Hawaii or Bora Bora for Honeymoon in 2023? Both Hawaii and Bora Bora rank among the most beautiful tropical destinations in the world for travelers seeking an unforgettable vacationing experience.
From the pristine white sandy beaches, turquoise waters, blue lagoons, and abundant wildlife to the exotic seafood and strong Polynesian influence in both locations, Hawaii and Bora Bora are a traveler’s paradise.
If you’re unsure whether to visit Hawaii or Bora Bora for your honeymoon, keep reading to learn about the differences between the two and why you should choose one over the other.
Hawaii or Bora Bora for Honeymoon: Which is better?
Before we dive deep into a detailed comparison of both these places let us have a short introduction of both these amazing places.
Table of Contents
Hawaii🏖
With 132 islands, Hawaii is the world’s largest island chain. Surrounded by the turquoise blue waters of the North Pacific Ocean, Hawaii is home to some of the best tropical islands in the world.
The extravagant scenery of the Hawaiian Islands, ranging from active volcanoes, beautiful flora and fauna, extreme sports, to a teeming nightlife make it an ideal destination for a vacation with your loved ones.
Being the largest chain of islands, Hawaii has a lot to explore. History buffs can explore the ruins of WW2 at the Arizona museum in Pearl Harbour, serious surfers can test their skills on the larger-than-life waves on North Oahu coastlines or just rent a car and drive along the picturesque Road to Hana on the island of Maui.
Bora Bora🏖
Bora Bora is one of those few places in the world apart from Hawaii that conjures up an image of being in paradise.
Tahiti is the largest collection of islands in French Polynesia which is close to Moorea Island. With almost 100 islands, Tahiti’s beauty stretches to a whopping 2000 km in the Pacific Ocean. Bora Bora is the ‘Pearl of Tahiti’ also considered to be the most beautiful island in the world.
Located more than 1000 miles from America and Australia, Bora Bora woes thousands of tourists each year with its spectacular white sandy beaches, turquoise blue waters, blue lagoons, swaying palm trees, over-water bungalows, rich underwater ecosystem and warmth of Polynesian people who make you feel at home.
Bora Bora Island is also known ‘The Pearl of the Pacific Ocean‘ and is a haven for honeymooners. Bora Bora with its scenic beauty and luxurious over-water bungalows is hands down the best place in the world for a romantic vacation with your soulmate.
Safety
Whatever region of the world you choose to visit, the first question on your mind is always, “How safe is it?”
Both Hawaii and Bora Bora are well-known for being the most tourist-friendly destinations on the planet when it comes to safety.
Hawaii caters to millions of tourists each year from around the world, which earns it the bragging rights of being the safest state in the US.
Bora Bora’s remote location thousands of miles away from any mainland makes it accessible and affordable to only the truest of seekers. Bora Bora is the least populated island of Polynesia with most of the population on the main island of Tahiti.
This means there is enough space for all especially the tourists.
Both places are extremely safe for tourism and you won’t have to worry too much about your belongings when lounging on a beach.
That said, where there are humans there are at least petty crimes. Unless you act too smart and avoid basic safety tips for travelling, everything will be pretty awesome.
Winner: Tie, both these tropical paradises are one of the safest when it comes to tourism.
Accommodation🏨
When it comes to accommodation, both Hawaii and Bora Bora offer an unforgettable experience of living in tropical heaven.
Luxurious hotels, beachside resorts, refreshing spas, mouth-watering exotic seafood and cultural shows, both places will leave you spell bounded and wanting for more.
Bora Bora also offers a completely unique experience with its over-water bungalows that will enhance your vacation to a whole new level of awesomeness. Although these come at a hefty cost, they are perfect abodes for couples on a honeymoon.
Where Hawaii lacks with its over-water bungalows it makes up with the exuberant luxurious hotels and accommodation option. From dorm rooms, motels to ultra-luxurious hotels, Hawaii has a lot of options to choose from, especially on the islands of Honolulu, Oahu and Maui.
👉🏻 Related: Is Maui Expensive? Average Cost of a Vacation To Maui
Bora Bora being a remote island does not have a lot of accommodation options to choose from as the islands are small and the number of tourists visiting every year is almost half compared to Hawaii.
That said, accommodation prices are cheaper compared to Hawaii and the average cost of a hotel room per person is just 85$ compared to 165$ in Hawaii for a single person.
The below table shows the average daily cost of accommodation for a single person based on the type of accommodation.
| Place | Budget | Mid-range hotel | Villas/ Luxury rooms |
| Tahiti | 36$ | 85$ | 175$ |
| Hawaii | 57$ | 165$ | 527$ |
Winner: Bora Bora, although Hawaii has a range of accommodation options to choose from, Bora Bora still has cheaper accommodation options to offer unless you go for overwater bungalows.
Food🍤
It would be unfair to compare the cuisines of these two locations because each have a distinct and unique flavor of their own.
