Photo: aj via Google
The verdict
- Best forFamilies who want a calm shallow swim and soft sand, happy to base the day on the one public beach and add the lagoon by boat
- Top pickMatira at the southern tip, the only free public beach, with knee deep water and clean sand, and a lagoon tour for the calm motu spots
- One thing to knowMost of the island is resort or private, so plan around Matira rather than expecting many free family beaches
Published 11 June 2026. Last reviewed 11 June 2026
Bora Bora is a dream of a lagoon for a family, and a slightly awkward one for a parent who pictures a long line of public beaches. The lagoon water itself could not be gentler, calm, warm and shallow with very little wave action, but most of the coast belongs to resorts on their own land or to private motu, so the sand you can actually walk onto for free is limited to one beach. Knowing that before you arrive turns a possible disappointment into an easy plan, because the one public beach happens to be a genuinely lovely family beach.
We have ranked the family options below by what matters with children, a soft shallow entry, calm clean water, shade and the practicalities of getting there. Matira leads by a distance as the one open beach that works for a free family day. After it, the gentlest water sits at the resort beaches of Motu Piti Aau and at the calm lagoon spots reached on a tour, which suit a family on a stay or a half day on the water rather than a walk up with a buggy.
The short version, in our luxury concierge voice, is to keep it simple. Make Matira your base for the easy shallow paddle and the sunset, then let a lagoon tour add the calm motu water, the gentle ray spots and a picnic with a guide on hand. Leave the private islets to the brochure, because you cannot land on them, and you will have given the children the best of the lagoon without chasing beaches that are closed to you.
The gentlest beaches for children
Soft sand, a shallow entry and calm water first.
Matira Beach
The one true public beach on the island and the easy choice for a family, soft white sand with a shallow calm lagoon that stays knee deep a long way out, and a clean sandy bottom rather than coral. A casual snack bar and a couple of lagoonfront venues sit on the sand for a drink and a break, and the western end gives the island's best free sunset. Come early for shade and a quiet stretch.
Motu Piti Aau
The long reef motu of the famous resorts, with fine white sand, protected shallows and some of the best reef snorkelling on the island, where rays and reef fish gather close to shore. The honest catch is that the beaches are largely resort land for guests, so this suits a family on a stay or a day access arranged in advance, which is to be confirmed. For a guest family it is calm and easy with everything to hand.
Anau
A shallow stretch of the eastern lagoon known for its calm water and the gentle ray and reef life that draws snorkelling tours, a soft and easy place for children to paddle on a guided day. It works best reached by boat as part of a lagoon loop rather than a long beach session, so treat it as the calm water highlight of a tour. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed, so keep little ones close.
Toopua
A sheltered motu on the calmer western side of the lagoon, with quiet water and fine views back to the main island, a peaceful spot for a family on a tour that wants stillness over a scene. Like the other motu it is reached by boat rather than a road, so it suits a half day on the water with a guide. The shelter keeps the lagoon gentle, which is the appeal for a paddle with children.
Motu Tapu
The tiny postcard islet, calm and clear in the water around it, lovely for a short snorkel and a picture on a booked tour rather than a full family day. It is private, so access is by lagoon tour or a resort experience rather than a free landing, which is to be confirmed. Pair it with the shallow water elsewhere on the loop, and treat it as a special stop rather than a base for the children.
The honest read for families
The honest rule in Bora Bora is to set your expectations by who owns the sand. The lagoon water is about as forgiving as a sea gets, calm, warm and shallow, the kind that lets a small child wade out a long way in safety, but the free public beach where you can simply lay a towel is Matira and very nearly Matira alone. That is not a failing of the island, it is how a ring of private motu and resorts works, and once you plan around it the family day becomes very easy.
For a free shallow paddle and a sunset, make Matira your base, come early for shade and a quiet patch, and use the casual venues for a drink and a break. For the calm motu water, the gentle ray spots and a picnic, take a lagoon tour where a guide handles the shade, the food and the safety, which is often the smoothest day of all with young children. Swim in the morning when the lagoon is at its stillest, and keep an eye on conditions, because conditions are typical rather than guaranteed and there is no public lifeguard. Keep children within reach in the water.
Be honest about the famous motu. Motu Tane is a private estate you cannot land on, and Motu Tapu is reached only by a booked tour rather than a free beach, so neither is a place to plan a family day around. Faanui Bay is a deep harbour with a fine wartime story but not the shallow swim children want. Save them for the adults' curiosity, and give the children the soft public sand at Matira and the calm lagoon water by boat, which is what the island does best.
An easy base for the day
What most families want is a calm shallow swim, a shaded spot and a snack within reach, and on the public sand at Matira that means a casual snack bar and a couple of lagoonfront venues rather than a polished club. Bora Bora is not a daybed and DJ island, which suits a family day. The resort beaches on Motu Piti Aau provide full facilities for guests, and a lagoon tour wraps the shade, the food and the safety into one easy day on the water. We never invent a venue, a price or an opening status, so anything we cannot confirm is marked to be confirmed. Tell us your dates and party size and we will help line up a table near Matira or a calm lagoon day.
Book a beach club in Bora Bora
Before you go
Which is the best family beach in Bora Bora?
Matira at the southern tip is the clear pick, the one true public beach on the island, with soft white sand and a shallow calm lagoon that suits children and a free day out. The water stays knee deep a long way out and the bottom is clean sand rather than coral. As there is no public lifeguard, conditions are typical and never guaranteed.
Are there many family beaches in Bora Bora?
Honestly, no, not in the free public sense. Matira is the one open beach that works for a family day. Most of the rest of the coast is resort land or private motu, so the other gentle spots are reached on a stay or a lagoon tour rather than a walk up. Plan around Matira and add the lagoon by boat.
Is Bora Bora good for young children?
The lagoon itself is ideal, calm, shallow and warm, around 25C through the year, with very little wave action. The catch is access, because the gentlest water often sits at resorts or on private islets. For a free shallow paddle, Matira is the answer, and a lagoon tour adds the calm motu water with a guide on hand.
Which Bora Bora spots are not suitable for a family beach day?
The private motu are the wrong call with children because you cannot land on them. Motu Tane is a private estate with no access, and Motu Tapu is reached only by booked tour rather than a free beach. Faanui Bay is a deep harbour rather than a swimming beach. For a paddle, keep to the shallow public sand at Matira.
Do Bora Bora family beaches have shade and facilities?
Matira has a casual snack bar and a couple of lagoonfront venues but limited natural shade, so bring a hat, water and your own umbrella for a long day. The resort beaches on Motu Piti Aau have full facilities for guests. On a lagoon tour, shade and food are provided by the operator, which eases a day with children.