Quick Facts

Where to Drink in Bora Bora Without Burning Through Your Trip Budget

Cocktails in Bora Bora are not cheap. A piña colada at a motu resort can hit 3,900 XPF (about $37 USD) before tip. Even a casual beachside bar will run you 2,000 XPF (about $19 USD) for the same drink. Over a week-long trip, what feels like “just one drink” adds up fast.

But here’s what most travel blogs don’t tell you. Bora Bora has a real bar scene if you know where to look, and most of the best bars run a daily happy hour where cocktails drop to half price or less. We spent two months on the island and worked every happy hour we could find, plus stayed firsthand at three of the motu resorts. This guide breaks down every bar we visited, their happy hour times and deals, the views you’ll get, and which one is the right pick for your trip.

The short version: if you’re staying on the main island, the Yacht Club at 4 PM is hard to beat. If you’re on a motu resort, the Westin and IHG Thalasso both have real happy hour windows worth planning around. And if you want a sunset with your feet in the sand, the Beach Club is the only beachfront pick on the main island.

Let’s break it down bar by bar.

Skip the Bar Entirely: Buying Drinks at the Grocery Store

Cocktails at restaurants and resort bars in Bora Bora run 1,500 to 4,000 XPF (roughly 14 to 38 USD) before tip. If you want to drink without the markup, buy at the grocery store and drink at your Airbnb, villa, bungalow, or wherever you’re hanging out for sunset. Locals do this at the beach all the time.

Where to Buy Beer, Wine, and Liquor on the Main Island

Three main spots stock everything you need:

• Super U Bora Bora in Vaitape, the largest grocery store on the island. Full liquor aisle, a decent wine selection including French Bordeaux, and cold Hinano in the cooler.
• Chin Lee also in Vaitape, slightly smaller, similar selection.
• Tiare Market on the southeast side of the island closest to Matira, useful if you don’t want to drive all the way to Vaitape.

A bottle of Hinano runs a fraction of what it costs at a resort bar. A decent bottle of French wine lands well under what a single cocktail costs at the IHG. If you’re staying in a vacation rental or main-island Airbnb, this is the single biggest move you can make on a drinks budget.

French Polynesia is a French territory, so the wine selection is diverse and leans more toward French wines. Bordeaux is the obvious pick. Côtes du Rhône also shows up. Skip the premium bottles unless you’re celebrating, the mid-shelf is where the value lives.

Bringing Drinks to a Resort or Restaurant

Restaurants on the island charge a corkage fee if you bring your own wine. If you’re at a motu resort, duty-free at the airport is the smarter play than the grocery store, since the resorts treat outside bottles the same way. Pack a wine opener in your carry-on if you want to handle it discreetly at the bungalow, or ask the front desk to bring one up.

Tahiti Drink

If you don’t want to mix anything, Tahiti Drink is the pre-made rum punch you’ll see stacked in cartons at every grocery store on the island. It’s made by Rotui, a Polynesian beverage brand based on Moorea, and the classic rum punch is good. Tastes great, no fuss, perfect for a quick grab-and-go on the way to the beach or back to your bungalow. They make a few other variants we haven’t tried.

That said, we usually skip the pre-mixes and grab a bottle of rum and a six-pack of Hinano. Rum and a splash of pineapple juice, or just a cold beer with the sunset, is hard to beat for the price.

Bora Bora Yacht Club

The Yacht Club is the best happy hour on the main island, and it isn’t close. Half-price cocktails from 4 to 6 PM every day, on a covered open-air patio with one of the best sunset views in Vaitape.

We ate here three times during our two months on the island. Twice for lunch, once for the full Polynesian dinner show on a Saturday. Food is solid, view is unreal, and service runs on island time. The happy hour list is seven cocktails: Piña Colada, Yacht Club, Gin Fizz, Sex on the Beach, Fenua, Cherry Love, and Sunset Club. Normally 2,000 XPF, drops to 1,000 XPF (about 9 USD) during happy hour. If you can only hit one bar on the main island, this is it.

• Happy Hour: 4 to 6 PM daily, half price (2,000 to 1,000 XPF)
• View: Sunset, lagoon, channel, mooring balls
• Pricing: Cocktails 1,000 XPF during happy hour, dinner show 7,900 XPF per person
• Best for: Best overall deal, sunset, and dinner show nights

Read our full Bora Bora Yacht Club review.

Saint James Bora Bora

Saint James is the upscale lagoon-front pick on the main island. Happy hour runs daily from 5 to 6 PM, with a flat 1,200 XPF price on a selection of six cocktails. It’s the only spot in this guide that gives you a French-Polynesian fine dining setting without the motu resort commitment.

The restaurant sits on Helen’s Bay in Vaitape, about a 10-minute walk from town, with an open-air terrace that looks straight out onto the lagoon. The happy hour menu covers the classics: Piña Colada, Sex on the Beach, Mai Tai, Margarita, Cuba Libre, and Caipirinha, all at 1,200 XPF flat. One important note before you go: the deal is bar-only.

