Development comes to Bora-Bora

“Paradise Posh” [June 3] was as balanced a piece on Bora-Bora as one could write for The Times without totally denigrating the place. I lived in French Polynesia in 1973 and remember when there were three hotels on all of Bora-Bora. I was just back there, twice, last year while crossing by boat from Easter Island to the Cooks. Yes, Bora-Bora is now overbuilt with hotels, and the town has traffic jams, but the un-hotel side of the island is still pretty empty, the interior is still beautiful, and the waters (especially outside the lagoon) are still full of fish.

But the jet skis are an affront to everything the island attempts to present and should be banned outright. Of course, the main island of Tahiti has suffered far more. When I was living there, I didn’t see a wall around a house. Now the suburbs of Papeete look like gated communities. So sad.

Next time, go to Tahaa or Huahine (my favorite among the Society Islands). Or better yet, Fakarava or even Raroia (which got air service only last year).

--Alan Dean Foster, Prescott, Ariz.

I was surprised that your story omitted the Club Med on Bora-Bora. With its all-inclusive tariff, it offers the best bargain on the island.

--Nissen Davis,

Rancho Palos Verdes