Checking out the latest hotel and resort updates

This September, a new chapter unfolds in Bora Bora with the opening of Bloody Mary’s Hotel, a 53-key property with overwater bungalows set in a storied location that pays homage to its past.

For more than four decades, Bloody Mary’s was a visitor hotspot – a thatched-roof restaurant – where sailors, film crews and celebrities like Keanu Reeves and Alanis Morissette passed through to dine. In 2023, it closed for renovations and stayed shut, until now. Set along the lagoon with iconic views of Mount Otemanu, the legendary restaurant will remain at the heart of the experience, along with a hall of fame wall recognizing the public figures who set foot onsite.

As it expands to add rooms, bungalows and suites, the locally owned project will also add three places to eat and drink, a pool, a slip of beach, a marina and a fitness bungalow.

The entry-level Motu View Rooms sit on land at 32 square metres; the largest, the overwater Sunset View Suites, run to roughly 69 square metres, most with steps straight into the lagoon. Standard rooms fit two, while bungalows sleep up to three.