Motu Piti Aau
Best for. Resort guests and lagoon day visitors who want fine white sand, calm clear water and the best reef snorkelling on the eastern side of Bora Bora.
Best spot. The reef close to the resorts, where rays and black tip reef sharks gather in clear water, reachable on a lagoon tour even if the beach itself sits behind a resort.
Know this. The beaches here are largely resort land, so day access is to be confirmed. The open lagoon and the snorkelling are the part anyone can enjoy.
Motu Piti Aau is the long ribbon of reef on the eastern edge of the lagoon, and for many travellers it is the real Bora Bora, because this is where two of the island's most famous resorts spread their overwater bungalows and their white sand. It is a beautiful, calm and serviced stretch of the lagoon, with some of the best reef life close to shore. The honest read is simply about who the sand belongs to, because the answer shapes how you can use it.
Most of the beach along this motu is resort land. Le Meridien Bora Bora and The St. Regis sit here with groomed sand, palms and protected shallows, and those beaches are kept for guests. That is not a fault, it is how the eastern motu works, but it means a visitor arriving without a room cannot simply lay a towel down the way they can at Matira. Where the beauty is genuinely open to everyone is the water itself, the calm lagoon and the lively reef just off the motu, which a lagoon tour reaches without any guest list.
So the value question is honest and clear. If you are staying on the motu, this is among the finest sand and snorkelling on the island, with rays and reef sharks a short swim from your bungalow. If you are visiting for the day, come for the lagoon and the reef on a tour, and treat any beach access at a resort as a request to be made in advance and confirmed, often through a restaurant booking rather than a free walk in. The marine life is the part that needs no markup.
The resort beaches on the motu
There is no public beach club on Motu Piti Aau in the daybed and DJ sense. What sits here are two full resorts with their own white sand, reserved largely for guests. We describe them factually below, and any day access for non guests is to be confirmed. For a booking we send you to the Bora Bora directory.
Photo: Adriano Ribeiro via GoogleLe Meridien Bora Bora
Set on the southern point of the motu with a long view to Mount Otemanu, this resort pairs overwater and beach bungalows with calm white sand and a protected inner lagoon. The draw for the water lover is the reef close by, rich with rays and reef life, and a turtle sanctuary on site. It is a resort rather than a public club, so beach access is for guests and any day visit is to be confirmed.
Photo: The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort via GoogleThe St. Regis Bora Bora Resort
A large estate on the motu with white sand beaches, towering palms and its own lagoonarium, known for some of the most spacious overwater villas in French Polynesia. The setting is serene and the snorkelling close at hand, the polished end of the eastern reef. As a full resort, the sand is for guests, and any day access, often tied to a dining booking, is to be confirmed.
For a visitor without a room on the motu, the honest way in is a lagoon tour that snorkels the reef nearby, where the rays and reef sharks are the real reward and no guest list applies. Treat any resort beach visit as a request to arrange in advance, as opening status and day access are set by each property and are to be confirmed.
Eastern reef, Bora Bora
Motu Piti Aau runs along the eastern barrier reef of Bora Bora, a long thin island facing the main island across the lagoon. There is no road bridge, so every arrival is by boat, about five minutes from Vaitape to the southern end and a little more to the resorts.
The resorts run their own launches for guests, and lagoon tours carry everyone else to the water around the motu. Bring a hat, reef safe sun cover, a mask and water, and arrange any resort beach access before you travel, as it is to be confirmed.
Photo: Reef Discovery Bora Bora via GoogleBook a beach club
Tell us your dates and party size and we will help arrange a lagoon day on the reef near Motu Piti Aau or a table at one of its resorts. We reply by email.
We are an independent editorial resource. Booking requests are passed to clubs and operators, and some may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices, availability and opening status are set by the venue and are to be confirmed at the time of booking.
Common questions about Motu Piti Aau
Can you visit Motu Piti Aau in Bora Bora?
The motu is home to resorts, so most of its beaches sit on resort land and are reserved for guests. You reach the motu by boat, and day access for non guests, whether through a restaurant booking or a paid day pass, is to be confirmed with each property. The open lagoon around the motu is the part everyone can enjoy on a tour.
What resorts are on Motu Piti Aau?
The long reef motu holds two of the island's best known resorts, Le Meridien Bora Bora and The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, each with its own white sand and overwater bungalows. They are full resorts rather than public beach clubs, so the beaches belong to guests and any day visit should be arranged in advance and is to be confirmed.
Is the snorkelling good at Motu Piti Aau?
Yes, this is one of the better stretches for marine life in Bora Bora. The reef close to the motu draws rays and black tip reef sharks, and the resorts here sit near vibrant coral. On a lagoon tour you can snorkel the open water nearby, where visibility is good on a calm day, though conditions are typical and never guaranteed.
How do you get to Motu Piti Aau?
By boat across the lagoon from the main island, which is about five minutes from Vaitape to the southern end of the motu and a little longer to the resorts. The resorts run their own launches for guests, and lagoon tours bring everyone else to the water around it. There is no road bridge from the main island.
Is Motu Piti Aau worth it?
For a resort stay or a lagoon day on the eastern reef, very much so, because the sand is fine, the water is calm and the snorkelling is among the best on the island. For a free public beach, no, because the sand here is largely resort owned. Come for the water and the marine life, and confirm any beach access in advance.
