While lavish, the Méridien offers affordable luxury in its 98 units, including 14 beach villas and 82 overwater bungalows. The motu is a stunner, with a vast infinity-edge pool, a lovely inner lagoon fringed with chalk-white (artificial) beaches and an architecturally interesting space with timber and thatch for reception, restaurant and bar areas. Everything is luxurious, but nothing is over the top.
The 50-sq-metre overwater bungalows are not huge by Bora Bora standards but they boast vast glass floors and fabulous views of Mt Otemanu. A highlight is the Turtle Centre, which is a rehabilitation centre. Guests can swim with the turtles in a protected lagoon and watch babies being cared for under the guidance of a conservationist.