The Fiji Marriott, Momi Bay is an exclusive 5 Star resort near Nadi, and the Momi WW2 Gun Site, with a truly idyllic lagoon and ocean side setting. It also has an array of fantastic facilities, premium quality accommodation, including some top of the range overwater bungalows, and consistently cheerful, friendly service. THE ACCOMMODATION: The Marriott has a mixture of rooms at the main hotel building, all of which come with either a balcony or a patio, plus a mixture of bures (traditional Fijian style straw and wood huts) and overwater bungalows with private access to the water just below your feet. They come in various sizes with the largest, at over 800 square feet, being their ‘Royal Lagoon’ overwater bungalows. All the accommodation choices are 5 Star standard and have a modern, minimalist chic style. Facilities include cable TV, air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, USB chargers, music systems, laptop safes, tea & coffee making facilities and 24 hour room service. They all have particularly nice bathrooms too with stand-alone bath tubs, rainfall showers and a range of luxury toiletries. The hotel rooms may be some of the most plush on Fiji but a stay in one of their traditional Fijian, straw and wood bures is a whole different level of experience and certainly worth the extra. This also applies, even more so, to their very plush overwater bungalows which have high vaulted ceilings, outdoor decks and private access to the pristine waters below. The only negative we could see with the overwaters is that too much of the space is internal – a much larger outside deck would surely have been preferable for most people. Note: The overwater bungalows are for adults/over 18s only. PRICES: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos on the booking.com page here and also on the resort’s own website (Marriott-Bonvoy) here. FACILITIES & THINGS TO DO: They have a great selection of high standard facilities including three swimming pools, two tennis courts, a 24 hour fitness center/gym and a day spa with spacious treatment rooms, plunge pools, a beauty therapy center and a hairdresser. Children will be well taken care of too at READ MORE

Lily Beach Resort is a 5 Star all inclusive with an absolutely stunning setting on a private island in southern Ari Atoll, Maldives. Their all inclusive plan offers a generous array of quality services, with a range of free water sports activities and excursions and lots and lots of premium quality food and drink. It is a well known resort and consistently popular; people return here year after year, so advance bookings are recommended. THE ACCOMMODATION: They have a choice of overwater villas, beach villas and lagoon villas at Pearl Beach. The typically romantic overwater villas are divided between ‘Deluxe Water Villas’ which have 1356 ft² of space including a private outdoor deck with a jacuzzi plunge pool, and the ‘Sunset Water Villas’ which are a step ahead with 1960 ft² to play with, a proportionally larger deck and larger pool, as well as a 24 hour personal butler service. All the overwater choices have a section of glass floor panels so you can gaze at the sea life below from the comfort of your bungalow. The Lagoon Villas are at the edge of the lagoon and cover just short of 1000 ft², are secluded and private and come with an outdoor bath on the terrace, while the Beach Villas have a nice location right on the beach with a private deck and about 730 ft² of space for the ‘standard’ villas and 1463 ft² for the two bedroom ‘family’ villas, which are effectively two interconnected standard villas. The style is modernist and fairly minimalist, with the emphasis being more on comfort than interior decor, and all the accommodation choices include luxury hotel standard facilities and features as standard; air-conditioning, WiFi, flat-screen TV & home theatre system, tea/coffee making facilities, minibar and safe etc. The bathrooms are all suitably plush too with rainfall showers and spa bathtubs. PRICES: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos, on the booking page here. FACILITIES & THINGS TO DO: There are four restaurants and three bars at the resort and the quality of the food and drink is excellent. Many 5 Star all-inclusives let themselves down a little when it READ MORE

The 5 Star, St Regis Bora Bora was the setting for the 2009 comedy ‘Couple’s Retreat,’ starring Vince Vaughan, an extra publicity boost that such a confident, sophisticated resort really had very little need for. THE ACCOMMODATION: The resort is spread out over 44 acres which includes a private lagoon and various beach areas. The accommodation is a mixture of overwater bungalows and beach villas, all of which are extremely spacious; the largest overwater bungalows and villas in Bora Bora in fact. The very smallest on offer at the St Regis are 1550 ft² for example, with the very largest being a quite magnificent 3960 ft². The design and decor are mostly traditional Polynesian; airy and with lots of wood. You will have a large bedroom(s) with a super comfortable King size bed, seating, closet space and a giant flat screen TV. The lounge areas have comfy sofas, another TV and a mini bar, and outside there is lots of deck space with lounging, seating and dining furniture, outdoor showers and, in the case of the overwater bungalows, private access to the water. The bathrooms are suitably luxurious, and large, too. There you have a rainfall shower, a deep bath to sink into and a choice of exotic bath salts and other pampering products. Another very nice feature is that all the overwater bungalows are equipped with glass floor panels in the hallway, living room and bathroom which allows some gorgeous glimpses into life under the water below. The overwaters come in various levels and prices as you will see on the booking page with the top of the range being their Royal Villas which are really quite magnificent and, surprisingly enough, are the only ones which have private pools on the deck. You have a private butler service at your disposal at the St Regis and one of the best concierge teams around. They are particularly adept at arranging grand romantic gestures, for honeymoons or otherwise, via their ‘Romantic Concierge’ service, and they organize weddings too with a bridal boutique also on the premises where you can rent wedding dresses, groom suits etc. PRICES: Check out all the details READ MORE