Multiple guest reviews mention being seated at a dinner table with an early reservation and then being told they couldn’t get the happy hour pricing. Plan to sit at the bar for happy hour, then move to a table if you’re staying for dinner. Saint James also offers a free dinner pickup service from anywhere on the main island, with a 1,000 XPF round-trip taxi charge added to your bill, which no other bar in this guide includes.

• Happy Hour: 5 to 6 PM Monday to Saturday (closed Sunday), bar-only
• Happy Hour Pricing: Six cocktails at 1,200 XPF flat (Piña Colada, Sex on the Beach, Mai Tai, Margarita, Cuba Libre, Caipirinha)
• View: Lagoon, sunset, Helen’s Bay
• Pricing: Cocktails 1,200 XPF during happy hour, dinner mains around $40
• Best for: Upscale lagoon-front sunset cocktails on the main island, with free dinner pickup

Vini Vini Bar at IC Le Moana

Vini Vini is the resort-vibe pick without the resort price tag or day pass. It’s the beachfront bar at the InterContinental Le Moana, the IHG property on the main island. Walk-in, no day pass required, half-price drinks daily during happy hour.

Cocktails normally run 2,000 XPF and drop to about 1,000 XPF during happy hour. They also run a snacking menu from 3 to 6 PM if you want food without committing to a full dinner. The setting is a true resort beachfront with overwater bungalows in view, calm lagoon water, and Mt. Otemanu in the distance.

• Happy Hour: 5:30 to 7 PM daily, half price (about 1,000 XPF per cocktail)
• View: Lagoon, beachfront, overwater bungalows, Mt. Otemanu
• Pricing: Cocktails 1,000 XPF during happy hour, mains 2,500 to 4,500 XPF
• Best for: Resort vibe and views without a day pass

Read our full Bora Bora Beach Club review.

Lucky House

Lucky House is the budget pick on the main island. All cocktails 1,000 XPF flat during happy hour (about 9 USD), which matches the Yacht Club’s price floor and beats every resort bar by half or more. It sits on the main road near Le Moana, and it’s the only bar in this guide we didn’t go inside.

We drove past Lucky House dozens of times over two months on the island. The vibe reads more dive bar than sunset spot, with a steady mix of locals and tourists coming and going. There’s no water frontage, but they do have a small wading pool inside, so you can still get a slice of paradise without paying for the view. It came up repeatedly in the Bora Bora travel groups as a community pick, and the posted happy hour sign confirms the deal. If the price is what matters and the sunset isn’t a deal-breaker, this is a real option.

• Happy Hour: 4 to 6 PM daily, all cocktails 1,000 XPF flat
• View: No water view, but a small wading pool on-site
• Pricing: Cocktails 1,000 XPF during happy hour
• Best for: Best budget pick, local dive bar feel with a pool

The Westin Bora Bora Resort and Spa

The Westin has two happy hour windows daily, which is unusual on the island. Even better, the resort amenity fee includes complimentary daily wine and rum tastings at 11:30 AM, so you get bar-quality drinks built into your stay without paying happy hour prices on top.

We stayed at the Westin in an overwater bungalow and worked both happy hours and both tastings. The wine tasting features local French Polynesian labels with beautiful bottle art and two varieties to try. The rum tasting is hands-on, you make your own cocktail with lime and sugar and a choice of white or dark rum.

Both are crowded, so show up early. Beyond the tastings, O’A Bar upstairs is the sunset cocktail spot with the best Mt. Otemanu view of any resort on the island, and the Honu Tiki bar tucked away on the property has bar swings and an octopus that hangs out in the rocks below.

• Happy Hour: Two daily, roughly 5 to 6 PM and 8 to 9 PM, discounted drinks
• Free Tastings: Wine and rum tastings daily at 11:30 AM, included with the resort amenity fee
• View: Best Mt. Otemanu view of any Bora Bora resort, lagoon, sunset
• Pricing: Free tastings included, happy hour discount on cocktails
• Best for: Marriott Bonvoy guests who want the most included value on the island

Read our full Westin Bora Bora review.

InterContinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa

Update: The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa closed on June 1, 2026 for a top-to-bottom renovation, per the resort’s official announcement. A reopening date has not been published, and the booking system isn’t accepting reservations as far out as December 2027. The information below reflects what the resort offered during our stay, and we’ll update this section when the property reopens.

The Thalasso runs a daily happy hour at Bubbles Bar, the molecular cocktail bar on property with lagoon, pool, and beach views. Daily from 5 to 6 PM, confirmed on the in-house schedule we received during our stay. Bubbles is also where the resort posts the weekly cultural activity schedule, so a 5 PM cocktail there pairs naturally with a 6:30 PM cultural demo or themed dinner.

Sands Bar, the second bar on property, sits directly on the beach. Known for mai tais, mojitos, and smoothies during the day. The IHG website lists a 5 to 6 PM happy hour at Sands as well, though it wasn’t on the in-house schedule we received. The Thalasso is on its own motu off the main island and requires either an overnight stay or a day pass to access. When the resort reopens, the day pass program is expected to be one of the most accessible on the island.

