Go ahead and treat yourself.
I had my first senior high in 2005,when I visitedPangkor Laut Resortin Malaysia . The villa , impound to a bridged paseo , floated above the ocean , where colourful Pisces the Fishes swam below and my tub had unobstructed ocean - level views of the sunset , which I watched from my private deck . I listened to the water lapping at the pile below me , create a soundscape that oozed with a gumption of place .
This was my first - ever appease in an overwater bungalow . And you know what they say about experiencing such luxuries : It ’s bound to bankrupt you for anything else .
In the decade since , I ’ve stay in almost a dozen overwater bungalows in bungalow - iconic berth , among them Bora Bora , the Maldives , andMexico . My overwater cottage obsession is a strange travel dependence , much like my penchant for complicated frequent - broadsheet mileage run and dangerous selfies . The only drawback to my inscription to this special character of housing ? It certainly does n’t come cheap .
Conrad Bora Bora Nui
Overwater bungalows are ludicrously expensive because they’re so rare
There ’s a sure thrill require in the travel addiction I ’ve accrued over the years . But unlike trekking the globe to reach Diamond Medallion status or falling over a cliff clutching a selfie reefer , booking a bedroom that project out over the opened ocean requires simply peacing out and doing perfectly nothing at all .
Overwater bungalows are synonymous with perquisite , which is why honeymooning pail - middle buster and celebrities alike excellently quite a little to them ( remember whenKim Kardashian misplace her potentially uninsured earring ? ) . They ’re exceedingly private ( unless you’reJustin Bieber , of course ) . They come equipped with private pools , sunshine pack of cards , glass - bottom floors , and on occasion a doting staff delivering breakfast to you in canoes . Not to mention that each morning , you could literally stray out of layer and straight into the ocean .
Due to this gauge of luxury , overwater bungalow are one of the most expensive way categories in the world . They ’re also highly unique . You might be capable to use points for an upgrade to a presidential retinue in a stock hotel but , at the end of the day , you ’re still cleave in a room inside a construction . With overwater bungalows , however , there ’s no need for an upgrade — no matter the room number , every threshold leads to unparalleled vacation bliss .
Conrad Bora Bora Nui
Since the"Bali Hai Boys " purchased a rundown Moorea hotel and make up one’s mind to erect a string of thatched - roof bungalowsatop the property ’s sparkling lagoon back in 1967 , the generations of hoteliers that followed have build relatively few of them . They ’re also generally located in tropical , grueling - to - attain destinations like French Polynesia and the Maldives , where the sea is calm , protected , and clear as the night sky . These are places that , for the most part , are exempt from hurricanes , cyclone , and other natural disasters . The ones that do be , then , are nothing unforesightful of the platonic ideal of perfection .
There isn’t just one way to sleep directly above the fishes
There ’s no denying that these spendthrift slices of paradise will certainly set you back more than your average bivalent room . But overwater bungalows , which until recently were debut at upward of $ 4,000 a night with less pricy versions still lingering in the four - figures , have deal a post - pandemic turn for the ( comparatively speak ) wallet - well-disposed .
For example , Anantara The Palmin Dubai starts at $ 989 a night , while Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy ’s spare - no - expenseCheval Blanc Randheliin the Maldives start at about $ 1,500 and the breathtakingConrad Bora Bora Nuirents out their picturesque overwater Pancho Villa — with or without private infinity pond — for a start rate of $ 2,160 and $ 3,350 , severally . Sandals Royal Caribbeanin Montego Bay , Jamaica lays claim to the first overwater bungalows to land in the Caribbean , with all - inclusive rates lead off at $ 2,350 a night — not a terrible price ticket when you view that American honeymooners wo n’t be trekking midway across the orb to get their villa pickle . Down in Mexico , El Dorado Maroma($975 and up ) andRosewood Mayakoba($1,875 and up ) offer a exchangeable inducement to North American travelers .
Looking for the best of both worlds ? Consider hold a resort that offers both overwater and on - demesne accommodations . That way of life you’re able to splurge on an overwater villa for one or two nights before pull in one’s horns back up to your ( still incredible ) grassy hideaway on teetotal land , cut your expense down significantly without break up your aspiration vacation .
Conrad Bora Bora Nui
If you ca n’t make those Book of Numbers work , consider duck your toes in the overwater , er , water at the many toned - down choice that have bounce up in less tourer - drive locales . Panama has about a dozen overwater bungalow hangout of vary sizes and data formatting , with many weighing in at just $ 100 per night . Over in Honduras , you ’ll find three stellar options with rate fall down between $ 195 and $ 580 per night , whileMalaysiasports 15 different stamping ground , the majority of which melt under $ 250 per nighttime . And hell , do your Google well enough , and you ’ll come up that even the Maldives has low-cost overwater bungalows ( albeit not as blinged - out as its magazine - ready property ) , with many booking for less than $ 300 .
slip on the rustic side , these topographic point may not come stocked with top - notch comforts like canoe breakfast , glass - bottom floors , sway sack , and secret kitty . But it surely beats shuffling around some unconstipated hotel room in your socks .
If you can swing it, the expense is definitely worth it—at least once
Overwater cottage are sort of likeAfrican safaris . The first experience is truly unforgettable , but even if you ’re favourable enough to go back , you might chance it slightly less thrilling . Not that it dampens the compulsion . Resorts that bid these room types are discriminating on make every part of the experience epical . you could leave behind your bungalow and sprawl out on virtually defect beach ( or , in the case of the Conrad Bora Bora Nui , an wholly disjoined abandoned island ) , dine in gourmet restaurant , get fully pampered in unlikely spas , and research the entire property on bare metrical foot , all - terrain golf handcart , or complimentary cycle . The cottage are just an extension of the resorts themselves , which almost always total in at five stars , give or take .
The trueness is , when you ’re kicked back in your individual pool , gazing up at thecloud - costless starscape , and sipping from a glass of locally produce rum as tropical Pisces splash around you in all direction , whatever sacrifice you had to make to get there will assuredly be last thing on your mind . They do n’t call it a pail list for nothing .
Conrad Bora Bora Nui
Punta Caracol Acqua Lodge
Conrad Bora Bora Nui
