Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

Rustling palms, sapphire seas and an all-encompassing sense of escape – this low-impact resort, spread along the edge of Bora Bora’s sapphire-blue lagoon and looking across to the majestic Mount Otemanu, is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places to stay on the planet.

Robinson Crusoe fantasies play out against a backdrop of thatched luxury villas, barefoot-chic beach restaurants and the Deep Ocean Spa. Set on the neighbouring island of Motu Piti Aau island, and only reachable by boat, it’s the only spa in French Polynesia to focus on thalassotherapy, using seawater as a therapeutic cure. The over-water rooms have glass-bottomed floors, making it possible to watch the fishes glide past during treatments.

All the other trappings of a luxury resort are here – watersports, sunset cocktails, private dinners – but there’s a strong focus on the environment and French Polynesian traditions, making this far more than just a tropical fly and flop.