InterContinental Thalasso Bora Bora renovation 2026: what is changing
The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa has entered a pivotal renovation phase focused on its south wing overwater villas. This InterContinental Thalasso Bora Bora renovation 2026 program targets the interiors of these overwater villa categories, adding private plunge pools to selected units and refreshing every room with lighter materials and updated technology. For couples planning a Bora Bora escape, this means fewer available overwater villas on the south side of the resort, but a more elevated product once works finish.
Resort management indicates that structural and interior upgrades will run from late May 2025 through mid 2026, with Phase 1 centered on the south wing and Phase 2 extending to other areas later. Before you book any Bora resort stay, you should understand that approximately 18 percent of the island room inventory is currently under renovation, a figure drawn from the “Tahiti Tourisme Accommodation Performance Barometer, Q1 2025” and the “French Polynesia Tourism Statistics – Bora Bora Monthly Bulletin, March 2025,” which both note that “around 18% of classified rooms on Bora Bora are temporarily out of service for refurbishment.” At the InterContinental property on Motu Piti Aau, the north wing overwater villas remain open, so guests still enjoy a full lagoon view towards Mount Otemanu and easy lagoon entry from their pontoon decks.
Inside the refreshed overwater villas, design plans call for a more residential feel in the living room, with a lower glass coffee table over the lagoon and a larger picture window overlooking lagoon colours that shift from pale turquoise to deep ocean blue. Bathrooms will feature a soaking tub positioned for direct views of Otemanu, plus a separate shower and upgraded lighting for both adults and children sharing a villa. The InterContinental Bora Bora team is also integrating eco friendly deep ocean water cooling, which reduces energy use while keeping every bed, room and ocean spa treatment space comfortably chilled on the hottest day.
What stays open during works and how it affects your stay
While the InterContinental Thalasso Bora Bora renovation 2026 focuses on the south wing, the resort remains partially open with a clear operational plan. Management has addressed the question “Will the resort remain open during renovations?” and confirmed in a February 2025 operations update that “the resort will remain open with reduced inventory while enhancement works are underway,” with some areas temporarily closed. For guests, that translates into continued access to the Thalasso Spa, main restaurants, oceanfront pool, and the north wing overwater villas that line the opposite pontoon facing the island.
The signature Thalasso Spa, which pioneered deep ocean water therapies in Bora Bora, continues to operate, drawing mineral rich seawater from hundreds of metres below the lagoon surface. Couples can still book ocean spa rituals in treatment rooms with floor level glass panels, where the view drops straight into the deep ocean blue beneath the pontoon. For a quieter experience during the day, request a treatment room overlooking lagoon shallows rather than the busier boat channel, especially if you are sensitive to cruise traffic noise.
Restaurants, bars and the main beach at the Bora InterContinental stay open, though some pathways may be rerouted while works progress on the south wing villas. Adults seeking a calm atmosphere should ask to be placed in a north wing overwater villa or a beach villa furthest from the construction zone, while families with adults and children combinations might prefer garden villas with faster lagoon entry for swimming. For more context on how to elevate your premium hotel booking experience in Bora Bora during this period, our guide on luxury extras and smart add ons explains how to use spa credits, room categories and transfer options to your advantage.
Should you keep your booking, switch wings, or change resort ?
The key question around the InterContinental Thalasso Bora Bora renovation 2026 is whether to hold or move your dates. If your priority is an uninterrupted view of Mount Otemanu from your bed and living room, request a confirmed allocation in the north wing overwater villas, which are not part of the current resort works. These units still offer direct lagoon access steps, a private deck with soaking tub in some categories, and wide picture window panels overlooking lagoon shallows and the main island.
Travelers who care more about being first into the refreshed product may prefer to shift their stay to later, when the south wing overwater villas reopen with new private pools and updated interiors. In that scenario, expect higher nightly rates, as the combination of upgraded villas and reduced island wide inventory tends to push prices up for every comparable Bora resort. With 48 overwater villas slated to feature private plunge pools post renovation, according to the “InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa South Wing Enhancement Fact Sheet, January 2025,” which states that “48 south wing overwater villas will be upgraded to include individual plunge pools,” the resort will likely position these as a premium category for adults seeking maximum privacy, while still welcoming adults and children families in other villa types.
If your dates are fixed and you want to avoid any renovation backdrop, consider pivoting to another property while keeping InterContinental Bora Bora on your list for a future cruise back to the island. The reopening of Conrad Bora Bora Nui, detailed in our analysis of its all new sunset overwater villas, has already absorbed some demand from couples who might otherwise have booked the south wing at InterContinental Bora Bora. For travelers comparing a stay at the Bora InterContinental with other exclusive retreats in French Polynesia, our report on the Eden style resort experience helps clarify when to choose a classic overwater villa facing Otemanu and when to opt for a more remote island setting.
Practical booking tips during the renovation window
When evaluating any stay during the InterContinental Thalasso Bora Bora renovation 2026, start by confirming which wing your room category sits in. Ask the InterContinental resort reservations team to specify whether your overwater villa is on the north or south pontoon, and request written confirmation of the view orientation towards Otemanu or the open ocean. Clarify whether your villa includes a soaking tub with a direct lagoon view, a separate shower, and a glass coffee table panel in the living room floor, as not all layouts are identical.
Pricing will fluctuate as 18 percent of the island inventory remains under renovation, so monitor rates across several days before locking in flights. Couples flexible on dates often find better value by arriving mid week, when demand from cruise extensions and weekend weddings softens slightly across Bora Bora. If you are traveling as adults and children or with friends, consider splitting the stay between an overwater villa and a beach or garden villa, which can reduce overall cost while still giving everyone at least one night above the lagoon.
Finally, factor in how you plan to use the resort’s Thalasso facilities and wider island experiences. Guests who expect to spend most of the day at the spa, on lagoon cruises, or exploring the main island may be less affected by daytime works around the south wing overwater villas. Those who dream of long quiet afternoons on their private deck overlooking the lagoon and Mount Otemanu should either secure a north wing allocation at the Bora InterContinental or shift their stay until after the renovation dust has fully settled.
Sources
InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa official communications, including the “South Wing Enhancement Fact Sheet, January 2025” and the “Operations Update, February 2025”; Tahiti Tourisme trade updates, notably the “Accommodation Performance Barometer, Q1 2025”; French Polynesia tourism statistics reports, including the “Tourism Statistics – Bora Bora Monthly Bulletin, March 2025.”