Quick Facts

A’eto’erau Tier (Wellness Ritual): 38,000 XPF / ~$340 USD

A’eto’erau is the wellness tier and the most expensive day pass on the island. You get every Manava inclusion (breakfast at Tipanier, one cocktail or mocktail, beach and infinity pool access, non-motorized water sports) plus a 60-minute massage at the Westin Heavenly Spa with access to the spa facilities for the day. The Turtle Discovery activity at the Eco Center is not included. If you want both the spa and the turtle program in the same day, coordinate it directly with the concierge.

Here’s where the value math actually pays off. A standalone 60-minute massage at the Heavenly Spa by Westin starts at 25,500 XPF (~$228 USD) for the Polynesian Taurumi or signature Heavenly Spa Bora Bora Massage.

If you booked Manava at 15,000 XPF and added that same massage separately, you’d land at 40,500 XPF (~$363 USD). A’eto’erau at 38,000 XPF beats the à la carte version by about $23. The savings are small but real, and booking is simpler.

The math gets less clean if you want something other than the cheapest 60-minute massage. Facials, body treatments, and longer ritual packages start at higher prices and would be cheaper to add as a separate booking on top of Manava. If you have a specific treatment in mind, run the numbers against the spa menu first.

A few logistics worth knowing. Arrive 30 minutes before your treatment for registration and a pre-shower. Robes and sandals are provided. Cancellations under 12 hours are charged in full. Book A’eto’erau through the resort concierge, but the spa team can be reached directly at heavenlyspa.borabora@westin.com for menu questions.

Westin Bora Bora Property Map

The Westin sits on Motu Piti Aau, a long narrow island across the lagoon from Bora Bora’s main island, with the resort stretching along the motu’s interior shoreline. The dock and main arrival area are on the south end.

From the dock, the lobby, infinity pool, beach, and Tipanier Restaurant are all clustered together in the main central area within a short walk. Te Ava sits poolside, Vara Vara is the laid-back beachside option, and the Honu Tiki Bar with its signature beach swings sits a little further down the sand. Just past the lobby you’ll find the path to the Heavenly Spa by Westin and the WestinWORKOUT fitness studio.

The Eco Center is set back slightly from the main pool area. The overwater bungalow walkways stretch out into the lagoon from the beach, and the property continues all the way north along the motu, with the newest 2024 bungalows about 0.4 miles from the central area.

For day pass guests, everything you need is within five minutes of the main pool. You can find the full interactive property map and fact sheet on the official Westin Bora Bora page on Marriott.com.

Lunch at the Westin Bora Bora

The Westin Bora Bora day pass includes breakfast at Tipanier Restaurant and one cocktail or mocktail at Vara Vara or Te Ava as part of every tier. Beyond that, you can order anything you want from any open restaurant or bar on property and add it to your bill, which is settled when you check out at the end of the day.

Breakfast at Tipanier

Tipanier is the main restaurant on property and where breakfast is served for every tier. It’s a French Polynesian bistro that does a full sit-down breakfast service, not a continental grab-and-go.

Expect eggs to order, fresh fruit, pastries, coffee, and a rotating menu of more substantial plates. The 8:30 AM day pass arrival lines up perfectly with breakfast service, which typically wraps up by 10:30 AM. Plan to be at Tipanier within 30 minutes of arrival so you can eat unhurried before the rest of your day starts.

Your Included Drink and Happy Hour Timing

Your included cocktail or mocktail can be redeemed at either Vara Vara, the laid-back beachside bar, or Te Ava, the poolside spot. Both are open through the afternoon. You don’t have to redeem it right after breakfast. You can save it for the pool around 1 PM or for happy hour right before the return shuttle.

The Westin runs a happy hour from 5 to 6 PM, which overlaps with the 5:30 PM return shuttle window. If you time it right, you can grab a discounted cocktail at Te Ava or Vara Vara on the way to the dock.

