At a Glance

When families weigh St. Regis vs Four Seasons Bora Bora, these are the two names that come up first. They show up on every dream board, and they come up over and over once families start planning. We spent a long time looking at both. Amanda and I read the reviews, watched the reels, and saved the photos of those impossible blue lagoons. We pictured our girls swimming off the deck at each one.

In the end we could only choose one, and we chose the St. Regis. Not because the Four Seasons isn’t stunning, because it absolutely is, and we would have loved to stay there. It came down to two things we could not get around. One of them is the kind of thing a lot of families never consider until it is too late.

So before you book, here is exactly how we made the call. That includes the day pass we tried to squeeze in at the last minute, and why it slipped through our fingers. If you are standing at the same fork, this should help you figure out which resort is really yours.

Two Dream Resorts, One Very Hard Choice

If you have spent any time researching Bora Bora, you already know these two names. In any St. Regis vs Four Seasons Bora Bora search, they sit near the top of almost everyone’s list. Both have their own private motus. Both have those overwater villas you have seen a hundred times on Pinterest.

And both are built for couples and families who want the big, once-in-a-lifetime version of the island. Picking between them felt almost silly at first. It was a little like being asked to choose between two perfect scoops of ice cream. But the deeper we dug, the more each one started to feel like a different kind of trip.

Where the St. Regis Stood Out

The St. Regis pulled at us for different reasons. It is known for its sprawling grounds. It has a lagoonarium full of fish you can snorkel with right off the sand. And it has a classic, old-school luxury feel that leans into shared experiences over a drop-off kids club.

For a family that likes to do things together, that fit us. And there was one more thing quietly working in the St. Regis’s favor. It had nothing to do with the pool or the villas, and everything to do with how we actually travel. That is where the real decision started.

What Made the Four Seasons So Tempting

The Four Seasons has a reputation, and it earns it. It is famous for what a lot of people call the best infinity pool in Bora Bora. It seems to melt right into the lagoon, with Mount Otemanu sitting behind it. The overwater views are some of the most photographed on the island.

Nearly every family review we read said the same thing. It was easy to settle in and let the days blur together. We watched the reels. We saved the photos. There were more than a few nights where we came close to talking ourselves into it.

The One Thing That Decided It: Points

Here is the part a lot of families never think about. It hits you when you are staring at two booking pages side by side. The Four Seasons Bora Bora does not have a hotel rewards program. There is no way to earn points on your stay. There is no way to redeem points to pay for one. Whatever the nightly rate is, that is what you are paying, in cash, full stop.

The St. Regis is a Marriott Bonvoy property. And for the way our family travels, that difference is everything.

Why Points Are the Whole Game for Us

We plan our trips around points. It is how a family of our size gets to stay at places like this. We skip the price tag that usually comes with them. We booked our St. Regis villa on Marriott points.

That turned a night that would normally cost a small fortune into something our budget could absorb. When you travel this way, a resort that only takes cash is not really competing on the same field. It does not matter how beautiful it is. If there is no path that fits how you fund your trips, it is out.

The Cash Math Just Did Not Work

And we did look at the cash option for the Four Seasons anyway, because we wanted to want it. But at the rates they were quoting, it was never really on the table. It was well outside what we were willing to spend.

A two-month stint in French Polynesia was already costing us plenty. We had points sitting there for another comparable resort down the lagoon. Paying full cash for one when we could use points for the other just did not make sense.

That is the honest core of it. It is not that the Four Seasons fell short. It is that the St. Regis gave us a way in that the Four Seasons simply could not. If you collect points, especially Marriott, that one fact may decide this for you. It settles things before you even get to the pretty pictures.

There is a bigger loyalty picture underneath all of this too. Our St. Regis stay was a Marriott Bonvoy redemption, but Marriott is not the only currency that unlocks Bora Bora. If you collect IHG One Rewards instead, the InterContinental Thalasso is your points play on the island. We stayed there on IHG points as well, and you can read the honest, mixed-feelings version in our full InterContinental Thalasso review. Which points currency you hold quietly decides a lot of these calls, often before pool or beach ever enters the conversation.

We Did Not Just Write It Off: The Day Pass We Tried to Book

Choosing the St. Regis did not mean we stopped being curious about the Four Seasons. We still wanted to see it with our own eyes, even if only for a day. So we did what a lot of travelers do and looked into a Four Seasons day pass. It lets non-guests come spend the day on the property.

Every major resort here runs one a little differently, and we compare them all in our Bora Bora day pass guide. We had seen the Four Seasons one mentioned on social media and dug up the details. Then I emailed the resort directly to ask.

A Gracious No, Then a Maybe

The first reply came the next day and it was warm but honest. Their occupancy was full, and they could not take outside day guests until the middle of April. That could have been the end of it. But we let them know we would be in French Polynesia through the middle of May. We also asked if they had a day pass brochure we could look at.

