10 Overwater Bungalow Hotels to Add to Your Bucket List

Around 60 years after the first overwater bungalows were built in French Polynesia, the laid-back luxe accommodations are a staple in places like the Maldives, Fiji and, more recently, the Caribbean. These days, however, they’re not just for honeymooners.  

You can now find these stilt-supported suites at all-inclusive resorts, eco-adventure hubs and even family-friendly getaways around the world. Take, for example, Nayara Bocas del Toro, where you can stay in a Balinese-inspired villa overlooking a mangrove on Panama’s Caribbean coast, or Palafitos Overwater Bungalows in Mexico’s Playa del Carmen, which features units with glass floors and private infinity pools. But no matter their location, they all share an undeniably magic mix: the sound of waves lapping under your feet, tropical decor that reflects their destination’s unique charms and instant access to some of the clearest waters on the planet. (Photo courtesy of InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa.)

Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort (Teavaro, French Polynesia)
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Complete with 110 bungalows, 38 of which are overwater, this Polynesian retreat beautifully marries European elegance with South Pacific warmth. At the gourmet K Restaurant, for instance, you can enjoy French wines and East-meets-West dishes (like foie gras French toast with passion-fruit sauce) under a soaring ceiling made of local kahaia wood. While there’s no shortage of great dining options at the resort, the most iconic on-property food experience is getting breakfast delivered by outrigger canoe, which you can then enjoy while watching tropical fish through the glass panel in your bedroom floor.

Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora (Motu Tehotu, French Polynesia)
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Teakwood furnishings and Polynesian artwork bring a sense of local style to the overwater bungalows at this resort in the shadow of Mount Otemanu. Opt for a villa with a private plunge pool if you’re in the mood to do nothing but lounge in the Bora-Bora sun. If you’d rather be active, Four Seasons offers excursions like helicopter tours, snorkeling with sharks and 4x4 safaris. You don’t have to go far for one of the hotel’s coolest experiences though: Join the resident marine biologist to graft your own coral and place it in the resort’s on-site coral nursery.

InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa (Motu Piti Aau, French Polynesia)
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Housed on Motu Piti Aau, or “islet of two hearts,” the InterContinental Bora Bora features appropriately romantic overwater villas, complete with Tahitian design touches like bamboo and pandanus weavings and mother-of-pearl inlays. At the spa, glass-bottomed treatment rooms provide a direct view of the underwater world below, lulling you into a state of complete relaxation during Polynesian taurumi massages with local monoi oil. Another highlight of the property is the Lagoonarium, a protected habitat and coral nursery with plenty of tropical sea life that’s tended to by marine biologists.

The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort (Vommuli Island, Maldives)

Occupying a private island in the Eden-like Maldives, this resort comprises 44 overwater and 33 on-land bungalows. When designing the property, architects drew inspiration from the surrounding marine life: Villas subtly evoke manta rays, the spa looks like a lobster and the bar conjures a whale shark. There’s a resident marine biologist and an advanced coral reef regeneration project underway, and guests can explore the ocean by chartering the house yacht for dolphin watching, sunset cruises or snorkeling excursions. The best seat in the house, however, is the hammock strung over the glittering ocean back at your bungalow.

Song Saa Private Island (Koh Rong Archipelago, Cambodia)

Part of Cambodia’s Koh Rong islands, this resort has one- and two-bed overwater villas outfitted with private pools and sundecks with daybeds. The property’s “spa with no walls” means treatments take place around the island, surrounded by nature, and are designed to honor ancient Buddhist traditions. You can join blessing ceremonies with local monks or arrange meditation or yoga sessions, but if you’re looking for something more high-energy, the staff can take you snorkeling among seahorses and spotted rays, kayaking to hidden coves or boating among bioluminescent plankton after dark.

Sandals Royal Caribbean (Montego Bay, Jamaica)

Home to the Caribbean’s first overwater bungalows, this Jamaican resort leans into the island’s British colonial heritage: Expect an English pub, afternoon tea, croquet out on the lawn and an impeccably landscaped garden with free-roaming peacocks. For a more tropical feel, you can take a ferry to the resort’s private offshore island, which has a Balinese-inspired pool, beach cabanas and a swim-up bar. Best of all, the property is all-inclusive, covering everything from tips and airport transfers to shuttles to the sister Sandals Montego Bay resort, with even more bars and restaurants. When you just want to relax, hang in your bungalow, which comes with an infinity pool or outdoor soaking tub, glass floor panels and butler service.

Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay (Momi Bay, Fiji)

At this Fijian-owned resort, overwater bungalows come in the form of bures, a type of traditional wood-and-straw hut found around the islands. For a touch of luxury, they include vaulted ceilings, freestanding bathtubs and private decks with staircases leading directly into the lagoon. When you’re not enjoying the natural wonders of the South Pacific, you can take a dip in the infinity pool, the kids’ pool or the main pool, with a swim-up bar and programming like aqua aerobics and water polo. Afterward, visit the Quan Spa, where treatments incorporate local ingredients like coconut, guava and seashells.

Nayara Bocas del Toro (Isla Frangipani, Panama)

This sustainability-minded, adults-only getaway sits on a private mangrove island off Panama’s Caribbean coast. Overwater villas draw inspiration from Balinese design, with carved teakwood, canopy beds and colorfully tiled bathrooms; also included are “water windows” that look down into coral reefs. Purposefully off-the-grid, Nayara is a gateway to striking biodiversity, and you can plan visits to a starfish sanctuary, a sloth-filled island, a sea turtle nesting ground and a bioluminescent bay. Befitting the hotel’s eco ethos, the chef here is working toward a “zero-kilometer” gastronomic philosophy, which means many ingredients for the restaurant are sourced from the property’s own backyard.

Palafitos Overwater Bungalows (Playa del Carmen, Mexico)

Flanking a T-shaped central boardwalk, the 30 bungalows at Palafitos float over the turquoise waters of Riviera Maya’s Maroma Beach. Each unit has glass floors, a private infinity pool, an outdoor shower and direct ladder access to the perma-warm waters below. The resort is all-inclusive, and guests also have access to bars and restaurants at sister properties like nearby El Dorado Maroma. Vegetables and spices are grown in a 76,000-square-foot greenhouse, and you can follow days on the sand with mezcal, tequila and wine tastings.

Constance Prince Maurice (Poste de Flacq, Mauritius)

Get to know the emerging ecotourism destination of Mauritius with a stay at Constance Prince Maurice, where “suites on stilts” hover above a barachois, or coastal lagoon, and Le Barachois restaurant spans five tented floating decks, connected by a lantern-lit pontoon that cuts through a mangrove forest. There’s a barefoot elegance to the place, but the resort also has some luxury bona fides, including the Indian Ocean’s largest wine cellar, with more than 25,000 bottles.