Before I got the opportunity to travel to Bora Bora, I assumed it was a destination for old money and Hollywood movie stars.

A night's stay at any Bora Bora resort can cost $800 to $4,000 (or even more), and the flights are equally pricey.

The only reason anyone would travel there, I thought, had to be getting away from everyday life and the crowds. Why would anyone fly eight hours into the South Pacific-almost to Australia-for a beach vacation when they could go to Mexico or the Caribbean instead?

But, the reality of what I found is different than I imagined.

While there were plenty of fancy folks on holiday and a celebrity here or there, the rest of Bora Bora's admirers were run-of-the-mill, middle-class travelers just like me.

We stayed at the Four Seasons Bora Bora, which is as idyllic as they come.

Spread across many acres of lush tropical forest, the property boasts beautiful oceanfront villas and vast overwater "suites" that look like they're plucked from an exotic travel magazine.

On our first day there, we met a nice couple from Boulder enjoying their 30th wedding anniversary. The wife said they saved their entire lives for the trip; The husband shook his head and said they still couldn't afford it.

Later, we chatted with two married school teachers who flew to Bora Bora on airline miles-something I could relate to considering that's the main way I can afford to travel so often.

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Another couple we met on a snorkeling cruise was relishing in their long-awaited honeymoon at the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort & Spa just a few miles away. She was a Mary Kay saleswoman and he an electrician, yet they had made a trip to Bora Bora work with their modest budget.

We compared our resorts and got to know one another before she confided that her trip was paid for with a "honeymoon fund" they set up before their wedding. They had already lived together for years, she said, so they wanted an experience they would never forget instead of a new toaster or unwanted set of dishes.

"I thought it might be tacky but I did it anyway," she said with a laugh.

Their trip to Bora Bora was the first out of the country for both of them.

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After a few days in Bora Bora, I completely understood the allure of traveling so far for a special trip: Bora Bora is gorgeous but extremely relaxed.

The island scenery is mind-boggling and like nothing I have seen on this Earth. Its waters are unbelievably clear and clean; The ocean wildlife in the jaw-dropping lagoon is unmatched.

And now I know why people are always raving about their trip to Bora Bora or scheming up a way to get there-even if they're not old money or well-connected. People travel so far and so long to get an experience they can't get elsewhere.

They find it in Bora Bora.

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