The very lovely, and very intimate, strictly adults only, Sofitel Bora Bora has its own private island with crystal clear waters and coral gardens just two minutes boat ride from the southern end of the main Island, or a 30 minutes boat shuttle ride direct from Bora Bora Airport. The Sofitel has just 30 bungalows & villas and so is very much a boutique resort, and most certainly a place for peace, quiet and indulgent calm and contentment. Especially given that the entire island is child free – the only adults only overwater resort in Bora Bora. THE ACCOMMODATION: This intimate oasis is particularly geared towards couples and honeymooners and so all its accommodation choices are doubles. There are two types of villa on offer; twenty classic overwater bungalows out on the lagoon and ten more private jungle lodges surrounded by trees and overlooking the water. Both are roughly the same size, and at around 370 ft² are relatively small. They all come with king size bed as standard though, as well as a living space, an outdoor terrace/sun lounge and private access to the water. Expect all standard luxury hotel mod cons here, and excellent room service. Concierge services are available too, and happy to oblige all sorts of requests. PRICES: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos, on the booking page here. FACILITIES & THINGS TO DO: You can enjoy gourmet Polynesian and French food, as well as quality French wines (it has an extensive wine cellar), at the Manu Tuki Restaurant. It has a very lovely setting, with views over the peaceful lagoon, and of the towering Mount Otemanu away in the distance. Moving on from there you can enjoy some beautifully crafted cocktails, and other drinks at the cosy Mako Bar, which has similarly beautiful views from its wooden terrace and also serves food and snacks throughout the day. If you want to make any day or evening extra special all sorts of romantic extras are available, such as gourmet dining on the beach or sunset champagne evenings with traditional Polynesian dance shows. Private, bespoke arrangements can also be made, for the READ MORE

Banana Island is an island paradise just off the coast of Doha which is home to Qatar’s only overwater bungalows, and one of only two overwater bungalow resorts in the Gulf region (the other being the Palm Resort in Dubai). All are three bedroom units and cover a full 2370 sq. feet/220 sq. meters, so for sheer scale alone they are very impressive. They are also nicely designed, sleek and very luxurious, as you might well expect from one of Qatar’s finest luxury resorts. Banana Island has a very highly rated spa and wellness center, commonly thought of as the country’s best, seven restaurants to choose from and a host of leisure and sports activities both land and water based including golf, tennis, ten pin bowling, scuba diving, snorkeling, boating, fishing, etc. THE ACCOMMODATION: They have a good range of accommodation choices all of which are spacious and luxurious. Even their cheapest rooms will be at least 500 sq. feet and display high levels of comfort and more than a touch of class. Pride of place though of course goes to their fabulous overwater villas. They are as mentioned enormous with three bedrooms centered around a central living area, which has a giant TV and lounging and dining areas, leading out to a very spacious and well furnished terrace which also includes a private plunge pool. Their sleek bathrooms are noteworthy and come with especially inviting curved bath tubs. Each has also a small kitchen/kitchenette area which, though not a deal breaker of course, may disappoint somewhat, especially when the rest of the villa is so bold and grand. They come with a microwave oven, fridge and pod coffee maker. There are only 11 overwater villas in total at Banana Island and they can be booked out. If that’s the case the rest of the accommodation doesn’t have to be such a downgrade, our favorite alternative in such a case would be the ‘Two Bedroom luxury Sea View Pool Villa’. Note: Banana Island is an alcohol free resort. Note 2: All couples must present a marriage certificate on check in.  PRICES: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & READ MORE

The overwater bungalows at Banyan Tree Mayakoba open in June 2021. Reservations can be made here now. The newest of only three overwater bungalows in Mexico, the other two being the nearby Palafitos El Dorado Resort and the even more nearby Rosewood Mayakoba, Banyan Tree Mayakoba is an exclusive resort near Playa del Carmen which has won consistently great reviews for its eco friendly principles, its choice setting, its luxury accommodation and facilities (including golf course and spa), exceptional service and excellent food. The overwater bungalows (listed as Lagoon Sunset Pool Villa on the booking page) won’t be open until June 2021 so we sadly haven’t had the chance to check them out yet. If the rest of this fabulous resort is anything to go by though, they will be top of the range. Two minor quibbles may be that externally the style is more chalet-like than the kind of traditional, rustic Polynesian you may have come to expect from an overwater bungalow and secondly – like those of the very nearby Rosewood Mayakoba – they stand over the lagoon as opposed to the sea. That aside though their extremely plush interiors, set over two floors, sense of private space and overall aesthetic are bound to please. And in general Banyan Tree is a thoroughly enjoyable resort. THE ACCOMMODATION: The above mentioned overwater bungalows are listed as Lagoon Sunset Pool Villa on the booking page. They are all doubles with king size bed and seem very spacious – over two floors they cover a full 2400 square feet / 222 sq. meters. They have a (heated – quite unnecessarily perhaps!) plunge pool on the private terrace which has views over the lagoon. Their bathrooms promise to be particularly nice with spa baths as standard. As with the resort in general, the overall aesthetic with the overwater villas seems to be harmony with nature. The decor and furniture are generally of wood or other organic materials and plentiful native Yucatan, potted plants give them an earthy, jungly vibe. These overwater villas are eagerly awaited, and there are only 6 in total, so you can be expect to be disappointed unless booking READ MORE