Matira Beach
Best for. Travellers who want the one stretch of Bora Bora open to everyone, a calm shallow swim and the island's best sunset without paying a resort to reach the sand.
Best spot. The soft western end near Snack Mohiere and Bora Bora Beach Club, where the lagoon stays knee deep far out and the sun sets straight ahead.
Know this. This is the only true public beach on the island, so it is also the busiest stretch of sand. Come early or late and the crowd thins to almost nothing.
The quiet truth about Bora Bora is that for all its fame as a beach, almost none of the coast is yours to walk. The island is a ring of private motu and resorts, each guarding its own sand for guests, and the famous turquoise is most often admired from an overwater deck rather than a public shore. Matira is the exception, and that is precisely what makes it special. It is the one beach where you can arrive with nothing more than a towel and lay it on sand as soft and as beautiful as anything behind a resort gate.
What you get is genuinely lovely and not a consolation prize. The sand is powder fine and pale, the lagoon runs shallow and clear for a long way out, and the bottom is clean sand rather than coral, so a swim here is easy and unhurried. Because the beach faces west across the lagoon toward the open horizon, it also owns the best sunset on the island, the kind you would expect to pay handsomely for. At Matira it costs you a walk and perhaps a drink.
The honest caveat is simply that everyone knows this. As the only public beach, Matira draws the cruise tenders, the day trippers and the guests of nearby hotels, so the central stretch can feel busy in the middle of the day in high season. The fix is timing rather than avoidance. Come in the early morning, when the light is soft and the sand is nearly empty, or settle in for the late afternoon and stay for the sunset. In those hours Matira quietly becomes the private looking beach the brochures promised.
Where to eat and drink on the sand
Bora Bora is not a daybed and DJ island, and Matira reflects that. The real pleasure here is a long lagoonfront lunch and a sunset drink at a handful of established venues on or beside the public sand. The resort beaches behind them are for guests, and any day access is to be confirmed.
Photo: Lilian wong via GoogleBora Bora Beach Club
The most polished public option on Matira, a lagoonfront spot right on the sand serving cocktails, wood fired pizza, French Polynesian plates and seafood with your feet close to the water. The warm, unfussy pick for a long lunch or a sunset dinner with world class lagoon views, open to everyone rather than resort guests only.
Photo: Bloody Mary's Bora Bora via GoogleBloody Mary's
The island's most famous casual restaurant and bar, a short walk from Matira, known for sand floors, a rustic thatched room and the day's catch displayed on ice to choose from. This is the one genuinely sociable, buzzy room on a quiet island, the choice for a lively dinner and drinks rather than a refined hush. Hours are to be confirmed.
For an even simpler hour, Snack Mohiere on the western end serves a pina colada and a plate at sunset for very little, the local way to end a Matira day. The InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana sits on the point at the far southern end with its own private beach, reserved largely for guests, so treat any day access as a request and to be confirmed.
Southern tip, Bora Bora
Matira lies at the southern tip of the main island, about eight kilometres south of the main town of Vaitape and roughly fifteen minutes away by car. The island airport sits on its own motu, so arrival is by boat transfer to Vaitape, then a short road trip down to the point.
There is no real public transport, so reaching the beach means a hotel transfer, a taxi, a rental car or a bicycle along the flat coast road. There is some roadside parking near the venues, which fills in the late afternoon, so arriving a little early for sunset is wise.
Photo: Sara Crisanti via GoogleBook a beach club
Tell us your dates and party size and we will help arrange a lagoonfront table or a sunset spot near Matira Beach. We reply by email.
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Common questions about Matira Beach
Is Matira Beach good for swimming?
Yes, it is among the gentlest swimming beaches you will find. The lagoon stays shallow and calm with a sandy bottom and almost no waves, so it suits children and nervous swimmers. There is no coral underfoot near the shore. As there is no public lifeguard, conditions are typical and never guaranteed.
Is Matira Beach free and public?
Yes. Matira is the only true public beach on the main island of Bora Bora, free and open to everyone. The rest of the coast belongs largely to resorts on their own land or motu, so Matira is where locals and visitors share the same sand without a guest list.
Where is the best spot on Matira Beach for sunset?
The western stretch near Snack Mohiere and Bora Bora Beach Club faces straight into the sunset, which is why it fills in the last hour of light. Arrive with time to settle, order a drink, and watch the colour drop behind the lagoon. It is the finest free sunset on the island.
How do you get to Matira Beach?
Matira sits at the southern tip of the main island, about eight kilometres south of the main town of Vaitape, roughly fifteen minutes by car. Most visitors arrive by hotel transfer, taxi or rental, as public transport on the island is very limited. There is some roadside parking near the venues.
Does Matira Beach have beach clubs?
Not in the daybed and DJ sense. The honest picture is a casual snack bar and a couple of lagoonfront restaurants on the public sand, with the rustic icon Bloody Mary's a short walk away. The resort beaches nearby are reserved largely for guests, and any day access is to be confirmed.
