than Bora Bora.

Value for money

Let’s wrap up this comparison Maldives vs Bora Bora with the value for money.

By now, I’m sure it will be no surprise if I tell you that the value for money in Bora Bora is extremely bad when compared to the Maldives.

I would say that you get at $2500 per night in Bora Bora what you would get for $1000 per night in the Maldives in terms of overall experience.

Unless you are going for the landscapes, there is no real reason to choose Bora Bora over the Maldives. The latter is better in everything and even though this comparison may seem harsh, it is the reality of the situation.

The lack of competition in Bora Bora (only 7 luxury resorts compared to 70+ in the Maldives) makes that the resorts are always full. They do not need to overdeliver and overfocus on your satisfaction. If you are not happy, it’s OK. Other people will come and replace you anyway.

In the Maldives, it is really different. Low occupancy (below 50%) is quite common, even in the very best resorts. There are so many amazing options so the resorts HAVE TO overdeliver and focus on your satisfaction. This is the main reason why the Maldives is such a better destination than Bora Bora.

Contact us if you are planning a trip to one of these destinations and we will be able to assist you and book your trip with the most competitive rates.

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