Lunch and What Day Pass Guests Miss

If you want to order lunch beyond what’s included, both Te Ava and Vara Vara handle full lunch menus through the afternoon. There’s also the Honu Tiki Bar on the beach for frozen drinks and snacks if you want a midday pit stop without leaving the sand.

Daily specials at the poolside menu sometimes run at a slight discount over the standard menu, so it’s worth asking what the special is when you sit down. Expect Bora Bora luxury resort pricing, with burgers and casual lunch plates in the $35 to $60 USD range, cocktails in the $25 to $35 range, and entrée-style mains north of $60.

Two things day pass guests miss. The first is dinner service at Tipanier, which only starts at 6 PM, after the return shuttle. The second is sunset cocktails at O’A Bar, the upstairs spot with the most photogenic sunset view on the property. Both are reasons travelers eventually upgrade from a day pass to an overnight stay. If sunset with Mount Otemanu views matters to you, the day pass isn’t going to deliver that part of the Westin experience.

The Overwater Bungalows at the Westin Bora Bora

Officially the overwater bungalow walkways at the Westin are for overnight guests, but in practice they’re not gated and nobody’s checking wristbands. Most day pass guests who walk out for photos aren’t going to get turned around. Just be respectful about it. Don’t camp out on a stranger’s bungalow deck, don’t peek through windows, and don’t linger if it’s obvious people are trying to enjoy the privacy they paid for.

A quick walk to take in the view and grab a few photos is fine. The Westin has 128 overwater bungalows, which the resort claims is the most of any property on the island. The view back toward Mount Otemanu from the end of one of the walkways is one of the most photographed shots in French Polynesia, and as a day pass guest you can get that photo if you’re considerate about how you go about it.

Bungalow Features and the Upgrade Decision

A few details worth knowing about the bungalows themselves, since most day pass guests are at least considering whether the upgrade to an overnight stay is worth it. The Westin’s overwater bungalows have the largest glass-bottom panels in French Polynesia, which became a defining feature of the 2024 renovation.

The bungalows on the far side of the property, about 0.4 miles north of the main central area, are brand new construction from the rebrand and are the freshest overwater bungalows in Bora Bora right now. Some categories include private plunge pools on the deck. Privacy between units is better than at most other Bora Bora resorts because the property uses dense tropical landscaping to create natural separation between bungalows, rather than relying on the structures alone.

If the day pass leaves you wondering about the overnight stay, that’s the upsell built into the resort’s design. Seeing the bungalows from the beach is the closest a day pass guest gets to the full experience, and it’s a reason a lot of travelers eventually come back. We covered the full overwater bungalow stay in detail in our complete Westin Bora Bora overnight review for readers ready to make that decision.

The Pool at the Westin Bora Bora

The Westin’s infinity pool is the photo you’ve seen all over social media. It’s the saltwater pool with Mount Otemanu rising directly behind it, framed by the swim-up bar at Te Ava on one end and the open lagoon on the other. The Westin sits closer to Mount Otemanu than any other resort on the island, which means the mountain looms larger here than it does from competing properties. If you only see one pool view during your time in Bora Bora, this is the one to photograph.

The pool itself is fully saltwater, not chlorinated. Some travelers love this. Others find it surprising on their first dip if they were expecting freshwater. Either way, it’s worth knowing going in. The Westin filters and circulates lagoon water through the pool system, which is part of the resort’s broader sustainability program tied to its Eco Center work. The water clarity is consistently good and the temperature stays warm year-round.

Poolside cabanas are first come first served with three on each side of the pool. The Westin enforces a 45-minute inactivity rule on cabanas, meaning if you leave your stuff unattended too long, staff will gather it and move it to the bar so the cabana opens up for someone else.

By 8:30 to 8:45 AM some cabanas are already claimed by overnight guests, so as a day pass guest arriving at 8:30, you’ll want to head toward the pool right after orientation if a cabana matters to you. If they’re all taken, the regular pool loungers around the perimeter are plentiful and just as comfortable for a full day at the pool.

