overwater or beach bungalow?

view from beach bungalow at Velaa Private Island, the Maldives

Clients frequently ask me about overwater bungalows at ocean resorts in the South Pacific — at destinations like Bora Bora, Fiji, and the Maldives. There's something romantic about the notion, and American tourists in particular really want to stay overwater.

The concept was invented by Hotel Bora Bora. Blessed with the best natural beach on the atoll, the resort built a limited number of bungalows along the beach. But because there's only so much beach frontage, the resort created additional guestrooms by constructing boardwalks out over the water leading to bungalows on stilts.

overwater bungalows at Six Senses Laamu, the Maldives

Overwater bungalows were an instant hit, and everyone started copying them. Most of the rooms in Bora Bora are overwater, and I observed the same phenomenon during my recent trip to the Maldives. The advantage to living overwater is that you can slip from your private deck directly into the warm ocean water to swim, snorkel, or lounge.

I'm a contrarian on the matter. Given the choice, I'd prefer to stay in a beach bungalow. Why? The photo at the top of this article says it all. Guests in this beach bungalow at Velaa Private Reserve walk out their back door to a private pool, their own little stretch of beach, and the clear, turquoise ocean water. Besides, I'd rather get into the ocean from the beach where the water is shallow.

Given a choice, I'd choose a beach bungalow every time!

copyright (c) 2016 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.