Bucket List / Experience Goals
Stay In An Overwater Bungalow
Still to do
Step off your bedroom deck into a turquoise lagoon, with reef fish swimming under the floor.
The adventure
You wake to the sound of water lapping under the floor. Through the glass panel by the bed, small fish dart over the sand, and outside the deck steps lead straight down into a lagoon so clear and turquoise it looks lit from below.
The first overwater bungalows were built in Tahiti's islands in the 1960s; now the Maldives has hundreds, scattered across coral atolls in the Indian Ocean. Days are simple: snorkel off the deck with reef sharks and turtles, nap in a hammock over the water, watch the sunset turn the lagoon orange. It's one of the great splurges in travel, and the kind of stay you end up planning a whole trip around.
Why it’s epic
- Glass floor panels over the lagoon in many villas.
- Snorkelling with reef fish, rays and turtles from your own deck.
- Seaplane transfers over the Maldives' atolls.
What it is
Private villas built on stilts over a lagoon, with steps from your deck straight into the sea. The idea began in French Polynesia in the 1960s and the Maldives made it famous.
How to do it
Book a resort directly or through a hotel site; transfers are by speedboat or seaplane from the main airport.
Top tip
Look for half-board or all-inclusive deals; eating on a private island is expensive.
Need to know
- Most resorts are on their own island, so food and drink prices are high.
- Seaplanes only fly in daylight; late arrivals may need a night in Malé.
- Local islands in the Maldives are a cheaper alternative, without the bungalows.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £5,000 or more per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- A few nights
- Best time to go
- November to April (Maldives); May to October (Tahiti)
- Fly into
- MLE airport
Resort nights, seaplane transfers and dining add up fast.
Make it happen
Why it’s on my list
Not done yet. If you’ve done it and have tips, tell me about it.
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