The Beach at the Westin Bora Bora

The Westin sits on one of the largest beachfronts of any resort in Bora Bora. The sand stretches a long way in both directions from the main pool area, with overwater bungalows lining the lagoon on one side and the open water and Mount Otemanu views on the other. Even when the pool feels busy, the beach almost never does. There’s enough room that you can walk for a few minutes in either direction and find a stretch that feels like your own.

Loungers, Beach Service, and Sunscreen

Beach loungers and umbrellas are scattered along the sand and are free for day pass guests to use throughout the day. They’re not assigned, so you grab what’s open. Beach service runs throughout the day, which means you can order food and drinks from Te Ava or Vara Vara and have them delivered to your lounger without leaving the sand. The Honu Tiki Bar also sits right on the beach if you want to walk over and grab something yourself.

One detail the Westin handles better than most Bora Bora resorts is sunscreen. There are three options available at no charge at the beach stand: SPF 30, SPF 50, and an aloe gel for after-sun recovery.

Educational signage explains the reef-safe ingredient choices, which ties into the sustainability work happening at the Eco Center. If you forget to pack sunscreen, this is more than the other resorts offer, and the options cover most skin types without you needing to buy anything from the boutique.

The Floating Pontoon and Protected Swim Area

The real swim feature on the beach is the floating pontoon and the protected swimming area created by the curve of the beach villas. The villas are positioned around a natural inlet where you can swim out to a floating dock, hang out in the sun on the pontoon, jump back in, and float around without boat traffic to worry about. There’s a small natural current here from deep ocean water funneling through the inlet, but it’s gentle enough that it doesn’t interfere with swimming.

It’s basically an outdoor swimming pool made by the layout of the resort, and it’s one of the best swim spots on any Bora Bora property. The water entry is gentle and shallow for the first stretch out before it drops into the deeper protected area.

Honest Water Clarity

Worth being honest about something most resort posts won’t tell you. The water clarity directly off the beach is usually murky, not crystal-clear. This is true of nearly every resort beach in Bora Bora, not a Westin-specific issue.

Boat traffic in and out of the lagoon stirs up sediment, and the protected lagoon beaches get less natural water exchange than the outer reef. If you came for crystal-clear water and underwater visibility, you’ll find it elsewhere. The Eco Center lagoonarium delivers it for Honu and A’eto’erau guests.

The outer reef delivers it on a guided snorkel excursion. The shore snorkel spots on the main island deliver it for free. Not the resort beach. The beach is for sand, sun, photos, the floating pontoon, and a relaxed swim. Not for snorkeling.

The Eco Center and Turtle Rehabilitation Program

The Eco Center is the Westin’s signature property feature and the reason the Honu tier exists. It’s a working sea turtle rehabilitation facility that has been operating on this exact property since 2000, originally founded under Le Méridien Bora Bora and carried straight into the Westin era after the 2024 rebrand.

It’s the only turtle protection center of its kind in French Polynesia. The center includes a touch pool, educational aquariums, rehabilitation tanks, a small museum, and a protected lagoon where rescued turtles recover before being released.

Day pass guests on every tier can walk through the outside of the Eco Center for free. You can see the rehabilitation tanks through the windows, read the signage about coral restoration and turtle biology, and look down into the protected lagoon through a glass viewing panel set into the walkway. The resident turtle who lives full-time in the lagoon is typically visible between 12 and 2 PM most days.

The Honu and A’eto’erau tiers add the 10:00 AM Turtle Discovery activity, which is the hands-on portion and the part Manava guests miss. Led by the resort’s marine biologist team, the activity includes a guided walkthrough of the rehabilitation tanks, a closer look at the turtles in active care, and context on the conservation work happening on the property and across French Polynesia. If wildlife and conservation are the reason you came to French Polynesia in the first place, this is the part of the day pass to upgrade for.

