Bora Bora
Matira Beach & the South
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The only public beach on Bora Bora — a kilometre of white sand open to all, the most affordable accommodation zone, and the island's best snorkelling coral.
Matira Point is the southernmost tip of Bora Bora's main island, a narrow sand spit extending into the lagoon that forms the only publicly accessible beach on the island — a kilometre of white sand bordered by coral gardens on both sides, with the lagoon's outer view toward the barrier reef and the sunset view toward Raiatea. The Matira zone has the most accessible accommodation on Bora Bora: the InterContinental Le Moana (the most affordable of the overwater properties, with bungalows from US$700–900 in shoulder season), a handful of small guesthouses and pensions (from US$200–300 per night), and the Bloody Mary's bar and restaurant — the most famous local institution on the island, where the world's celebrities have left their names on wooden plaques on the wall since 1979. The snorkelling directly off Matira Point's coral garden (accessible by beach entry) is some of the best reef access on the island without a resort boat.
Scores
Walkability
Transit
Price
Local feel
Nightlife
Family-friendly
Centrality
What you gain
- ↑Matira Beach at sunrise: arriving at the public beach before 7am means having a kilometre of white sand to oneself — the lack of resort fencing means the full beach is accessible without a wristband; the combination of empty white sand, turquoise water, and the distant mountains of Tahaa visible across the lagoon creates the most democratically available beautiful morning in Bora Bora
- ↑Snorkelling the Matira coral garden by beach entry: the reef shelf off Matira Point starts 20 metres from the beach and drops to 5–8 metres of living coral — no boat required, no resort access needed; blacktip sharks, green sea turtles, parrotfish, and the characteristic French Polynesian reef fish community are all accessible on a free beach snorkel
- ↑Bloody Mary's Restaurant: the open-air wooden-plank-floor bar and restaurant with its celebrity wall and fresh fish on ice has been the social anchor of Bora Bora since 1979; a lunch of grilled mahi-mahi and tahitian poisson cru at Bloody Mary's costs US$35–50 per person and connects a visitor to 45 years of Polynesian hospitality history in a way no resort restaurant can replicate
What you sacrifice
- ↓Matira's accommodation options in the affordable range (pensions and small guesthouses) are comfortable but bear no resemblance to the overwater bungalow experience — those who come to Bora Bora specifically for the overwater bungalow and try to save money by staying in a Matira pension will miss the core experience entirely
- ↓Matira Beach receives the main island's public beach visitors and can be crowded on weekends and during cruise ship port days — the solitude of the overwater resort zone is replaced by a more public beach character that feels different from the Bora Bora of the imagination
Best for
Avoid if
Other Bora Bora neighbourhoods
The uninhabited outer reef islets — pristine motu picnics, the barrier reef drop-off, and the perspective on Bora Bora from the open Pacific side.
The world's most iconic resort experience — overwater bungalows above the turquoise lagoon, direct ladder access to the coral gardens, and Mount Otemanu framed in every direction.
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