Island retreat among the most beautiful on Earth

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Recent Hollywood movie Couples Retreat, filmed mostly on the Tahitian island of Bora Bora, has been given a mixed reception by critics, but many of them agreed on one point: the real star is the island of Bora Bora.

The island, called Earth's most beautiful by the late author James Michener and scores of others, was never identified during the film, and was only given a mention at the foot of the final list of credits.

Universal Studios booked the entire St Regis Resort for four weeks during the shoot, renaming it the Eden Resort for the occasion.

(St Regis says it offers package holidays but none for people with marital problems like the four holidaying couples in the movie - and there's no special hedonistic island for singles there, either.)

Other movies have been shot in and around Bora Bora over the past 80 years, notably the three versions of the Mutiny on The Bounty story.

The star of the 1962 film, the late Marlon Brando, fell in love with Tahiti and its islands while there on location, married a Polynesian woman, bought his own small island and was a frequent visitor to Bora Bora.

The Sofitel Resort's bar is named after, and is decorated with photographs of, the 1969 film Hurricane starring Jason Robards and Mia Farrow.

Bora Bora comprises one main island of 29sq km, roughly the shape of a seahorse, with white-sand beaches and surrounded by a coral reef and strings of "motus" (islets).

In between lies a lagoon of breathtakingly brilliant colours, from turquoise to deep blue.

In the jungled hills of the interior, volcanic hills named Otemanu (727m high) and Pahia (661m) dominate the skyline.

At Bora Bora's airport, on Motu Mote, a fleet of boats waits to transport incoming tourists to their resort hotels, many of which offer "over-the-water" bungalows with glass panels in the floors providing mesmerising views of the fish swimming below.

The five-star resorts on tropical Bora Bora are exclusive and expensive, popular with celebrities - Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban honeymooned at the St Regis, where they occupied the palatial 1208sq m "royal estate" for four nights priced at $US15,000 ($NZ21,079) a night.

But the island also has "pensions" (French for guest-houses), and other cheaper accommodation.

Among activities for tourists are sailing in the lagoon, where Polynesian guides introduce them to feeding (small, reef, friendly) sharks and playing with stingrays, also diving, snorkelling and boating of all kinds.

On land there are 4WD safaris into the interior for splendid ocean views and to visit some of the 50 ancient "maraes". - AAP

The writer flew to Bora Bora by Air Tahiti Nui from Auckland, then by Air Tahiti, on an itinerary arranged by Tahiti Tourisme. He was a guest of the Sofitel Bora Bora Resort and the Sofitel in Papeete.

If you go
Bora Bora is in the Leeward group of the Society Archipelago of French Polynesia. For accommodation and package holidays go to www.tahitinow.com.au [2] or www.tahiti-tourisme.pf [3].