Both Hawaii and Bora Bora have a strong Polynesian impact on their cuisine, with Hawaii having a largely American and European influence and Bora Bora, as part of French Polynesia, has a tint of French influence on their culinary.
Hawaii provides a variety of cuisines to delight your taste buds, ranging from exotic seafood to more traditional fare such as fish and pig steak burgers. Poi, Laulau, and especially the slow-cooked tender Kalua pig are some of the best traditional dishes that will leave you wanting more.
Hawaii, being a part of America, also offers a variety of true American cuisines such as loco moco, Bagel and Lox, Sausage gravy, and a variety of other foods that will make you feel at home, especially if you’re an American.
Bora Bora, unlike Hawaii, lacks variety in terms of food due to its tiny size and distant location. The majority of the traditional cuisine is based on fish, which is abundant in Bora Bora. The Polynesian influence may be seen in the way the meal is prepared, which includes raw fish cooked with coconut milk.
The French influence is most noticeable in desserts like firi firi (Tahitian doughnuts) and banana crepes. If you’re on a budget, roadside kiosks and food trucks serve up superb affordable food ranging from sandwiches (Casse-Croute) to fish chips and burgers.
| Place | Coffee | Breakfast | Bali Cafe for Two | Lunch for Two | Dinner for 2 | Beer | The average cost of food per day |
| Tahiti | 2.45-4.9$ | 8-12$ | 30$ | 28$-45$ | 35-50$ | 3.91$-5$ | 40$ |
| Hawaii | 6-7$ | 8-16$ | 50$ | 30-45$ | 50-65$ | 6-9$ | 55$ |
Winner: Hawaii. Bora Bora also has great exotic seafood but it is limited to Polynesian, French and a few Chinese dishes while Hawaii offers you a plethora of cuisines to choose from including American food.
Weather
Hawaii
Hawaii has the least rain in March through September, so it’s the best time to go there. Any time of year is a good time to visit Hawaii, as the state’s warm weather spans the entire year.
Hawaii is home to several active volcanoes in the world with at least one of the active volcanoes still growing. The Kilauea Volcano🌋 is currently the most active volcano in the world and the lava oozing from the mountain can be seen up close in Kalapana.
To save money on plane tickets, travel in June, July, or August as the tickets are cheapest during this time of year.
Bora Bora
Bora Bora like Hawaii is mostly sunny and warm throughout the year. Bora Bora is much warmer compared to Hawaii and the weather remains mild and sunny throughout the year.
The turquoise lagoons and reefs prevent rough waves from hitting the coasts making Bora Bora the best place on earth for snorkeling.
Winner: Tie, Both Hawaii and Bora Bora have wonderful warm and sunny weather all year round. Hawaii’s occasional rough weather makes it an ideal destination for surfing while the mild winds in Bora Bora make it ideal for snorkeling.
Car Rentals
Hawaii and Bora Bora both offer different modes of transportation to go sightseeing or hop onto another island.
Hawaii offers a range of transport options ranging from car rentals, buses, taxis, bikes, boats to flights for travelling from one island to another. Depending on the type of vehicle you choose, travel length and time of the year fares range from 15$ to 150$.
Bora Bora also offers rental cars but the options are limited due to the size of islands and the number of tourists that visit each year. You can rent a car for somewhere around 60$-70$ for a full day.
Domestic flights to Bora Bora are limited to only a select few islands and are pretty expensive as most of these islands are remote and small, so getting a travel pass is less expensive than a one-way ticket.
| Place | Bike/Scooter | Bus | Rental car | Taxi |
| Tahiti | NA | 1.25-9.40$ | 15$-50$ | 3$-8$ |
| Hawaii | NA | 3$-4$ | 50$-100$ | 5$-25$ |
Winner: Hawaii, With the range of transportation options to choose from to travel within an island and to another island, Hawaii aces in the transportation department.
Beaches: Which is better?🏖
Ahh! How can we not talk about beaches when talking about two of the most beautiful tropical paradises in the world?
Both Hawaii and Bora Bora, have some of the most picturesque and serene beaches in the world. White sandy beaches, palm trees, a never-ending barrage of waves, crystal clear waters and unbelievable blue lagoons give the best experience of being one with nature.
Hawaii
Hawaii’s beaches are well-known in the world as the best beaches to surf in the world. Sunset Beach also known as the ‘Mecca of surfing’ is known for its spectacular and dangerously huge waves.
Another beach in Oahu, known as Waimea beach is known to host the prestigious world surfing championships each year, where the best surfers from around the world compete with each other.
❤️Related: Is Oahu worth visiting? You Bet! 9 Good Reasons to Go
Being a group of over a hundred islands, you won’t find any shortage of beaches, be it the crowded iconic ones, the ones with rough waves for surfing or the calm and serene beaches to spend some time in seclusion.
That said, being closer to mainland USA with the kind of infrastructure it has for adventure sports, most of the beaches in Hawaii are quite crowded and not suitable for snorkeling due to rocky coastlines.
