The couples-only Sandals Royal Caribbean, near Montego Bay and just minutes from Sangster International Airport, was the very first overwater bungalow resort in Jamaica and indeed the entire Caribbean. The concept was an immediate success and the Sandals company soon followed it with overwater bungalows at Sandals South Coast (also in Jamaica) and in their branch in St. Lucia. Sandals Royal Caribbean though was the ground breaker, or well…water breaker, in this region and its standards have been extremely high from the beginning. It is a high end luxury, all inclusive paradise with a private island (where the overwater bungalows are to be found) top of the range facilities, superb food and drink and consistently excellent service. It also has a tremendous location – getting to most overwater bungalow resorts usually involves a fairly long journey from the nearest airport but here you are, tantalizingly, just minutes (via the resort’s private shuttle) away. Overwater Bungalows & Other Accommodation: They have a great range of accommodation to choose from; hotel rooms, suites and overwater bungalows (referred to as ‘Honeymoon Bungalow, 1 Bedroom, Ocean View (Over-the-Water Priv. Island Bungalow on the booking page), offering varying levels of space and luxury to suit most budgets. Their beautifully designed overwater bungalows, attached to a gorgeous little private island, have set the standards high from the very beginning. They have a tangible sense of luxury, are sleek, modern and spacious (just over 1,100 square feet), and come with outdoor terraces, infinity plunge pools, large glass floor panels, romantic spa style bathrooms with bathtubs, a wealth of modern facilities and 24 hour room service with an exclusive in-room dining menu. Overwater Bungalow Prices: Check out all the details – prices, reviews and more photos – on the resort’s own website (Sandals) here, and on their Expedia.com page here. Note: Like all luxury overwater bungalows in the Caribbean the overwater bungalows at Sandals Royal Caribbean are incredibly sought after – Covid-19 notwithstanding, for the 2021 season you should really reserve your stay as soon as possible. You are allowed free cancellation on most bookings.  Resort Facilities & Things to Do: You have a nice choice of food and READ MORE

Maitai Polynesia is a charming little resort in the south of Bora Bora by Matira Point Beach, just below the InterContinental Le Moana. It offers the cheapest luxury overwater bungalow experience in Bora Bora. This might be possible because they seem to have pared back some of the more expensive, but maybe unnecessary for many people frills – things such as a swimming pool, private airport transfer to the resort (though there is private transfer from Vaitape, and you can get there easily, and cheaply, by public ferry from the airport) and an excess of choice in terms of restaurants, bars and other facilities. For a lot of people this is an easy trade off, especially seeing that guests at Maitai have complimentary access to the facilities of the InterContinental just a few minutes walk away. Note: Maitai is placed in our adults only category as, though children can stay in some other parts of the resort, the overwater bungalows are strictly adults only. Overwater Bungalows & Other Accommodation: The resort has a nice range of options – overwater bungalows, bungalows on the beach or in the gardens of the resort and some rooms farther back and higher up which have lovely ocean views. All are stylish, spacious and super comfortable and include air conditioning, satellite TV and a minibar plus the overwater bungalows have a glass table and floor to allow guests to watch the sea life below their feet. Note: Rather surprisingly in this day and age the WiFi can be very weak in many rooms, in particular the overwater bungalows. In the hotel common areas though it works just fine.  The overwater bungalows are great value but they might now have they same wow factor as the other resorts in Bora Bora, being quite close to the shore and relatively close to one other. But, they are much cheaper and again, for what they offer, great value. Overwater Bungalow Prices: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos, on the booking page here. Resort Facilities & Things to Do: The resort is relatively small but has two bars and two high quality (and good READ MORE

First opening its doors in May 2019, Royalton Antigua is an all inclusive resort that boasts Antigua’s very first, and still only, overwater bungalows. The resort offers opulence and luxury and has a choice setting on the clear, calm waters of Antigua’s Deep Bay, less than twenty minutes from St. John’s, and a half an hour from V. C. Bird International Airport. Overwater Bungalows & Other Accommodation: The accommodation choices are many, with of course the overwater bungalows taking pride of place. They cover a full 1442 square feet and have king size bedrooms, lounges (with sofa bed), dining areas and gorgeous outdoor terraces overlooking the Caribbean. They are also sleek, sophisticated and luxurious. Expect private infinity plunge pools, jacuzzis, glass floor viewing panels, private butlers and 24 hour room service as well as in-room aromatherapy, satellite TV, top of the range music systems, complimentary IPTV movie selections, twice daily re-stocked minibars and a pillow menu for example. The other accommodation choices are a mixture of suites in different locations around the private beach and all of them share the same sleek interiors and modern luxury features. They can all sleep up to four but are generally smaller than the overwater bungalows which have over 1,100 square feet (106 square meters) of space. Note: Children (under 13) are not allowed to stay in the overwater bungalows, hence we have placed The Royalton in the Adults Only category. In all the other accommodation though children are welcome. Overwater Bungalow Prices: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos on their Booking.com page here and on Expedia.com here.  Note: Like most luxury overwater bungalows in the Caribbean the overwater bungalows at Royalton Antigua are very sought after – Covid notwithstanding, for the 2021 season you should really reserve your stay as soon as possible. You are allowed free cancellation on most bookings.  Resort Facilities & Things to Do: The resort has seven restaurants in total, with complimentary in-room private dinner and drinks service also available. The choice of food is enormous with a mixture of Caribbean, American and European to be enjoyed, both buffet and a la carte. Each eatery READ MORE