That is when it turned hopeful. They wrote back saying they might be able to welcome us on April 19. The email we received suggested we check back on April 10 to confirm, once they had a better read on their occupancy. They sent over the day pass brochure too. The boat runs out at 10am with a return around 5pm. For a minute it felt like it might actually happen.

Why It Slipped Away

It came down to timing, and not the resort’s. Our Bora Bora Airbnb could not extend our stay. So on April 4 we caught the Apetahi Express off the island. We headed to Tahiti to explore and film for other posts. By the time April 19 rolled around, we were a full island away. We were deep into the next leg of the trip. The Four Seasons was willing to make it work. Our itinerary had simply already moved on.

So if you take one practical thing from our attempt, let it be this. The Four Seasons day pass is real, but it hinges entirely on their occupancy. They often cannot confirm until you are close to the date. If a visit matters to you, build in flexibility and reach out early. They were kind and responsive the whole way through. Sometimes the calendar just does not cooperate.

What the St. Regis Gave Us in Return

Choosing the resort that fit our points could have felt like a compromise. It did not. The St. Regis turned out to be exactly the kind of place we hoped it would be. By the end of our stay, any lingering what-if about the Four Seasons had quietly faded.

A Villa That Felt Like It Was Ours

We stayed in a beachfront villa with a private pool, and we booked it directly on Marriott points. Ours came to 94,400 points for the first night and 91,200 for the second. We reserved them as two separate one-night stays, as Silver Elite members in the off-season.

Here is the part that surprised us. The 1-bedroom king villas, both reef side and beach side, are the cheapest rooms the resort has. So a beachfront layout with a private pool is not the upsell you would expect.

We landed one without burning extra points or chasing an upgrade. A quick note if you are planning your own. Marriott prices points dynamically, so your numbers will shift with the season and availability, and they climb in peak months. Even so, the math worked. In cash that villa runs well over $1,200 a night, and our points covered it. If you want the exact playbook, here is our article on how we stay at the St. Regis Bora Bora for free.

The villa itself gave us room to actually live for a few days rather than just sleep. The St. Regis spreads across 44 acres with only around 90 rooms, which is a strange and wonderful combination. It feels expansive and private at the same time. Each villa comes with its own bikes, so the girls could pedal around the property while we took our time.

The resort has been open since 2006, and rather than feeling dated, it reads as classic. This is old-world, established luxury. The service was the most polished of any resort we stayed at on the island. We covered every detail in our full St. Regis Bora Bora review.

St. Regis vs Four Seasons: How to Make This Call for Your Family

Strip away the pools, the villas, and the photos for a second. The St. Regis vs Four Seasons choice really comes down to one question. How do you pay for travel? That single answer sorted it for us faster than any feature comparison could. It will probably do the same for you.

Book the St. Regis If You Travel on Points

If you collect points, and especially if you are a Marriott Bonvoy family, the St. Regis is very likely your answer. You will land on it before you ever get to comparing infinity pools. A cash-only resort simply cannot compete with a luxury villa you can book largely on points.

It does not matter how beautiful it is. If you are weighing Marriott options, we also put the two Bora Bora Bonvoy resorts head to head in our Westin vs St. Regis Bora Bora comparison.

Beyond the points math, the St. Regis suits a particular kind of trip. It is built for families who want to do things together, from snorkeling the lagoonarium to biking the grounds. It is not a drop-the-kids-at-a-club kind of place.

Do you want expansive, private grounds and the most polished service on the island? Do you want a realistic way to make a Bora Bora splurge actually happen? Then this is the one. It was the resort that let us say yes to a place we otherwise could not have justified.

The Four Seasons Might Be Yours If You Are Paying Cash

Here is where we stay fair. The Four Seasons is a spectacular resort. We are not trying to talk you out of it. Say you are not chasing points and you are paying cash either way. Then the loyalty gap that decided things for us disappears, and the whole decision opens back up.

The Four Seasons is famous for what many call the best infinity pool in Bora Bora. It also has some of the most photographed overwater views on the island. Picture this trip in your head. If those things are what you see, the Four Seasons is absolutely worth a serious look. We are not ranking these two on quality. Both are exceptional. This is a question of fit, not of better or worse.

Still Torn? Test-Drive Before You Commit

If you cannot decide, try a day pass on a future trip. It is a low-stakes way to walk a property before you book nights there. If the St. Regis is on your list, our St. Regis Bora Bora day pass guide walks through exactly how that one works. Just know the two work differently. The St. Regis runs a structured day pass you can plan around.

The Four Seasons offers a more informal one that hinges entirely on their occupancy. As we learned firsthand, you cannot always count on it lining up with your dates. For us, though, the St. Regis vs Four Seasons answer never really wavered. We are a points-first family. The St. Regis gave us a way in. And it delivered a trip we would choose again in a heartbeat.