Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora

To be honest, most of the work in describing this place is done by the name alone. Say it out loud and see if it doesn’t put a picture in your head: Four Seasons Bora Bora. You’ve got the good life, on an idyllic blue lagoon in French Polynesia, and you’ve got the kind of thoughtful luxury and highly trained service that the Four Seasons name entails.

To be honest, when you’ve got a hundred-odd bungalows on stilts over the calm, warm waters of a South Pacific lagoon, you’re already 90 per cent of the way there. Only a handful of the Four Seasons’ accommodations aren’t overwater, and that’s because they’re two- and three-bedroom villas, and presumably too massive for stilts. We’d prefer to be able to swim straight out of bed, but if your lifestyle demands a lavish three-bedroom presidential villa with a private pool, well, there are worse problems to have.

Though certainly romantic, it’s not strictly a couples escape; in fact the Four Seasons Bora Bora is remarkably kid-friendly, with separate programs for small children and teenagers — so you’ll get your alone time one way or another. It’s not cheap, and you’ll fly into Tahiti and take a boat shuttle from there — but for top-shelf luxury in a Polynesian lagoon paradise, it’s more than worth the effort.

How to get there: Four to six daily flights connect Faa'a International Airport (PPT) in Papeete, Tahiti to Bora Bora. Transfers from Bora Bora airport are handled by Four Seasons directly.