• Happy Hour at Bubbles Bar: 5 to 6 PM daily (pre-closure)
• Happy Hour at Sands Bar: Per IHG’s website, 5 to 6 PM daily (status pending reopening)
• View: Lagoon and beachfront for both bars
• Pricing: Standard resort cocktail prices, discount during happy hour
• Best for: Travelers planning ahead for the reopening, IHG One Rewards members

Read our full InterContinental Thalasso review.

The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort

The St. Regis doesn’t run a traditional happy hour, but Marriott Bonvoy guests get year-round drink discounts at Aparima Bar, the resort’s casual beachside spot. Every St. Regis property worldwide has its own signature Bloody Mary, and the one here is the Bora Mary, a watermelon-infused twist on the classic.

Bonvoy guests get 20% off both the Bora Mary (2,500 XPF, drops to 2,000) and the rotating cocktail of the week (1,900 XPF, drops to about 1,520). Both discounts apply any time of day, not just during a happy hour window.

We stayed at the St. Regis in a beachfront villa and used both discounts during our visit. Aparima is open from 11:30 AM to 10 PM with food service throughout, and the bar overlooks the resort beach and main pool with sweeping lagoon and overwater bungalow views.

There’s also a daily champagne sabering ritual at Aparima, Thursday through Sunday, where a staff member uses a sword to open champagne bottles. Theatrical and free to watch even if you don’t buy a bottle. The 727 Bar elsewhere on property is the best sunset spot on the resort, though the Bonvoy discounts apply at Aparima.

• Happy Hour: No traditional happy hour
• Bonvoy Discounts: 20% off the Bora Mary and cocktail of the week, all day every day
• Cheapest Drink: Hinano beer at 1,100 XPF
• Champagne Sabering: Thursday through Sunday at Aparima, free to watch
• View: Lagoon and overwater bungalows at Aparima, sunset from 727 Bar
• Pricing: Cocktails 2,400 to 2,900 XPF, signatures 2,500 XPF, beers from 1,100 XPF
• Best for: Marriott Bonvoy members, anyone who wants signature cocktails with a sabering show

Read our full St. Regis Bora Bora dining guide.

Bora Bora Bars and Happy Hours Compared

Which Bora Bora Bar Is Best for You

Best overall happy hour deal: Bora Bora Yacht Club. Half-price cocktails at 1,000 XPF, daily 4 to 6 PM, sunset over the lagoon, sit-down restaurant attached if you want to roll into dinner.

Best beachfront sunset: Bora Bora Beach Club. Feet in the sand, lower discount than the Yacht Club but the setting is the product.

Best resort vibe without paying resort prices: Vini Vini at IC Le Moana. Walk-in, no day pass needed, half-price drinks, overwater bungalows in view, Mt. Otemanu in the distance.

Best budget pick: Lucky House. All cocktails 1,000 XPF flat during happy hour, wading pool on-site for a slice of paradise without the view, local dive bar feel.

Best for Marriott Bonvoy guests: The Westin Bora Bora. Two daily happy hours plus the free wine and rum tastings at 11:30 AM included with the resort amenity fee, and the best Mt. Otemanu view of any resort on the island. Trying to decide between the Westin and the St. Regis? Here’s our full comparison.

Best for IHG One Rewards members: InterContinental Thalasso (when it reopens). Daily happy hour at Bubbles Bar paired with the resort’s cultural activity schedule.

Best for a special occasion: St. Regis Aparima Bar. Bonvoy members get 20% off the signature Bora Mary and cocktail of the week all day every day, with the champagne sabering show Thursday through Sunday.

Best for families: Vini Vini at IC Le Moana. Walk-in access, kid-friendly setting, beachfront, no day pass commitment.

Best for couples: The Westin’s O’A Bar at sunset. Mt. Otemanu view from upstairs, intimate, the best sunset cocktail spot on the island.

If You Want to Skip the Bar Entirely

Buy at Super U or Chin Lee. A bottle of rum and a six-pack of Hinano runs less than two resort cocktails. Drink at your Airbnb, villa, bungalow, or wherever you’re hanging out for sunset. Locals do this at the beach all the time.

Bora Bora Bars and Happy Hour FAQs

Where We’d Actually Drink in Bora Bora

Bora Bora is expensive. Cocktails are expensive, dinners are expensive, and the cumulative cost of a week of “just one drink” is real. But the island also has a working happy hour scene, and most travelers miss it because the resorts they’re staying at don’t advertise the main island spots.

The best move for most people is to mix it up. Hit the Yacht Club at 4 PM at least once for the half-price sunset. Try the Beach Club for the beachfront vibe. Walk in to Vini Vini for a resort-quality cocktail without the resort tab. And if you’re at a motu resort, work the in-house happy hour windows the way the rest of us work an open bar at a wedding.

The dream of Bora Bora is real. You just don’t have to spend $40 a cocktail to live it.