Cultural Activities and Tastings

The Westin runs a rotating schedule of cultural activities throughout the day, with most slotted in the afternoon. The 3:15 PM Polynesian activity (typically hula or a traditional craft demonstration like basket weaving or flower crown making) falls comfortably inside the day pass window and is usually open to anyone on property.

Wine tastings featuring local French Polynesian labels and rum tastings with cocktail-making components show up on the weekly schedule but tend to be loosely positioned around overnight guests, so availability for day pass guests depends on the day and how full the property is.

Ask the staff during your morning orientation what’s running that day and whether you can join. The full schedule is also available through the resort’s app, which the concierge will help you access at check-in. Most cultural activities are free with any tier. Anything with a tasting component may carry a small additional cost.

Catching the Boat Back to the Mainland

The return shuttle leaves the Westin’s main dock at 5:30 PM sharp. Plan to be at the dock no later than 5:15 PM so you have time to settle your bill, get any last items from the beach, and find a seat. Staff will start gathering day pass guests near the dock around 5:20 PM.

Unlike at some other resorts where the return ferry departs from a different dock than arrival, the Westin uses the same dock for both directions, so there’s nothing tricky to navigate. Walk to where you came in.

Before you head to the dock, swing by the front desk or whoever handled your day pass to settle the bill. Anything you charged during the day (extra food, drinks beyond the included cocktail, snacks at the Honu Tiki Bar, an upgraded spa treatment) gets totaled and paid before you leave. Credit or debit card only. No cash. If you also had the orientation host put your name on a follow-up email list or arranged anything with the concierge for a return visit, that gets handled here too.

The return crossing takes the same 15 to 20 minutes as the morning ride. You’ll watch the bungalows fall away behind you and Mount Otemanu start to fade as you approach the main island.

The boat ties up at the same Westin mainland base in Anau where you started. Your car will be exactly where you left it. Staff at the base will help with luggage if you have any, but most day pass guests are walking off with just a bag.

How to Book the Westin Bora Bora Day Pass

All three Westin Bora Bora day pass tiers must be booked at least 24 hours in advance through the resort’s concierge team. The booking process is email or phone, not a website form. Email bobwi.conciergerie@westin.com or reservations2@westin.com, or call +689 40 60 51 51.

Including both emails gives you the best odds of a fast response, since the team is small and email turnaround can run a few days. In your message, include the date you want to visit, the tier you want (Manava, Honu, or A’eto’erau), the number of guests with ages for any children, and any dietary restrictions for breakfast.

The concierge will confirm availability, send pricing in writing, and lock in your spot. For A’eto’erau, they’ll coordinate your spa massage time once the booking is confirmed. Payment is settled at the resort at the end of the day, credit or debit card only.

The 24-hour minimum lead time is firm, and bookings closer to your visit date may not be possible depending on shuttle capacity and resort occupancy. During peak season (June through October and over the December holidays), book a week or two ahead to be safe.

Cancellations close to your booking date may carry a fee, so confirm the resort’s current cancellation window in your email exchange before you finalize. If you booked the A’eto’erau tier and need to cancel just the spa portion, the spa runs its own 12-hour cancellation policy separately from the day pass itself.

Getting to the Westin Boat Dock

When you book your Westin Bora Bora day pass, the concierge will walk you through the basic logistics for getting to the boat base. You can also ask any specific questions about parking, timing, or how to find the dock during that exchange.

Getting there is easy with a rental car. There’s a small lot at the dock and overflow parking near Protestant Church Maohi. If you don’t have a car, we recommend Danny, an English-speaking local taxi driver we use across our Bora Bora content. He’s reliable, on time, and he’ll wait at the dock for the 5:30 PM return. Reach him at +689 87 71 79 11.

Expect roughly $40 to $50 USD round trip from Vaitape, Matira Beach, or the airport area. For the full breakdown of parking, dock logistics, and exactly how to find the boat base from anywhere on the island, see our complete Westin Bora Bora boat transfer guide.

