They’re two of the most beautiful words in the English language (right up there with “summer afternoon” and “business class”): overwater bungalow.
The very notion conjures up romantic fantasies of playing luxury castaway—minus any hint of actually roughing it. The word bungalow alone suggests a carefree interlude, a place were you can live small and simply, with nature close at hand. Add overwater and you’re seriously into dreamland.
No wonder that while the design will forever be associated with its birthplace in French Polynesia, these little sea-top (as opposed to merely seaside) hideaways are popping up all over the world. They’re the stuff of Robinson Crusoe visions, with glass panels in their floors to let you watch the fish below—or, better, windows that let you feed them—as the primary entertainment devices, ladders on their decks to make it easier to get back inside after an impromptu swim, and an elemental closeness to the primordial sea.
Here are six places for your winter (and beyond) travel wish list—all you need to bring are a swimsuit and a worthy traveling companion. Actually, the swimsuit might be optional.
Bora Bora Pearl Beach
Polynesia may have lost the monopoly on overwater bungalows, but it’s still a dream destination for connoisseurs of the form. Case in point: the 41 thatched-roof pavilions at Bora Bora Pearl Beach. Resting on stilts above one of the most stunning lagoons in the world, they’re quite large—almost 600 square feet—and have two-tiered decks with outdoor showers. (Disclosure: I’ve stayed here as a guest of the resort.)
Song Saa Private Island, Cambodia
“Luxury that treads lightly” is the motto of this lavish, sustainable sanctuary in Cambodia’s still little-trafficked Koh Rong archipelago. The six overwater villas are indulgent in the extreme, with private pools, oversize sunken bathtubs, outdoor showers, glass-floored lounge areas, snazzy entertainment centers (in case the fish don’t do it for you) and dedicated butlers.
Punta Caracol Acqua-Lodge, Panama
Rob Harper, the principal of in-the-know tour operator Panama Vacations thinks Punta Caracol is the finest overwater choice in the country. Located in the Bocas del Toro province, on the northeastern Caribbean Coast on the border with Costa Rica, the resort is a mecca for snorkelers—most of the province is an archipelago of hundreds of tiny islands. Each cabana has direct water access and sunset views (complete with the occasional dolphin).
Six Senses Laamu, the Maldives
The overwater accommodations at this private-island resort are more lavish villa than homey bungalow—the stuff of once-in-a-lifetime daydreams. Weighing in at more than 1,000 square feet, they have Six Senses’ trademark stylish design flourishes, over-water hammocks, outdoor rain showers, “aquarium” dining decks with all-glass tables, and solid-glass sunken bathtubs with ocean views.
Cayo Esponto, Belize
Any of the seven villas at this super-remote, super-luxurious private island resort off Ambergris Cay is an idyllic, stylized version of the barefoot-on-an-island dream. But the most beguiling is the newest, Casa Ventanas. Ventanas is right—there are windows everywhere, the better to gaze at the turquoise waters just below. Better still: At the end of a dock that stretches 150 feet off the island, it’s the ultimate in privacy. (Disclosure number two: I’ve been hosted here as well.)
Palafitte, Switzerland
Why should the overwater concept be limited to the tropics? The owners of Palafitte had the same question, and so they built the only hotel in Europe that’s on stilts. Meant to be a pop-up for the Swiss National Expo in 2002, it proved so popular that visitors are still coming 13 years later. Its 24 pavilions over Lake Neuchâtel each contain an individual bedroom, a bathroom with movable partitions that allow a view onto the lake from the bathtub and a large terrace with only the neighboring Alps on the horizon.
