🏝️ Bora Bora Made Easy and Affordable

🗺️ Trip Overview

In early April, we took advantage of the school break and spent 6 incredible days (5 nights) at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui. Traveling from the U.S. West Coast, we flew directly to PPT (Papeete) and then transferred to a domestic flight to BOB (Bora Bora). Because our itinerary included an overnight flight, we were able to maximize our time and enjoy a full 6 days at the resort without wasting any travel days.

Now let’s talk about the value of this trip — it wasn’t cheap.
The total experience we enjoyed would have cost roughly $20,000 if paid in cash.

• The biggest chunk of that comes from the hotel stay itself.
• The next largest cost was transportation for four people — including both international and domestic flights.
• While food, activities, and entertainment at the resort can easily run hundreds of dollars per day, those expenses were still relatively minor compared to the hotel and flights.

In short, Bora Bora lives up to its luxury reputation — but we’ll show you how we made it far more affordable using points and miles.

💸 How We Made Our $20K Bora Bora Trip Nearly Free

Even though Bora Bora is one of the most luxurious — and expensive — destinations in the world, we were able to dramatically reduce our out-of-pocket costs using points and miles. Here’s a breakdown of how we saved:

1. 🏨 Hotel: Using Hilton Points + 5th Night Free

We booked 5 nights at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui entirely with Hilton Honors points.

The cash rate for a standard room is typically at least $1,600 per night, which would have totaled $8,000 for 5 nights. However, the same room can be booked for 120,000 Hilton points per night.

Since we have Hilton Honors Diamond status, we also benefited from the 5th Night Free perk when booking with points. That’s 20% savings, as we only needed points for 4 nights but stayed for 5.

So the total cost of our stay was 480,000 points — or $2,400 max if you had to buy all the points — instead of paying $8,000+ in cash.

2. ✈️ Flights: Transferring Points + Booking Early

For our international flight from the U.S. to Tahiti (PPT), we used Amex Membership Rewards points, transferred to Alaska Airlines (via Hawaiian Airlines), which offers award flights to PPT on Air Tahiti Nui with great availability.

• We found award tickets for around 40,000 miles + fees per person, one-way, in premium economy.
• For the domestic leg from PPT to BOB, we paid in cash (via credit card). You can also use travel portals from various rewards programs, which often offer better redemption value.

In total, we used 320,000 MR points + $343.20 in fees — or under $4,000 total for four travelers — for flights that would have cost over $10,000 if paid in cash.

3. Using Credit Card Credits

As of today, several Amex cards offer Hilton credits.

• The Aspire Card gives you $200 per year in statement credits for spending at Hilton resorts.
• The Surpass Card gives you $50 per quarter in credits when you spend at any Hilton property (not limited to resorts).
• Recently, the Amex Business Platinum (ABP) added the same $50/quarter Hilton benefit, but you’ll need to enroll with your Hilton account first (just a quick click).

Our trip was from late March to early April, which means it spanned both Q1 and Q2. That let us split payments — some in March, some in April — and maximize the quarterly credits. Luxury resorts are very accommodating, so during your stay, you can prepay using multiple cards.

Between the two of us, we had 1x Surpass card, 3x Amex Business Platinum cards, 3 Aspire cards

Which earned us:

• $400 total from the Surpass and ABP ($50 each per quarter)
• $600 total from the 3 Aspire cards ($200 each annually)

Credit card credits are basically a way to recoup part of the annual fee you've already paid, so it’s not exactly free money. But let’s be honest — it’s not always easy to fully use these benefits. When you're staying at a place like Bora Bora, though, it’s the perfect opportunity to maximize those credits all at once.

✨ Final Thoughts: Luxury Travel Doesn’t Have to Mean Luxury Prices

Bora Bora truly lived up to its reputation as a dream destination. And while the sticker price might make it feel out of reach, this trip proved that with the right points strategy and a bit of planning, it’s possible to experience true luxury without the luxury price tag.

🔜 Coming Up Next…

In our next article, we’ll cover:

• 🏝️ A full review of the Conrad Bora Bora Nui
• 🍽️ What we ate (and what’s worth the splurge)
• 🛶 Activities we loved — and the ones we’d skip
• 🔁 What we’d do differently if we went again

Got questions about the booking process, the flights, or how to time everything just right?
Drop a comment — we’re happy to help!