Sun Siyam Iru Fushi is an award winning 5 star all inclusive on a stunning, 52 acre private island in The Maldives’ Noonu Atoll. The resort has a great reputation for family vacations, winning the World Travel Awards’ category of Best Family Resort in the Indian Ocean three years running from 2016 to 2019, while also being nominated multiple times for the world’s best family resort. It is also though a popular place for a romantic getaway – this being the Maldives adults/couples dominate anyway, there are also dedicated adults only zones and the resort is large enough to find plenty of space for rest, relaxation and romance. It offers various options – b&b, half board, full board and all inclusive. For a 5 star resort in The Maldives Sun Siyam Iru Fushi is pleasantly very reasonably priced, with the all inclusive being overall the best value package. Overwater Bungalows & Other Accommodation: It has a nice choice of accommodation on offer, villa style, around the beach or overwater. All of them fit a maximum of two adults and two children up to the age of 12. They are all as plush and comfortable as you might expect from a 5 star private island paradise with sleek interiors and a nice sense of open space both inside and out, though some may deem the overwater bungalows too close to each other careful design means that even on their outside terrace they are still very private. The pick of the overwater villas is very much the ‘Infinity Water Villa with Separate Living Room’, all 1668 square feet/155 square meters of it. It, as the name suggests features a separate lounge area and an infinity pool on the terrace. The others are smaller, though none of them could be accused of being too small – your most basic choice will still be over 900 square feet/85 square meters and though won’t have a private pool it will still have either a semi-open bathroom with a photo worthy spa bath overlooking the sea, or a jacuzzi on the terrace. All their overwater villas also come with those classic glass floor panels so you READ MORE

The InterContinental Le Moana lies along Matira Point at the southern end of Bora Bora’s main island and is, as the name suggests, a sister hotel of the InterContinental Thalasso across the lagoon which has a greater range of facilities, all of which guests at this InterContinental can access via shuttle boat. It doesn’t have the same broad choice of accommodation as its sister hotel and many will consider the Thalasso branch, as it looks directly across the lagoon at the towering Mount Otemanu, to have a more scenic setting. Intercontinental Le Moana also has an extremely idyllic location though it must be said, nestling snugly as it does between the gorgeous white sands of Matira Point and the lush tropical hills behind. It also offers equal amounts of luxury, service and style, and has an understated charm that may be lacking in the larger resort. Its smaller size, more convivial atmosphere, greater access to the main island and lower prices may just make it more preferable for many guests. Overwater Bungalows & Other Accommodation: The Le Moana, as mentioned, doesn’t have the same range of accommodation on offer as the Thalasso, nor are the bungalows and villas on offer as large. Their standard size is 560 ft² with the largest being only a tad larger at 670 ft². That being said they are just as luxurious and beautifully designed and decorated, and have a more intimate, cosy feel. So, if you don’t feel like paying premium prices just for extra space they will work out much better value. The choices are overwater bungalows and beach villas both of which are stylish and sleek, and filled with modern comforts, with the overwaters all coming with a glass bottomed coffee table through which you can peer down into the coral reef. They also have gorgeous views out over the lagoon and the nearby islands of Raiatea and Taha’a, a positive also shared by the beach villas which sit right at the edge of the powder like white sands. All luxury hotel standard facilties are here: air-con, WiFi, cable TVs, music system, coffee makers, refrigerators & mini bars, and the bathrooms are READ MORE

Soneva Jani very much defines itself as one of The Maldives’ most exclusive private island resorts and it’s very hard to argue. Their overwater bungalows are incredibly spacious, stylish and luxurious with the very largest of them, the two and four bedroom ‘water reserves’ around the end of the walk way, being really quite breathtaking. These opulent wooden palaces come with private pools, water slides and retractable roofs that allow stargazing direct from the master bedroom. Soneva Jani is also an eco-resort that has, since its inception, striven to keep its environmental impact as low as possible. Water and waste is recycled and treated via the on-site waste management center and most of the resort’s electricity is solar generated. Facilities include, amongst others, a luxurious spa, tennis courts, a gym, four restaurants and a bar, a cinema, a night-time sky observatory, a water sports center and a kid’s club. Most of the island is left wild so you can wander peacefully through the beautiful mangrove forests and also have some stunning deserted beaches all to yourself. Overwater Bungalows & Other Accommodation: The first stand-out feature of Soneva Jani’s overwater bungalows is their sheer size – all of them are spread over two floors and their very smallest one bedroom units still cover 4477 square feet/416 square meters while their largest, the four bedroom water reserve, covers a whopping 15295 square feet/1421 square meters. There are five other categories between those two extremes none of which will disappoint. The majority of them have water slides from the upper floor if you’re ever in a hurry to get downstairs. Other standard features include large private pools, various glass floor viewing panels, study rooms, huge walk in wardrobes, kitchenettes and stunning bathrooms. Outside of the overwater bungalows you can also choose to stay in their two bedroom beach bungalow hidden away in the mangrove forests. It is titled the Robinson Crusoe Residence and comes with lots of very private space. Or you can also choose to stay in their very indulgent, 23 meter private yacht. It has two en-suite bedrooms and a glass-bottomed spa tub amongst other things. Your crew includes a captain, READ MORE