Who Should Book Each Tier

Manava fits travelers who want the cheapest way onto the property and don’t care about turtles or the spa. That said, you’d get a better day at Matira Beach with lunch at Snack Matira or Bora Bora Beach Club, both for a fraction of the day pass cost.

Honu is the default pick. You get everything in Manava plus the 10:00 AM Turtle Discovery at the Eco Center for $45 more. This is the tier most readers should book.

A’eto’erau is for travelers already planning a 60-minute spa treatment in Bora Bora. The bundled price beats à la carte by about $23. Skip it for longer treatments or facials, which are cheaper to add separately.

Want both turtles and spa? Book Honu and add a separate spa treatment through the concierge. You get the 10:00 AM activity, the full day on property, and a spa booking scheduled around it.

Westin Bora Bora Day Pass vs Other Bora Bora Day Passes

The Westin is one of six Bora Bora resorts that currently run a day pass program. The St. Regis, InterContinental Thalasso, Four Seasons, Le Bora Bora by Pearl, and Conrad (reopening soon after renovation) all offer some version of a day visit, though each operates very differently.

The Westin is the only one with a true tiered program, which is the defining difference. Every other resort runs a single-tier day pass or handles day visits informally through dining reservations and spa bookings. That tier system is the Westin’s biggest competitive advantage for travelers who want to calibrate the experience to their budget.

The closest direct comparison is the St. Regis Bora Bora day pass at 22,000 XPF (~$220 USD), which sits between the Westin’s Manava and Honu tiers on price. The St. Regis pass includes the Lagoonarium, a two-course lunch, and roundtrip transfers from the same Anau area, but no spa option and no turtle conservation experience.

For wellness travelers, the InterContinental Thalasso day pass is the strongest competitor to the Westin’s A’eto’erau tier. The IC Thalasso is the only Thalasso-branded spa in French Polynesia and was the first in the world to build signature treatments around deep-sea water, which is a level of wellness offering not found at any other Bora Bora property. For Mt. Otemanu views, no other resort gets you closer to the mountain than the Westin.

For the full side-by-side breakdown of all six Bora Bora day pass programs, see our complete Bora Bora day pass guide. It covers pricing, inclusions, what’s worth your money, and how to choose the right one for your trip.

Is the Westin Bora Bora Day Pass Worth It?

Yes, if you book the right tier. The Honu tier is one of the strongest day pass values on the island. You get a freshly renovated 2024 property, the closest Mount Otemanu views of any resort in Bora Bora, an enormous beachfront with a floating pontoon and protected swim area, an infinity pool you’ve seen all over social media, and the 10:00 AM Turtle Discovery at one of the oldest sea turtle rehabilitation programs in French Polynesia. For 20,000 XPF (~$180 USD), the value math works hard, especially compared to other Bora Bora day passes that cost more for less.

A’eto’erau is worth it for couples already planning a 60-minute Heavenly Spa massage as part of their Bora Bora trip. The bundled price beats à la carte, the Westin spa is one of the most polished wellness venues on the island, and you still get the full beach-and-pool day around it.

The Tier We’d Skip

Manava is the tier we’d skip. The price savings don’t make sense once you realize what you’re trading away (the Eco Center turtle program, spa access, and a real bucket-list moment) for a beach-and-pool day you could already have at Matira Beach for free with Snack Matira for lunch. If your budget is tight enough that Manava feels like the right call, you’ll get more value out of skipping the day pass entirely and spending the day on the main island.

The Westin Bora Bora day pass shines brightest when you treat it the way it was designed: a calibrated luxury day on a freshly renovated motu, with options built around the kind of traveler you actually are. Pick the tier that matches what you came to Bora Bora for, and skip the one that doesn’t.

If you decide an overnight stay is the move instead, our full Westin Bora Bora overnight review covers the bungalows, the dining, the experience after dark, and whether the Marriott Bonvoy points redemption is worth it. The day pass is the easiest way to test the property. The overnight is the way to fully experience it.