topless or nude in Bora Bora

Planning a trip to Bora Bora. Has anyone stayed in the over water units and is it topless or nudity acceptable on the decks or while snorkeling. Where did you stay and what resorts would you think would be more acceptable to nudity.

Officially, full nudity is against the law in French Polynesia. And that caveat is usually followed-up with a warning to bring plenty of sun block with an SPF UVA and UVB to avoid burning areas of your body that seldom see sunlight.

Although topless nudity is fairly open, particularly among the European guests we saw, full nudity is done on motus or small islets a short boat ride away. We also saw several women topless but no full nudity on the shark dive. Note: those were small sand sharks and not the great white variety.

Bora Bora is not inexpensive. Gone are the days of Club Med and in place are high-end names like Four Seasons, St. Regis and Sofitel. They all have over water bungalows for a premium charge.

Yes, if you want to enjoy being nude on any of the Tahitian islands, the motus are the place to go. On the main islands, Topless is pretty common with the tourists...the locals are very conservative. It is an easy boat ride to the motus and you can set up with a local operator to take you out with a picnic lunch and leave you for the day.

Certainly, it will be an expensive trip. We went in 2000 and worked hard to keep the expenses down even though we stayed at nice resorts. As I recall, it was over $7000 for a week. We priced it again recently and the same basic trip was going to be about $11,000.

I can't say it's not worth it because is is an absolutely magical place. Don't expect fine dining or a party atmosphere...just beauty and solitude. It has been our favorite place.

Send photos if you go! :-)

Check out Vahine Island. For Tahiti it is actually reasonable to stay in an over water bungalow. It's on a 15 acre atoll so it is much more private. Only 3 over water bungalows and if you request the one on the end you'll have complete privacy. We stayed there a few years back and we're never concerned about a lack of clothing. The food is incredible, the view is incredible, they have a glass coffee table in the water bungalows that you can open at night and feed the fish ( and the sharks!)
By the way you can take a day tour where you have an opportunity to get in the water while they feed the sharks. A once in a lifetime experience!