There are plenty of beaches that are secluded away from all the usual humdrum of tourists on the islands of Oahu, Maui and Molokai but these islands are remote and quite expensive.
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Bora Bora
What Bora Bora lacks in terms of adrenaline-inducing adventure activates, it make up with the calmness and serenity of its beaches.
Bora Bora is known to have the most clearest and calmest beaches in the world, especially the island of Bora Bora is a place like no other in the world with jaw-dropping scenic beauty and crystal-clear waters.
Bora Bora’s calm and serene beaches with crystal clear waters make it the best place for snorkelling and a romantic getaway in the world.
The Lafayette beach is a sight to behold, a by-product of volcanic eruptions, the soft black sand and the surrounding scenery make it an ideal beach to take a long walk with your loved one.
Winner: Tie, if you are an adventure lover then Hawaii is for you. If you want to have a great private romantic time, then look no further than Bora Bora.
Nightlife: Who has a better vibe?
Is a trip to these exotic paradises complete without even exploring them in the night?
Nightlife is something in which Hawaii hands down wins by a mile. Hawaii boasts some of the spectacular night scenes in the world from EDM music by world-class DJ’s, Luau dance shows, local bars, cocktail lounges, beach bars to sprawling nightclubs.
If you are a party animal and a night owl then Hawaii is the best place to be in the world.
Nightlife in Bora Bora is limited only to the main island of Tahiti and that too only in the capital Papeete. If you love partying then you are going to dread your time in Bora Bora.
Winner: Hawaii
Honeymoon: Which is a better place to spend time with your soulmate?
Hawaii and Bora Bora’s picturesque landscapes make them an ideal destination for love birds. If you are looking to spend the best romantic time with your soulmate, then these two destinations is exactly what you are looking for.
Both Hawaii and Bora Bora attract thousands of love birds each year due to their pristine sandy beaches, swaying palm trees, lush-green mountains and the ever-welcoming Polynesian culture.
Bora Bora
If you want to spend your time in complete tranquility and peace then the remote island of Bora Bora and less crowded beaches offer you the privacy to be in total seclusion with your soulmate.
Bora Bora’s over-water bunglows
and rejuvating spa’s make sure that your experience is worth every dollar you pay for it.
The Bora Bora Island regarded as the most beautiful island in the world and attracts thousands of couples from around the world each year, making it the one of the most desired honeymoon destinations in the world.
Hawaii
Hawaii has a much livelier vibe compared to Bora Bora as it has a great American influence. Hawaii also boats of spectacular secluded beaches ideal for a honeymoon if you ready to go off the usual path.
The islands of Maui, Oahu and Molokai have some underdeveloped beaches which are perfect for couples as they are less crowded compared to other beaches.
Hawaii has a lot to offer away from the coastlines too, like snorkelling, deep sea diving, trekking, rock climbing, surfing, kayaking
and beachside rejuvenating spas which make it ideal for couples looking for a more adventurous vacation.
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Winner: Tie. If you looking more tranquil and quieter honeymoon experience then Bora Bora is best for you. If you want more livelier vibe with lots of adventure activities, then Hawaii is a better option for a honeymoon.
Family vacation: Which is better, Hawaii or Bora Bora?
Hawaii and Bora Bora both make a good destination for a family vacation.
When it comes to choosing between the two it boils down to what you are expecting from your family vacation.
Hawaii is much easier to access than Bora Bora with less flight times compared to Bora Bora which is located far away in the Pacific Ocean. If you have younger kids and a big family then expensive flight tickets and longer flying hours can be a big negative for you.
That said, the payoff to bearing those boring flight times are totally worth it when it comes to visiting both these places.
Hawaii compared to Bora Bora has way more to offer in terms of a complete family vacation experience. Although, accommodation costs in Hawaii are on the higher side, activities like snorkeling, surfing and cruising in a luxurious yacht across the Pacific Ocean are bang for your buck.
Winner: Hawaii
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Conclusion
No matter what you end up going for, both Hawaii and Bora Bora have everything that will make your vacation an unforgettable experience.
If you want to bask in the tropical sun with an exotic drink in your hand watching the waves roll over on the beach with tranquility and peace, then Bora Bora is the best honeymoon destination for you.
For those who love the adrenaline-fueled adventures in the sea, Hawaii hands down is the best place for a crazy and fun filled adventurous honeymoon experience.
🏖 Also Read: Bora Bora vs. Greece: Which is better for Honeymoon?
The conclusion you drew of a tie seems fair enough but using a photo of highly congested and overgrown Waikiki three times to represent Hawaii isn’t. There are countless beaches in Hawaii that exhibit the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands better.
Hello Erich you are right indeed. Waikiki does have its fair share of amazing beaches that exhibit the true charm of Hawaii. The reason I choose the said image is to give a clear distinction between the beaches in these two breathtakingly gorgeous beach destinations.