I had just taken off my sandals, stepping onto the white-sand beach for a late-morning walk to a secluded spot I heard about from a front desk clerk, when I glanced down and saw the time on my phone. It had just turned 11 a.m., which meant it was only 7 a.m. back home, the perfect time to call and say good morning to my husband before he left for work. Not quite ready to head back to my room, I decided I’d test the WiFi signal and made the call as I continued walking toward the shoreline.
“Good morning from Bora Bora,” I said, half guiltily, as I heard the line connect after just two rings. “Wish you were here!”
The conversation continued as I trudged farther and farther away from the canopied loungers and sun beds sunken in the sand. I gripped my phone a little harder as I took my first step into the crystal-clear water, letting the salty, still liquid cool my toes and rise higher up my legs as I stepped deeper and deeper into the shallow Pacific Ocean lagoon. Up to my waist in seawater, I ended the call as I finally reached the aim of my morning journey.
With one last, “Miss you,” I hung up the phone, placed it in a waterproof bag and collapsed into a private overwater hammock that hung loosely between two poles so the netting barely kissed the water’s surface as I swung slowly. All alone. Not another living soul in sight.
Often regarded as a honeymoon destination due to its romantic scenery and private overwater bungalows, Bora Bora’s recent connectivity and increased flight schedules from U.S. hubs make this Polynesian paradise more accessible for solo travelers and business men and women looking to kick back and escape the grueling 9 to 5. The island sits within the French overseas territory of French Polynesia, a country divided into five groups of islands: the Society Islands, the Tuamotu Islands, the Marquesas Islands, the Austral Islands and the Gambier Islands.
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