Best All Inclusive Overwater Bungalows in 2026

Lily Beach Resort is a 5-star all-inclusive with overwater bungalows on a stunning private island in 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 food and drink. It is a well-known resort and consistently popular; people return here year after year, so we’d recommend you book well in advance.   Overwater Bungalows & Other Accommodation: We have a choice… > Read More

Why We Like It: Stella Island Resort in Crete is a 5-star luxury, adults-only resort with a tremendously good reputation and one which is home to one of only two overwater bungalow accommodations in Europe (the other being at Palafitte Resort on Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland). It occupies a private stretch of Crete’s north coast and offers, amongst other things, spa facilities, some of the very best food on the island, and the opportunity to enjoy many sports including tennis and… > Read More

Princess Senses The Mangrove is a 5-star, adults-only, all-inclusive along the tranquil shores of Green Island, between Montego Bay and Negril. Opened in late 2024, it introduced  Jamaica’s newest overwater bungalows, built to rival Sandals, with the same atmospheric, semi-Polynesian architecture. They are expansive spaces complete with private infinity pools, wrap-around side sun decks, and direct access into the open ocean below. The overwater bungalows here have all the private butler etc., luxury bells and whistles you can ask for…. > Read More

El Dorado Maroma is an adults-only, luxury resort near Cancun that is home to the very first overwater bungalows in Mexico. Sitting directly on Maroma Beach in Playa del Carmen, consistently rated as one of the world’s finest stretches of sand, the resort set a high standard for luxury all-inclusive overwater bungalows right from the get-go We think you’ll find the overall accommodation, service, and gourmet food and drink options to be of the absolute highest quality. Overall, in fact,… > Read More

Sandals South Coast is a 5-star, adults-only, all-inclusive luxury resort within a 500-acre private nature reserve along Jamaica’s southwest coast. It’s one of only three resorts with overwater bungalows in Jamaica, and, heads-up now, though we prefer Caribbean Cay’s larger Elite bungalows, overall this is our favorite resort of the three. It’s not nearly as convenient from Sangster Airport as Sandals Caribbean Cay, that’s true, but the trade off is you get a more exclusive, secluded natural enviornment. A massive… > Read More

All-inclusive resorts, be they with overwater bungalows or not, can tend to fall short when it comes to real luxury but Ozen Maadhoo is the Maldives’ finest example of how to get it right. We think it’s a really fabulous place: the setting is stunning, as is the accommodation, there is a generous supply of top quality food and drink and, if staying more than 4 nights, complimentary activities to enjoy too – spa treatments, scuba diving, and a meal… > Read More

On Miniloc Island is the Filipino hotel group El Nido’s local eco-resort of the same name. It is something of a luxury resort, which we like, but we also like its laid back, unassuming vibe. It is eco-friendly too and feels more locally authentic than most resorts we’ve seen, with a dash of hippie chic thrown in. There are a total of 50 rooms, a mixture of beach cottages and overwater bungalows. The style is classic Filipino, its bungalows and… > Read More

Veligandu Private Island, just twenty minutes by seaplane from Male Airport is, for us, probably the best value all-inclusive overwater bungalow resort in the Maldives. Though it lacks the full 5 Star wow factor of Lily Beach Resort or Ozen Maadhoo, for what we are getting here we might expect the prices to be almost double what they are. As such it is extremely popular and sees a lot of return visitors.   Overwater Bungalows & Other Accommodation: You have… > Read More

First opening its doors in May 2019, then acquired by the Marriott Hotel group in late 2021, Royalton Antigua is a classic 5 Star Caribbean all-inclusive that became home to Antigua’s first overwater bungalows. It 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. There are two resorts with overwater bungalows now in… > Read More

Why We Like It: Saudi Arabia has recently made huge strides in opening up to foreign tourism and this, the St. Regis Red Sea, which opened fairly in early 2024, is another example of such ambition. It is a high end luxury resort, as you would expect from Marriott’s St Regis line, and it is located on an absolutely gorgeous private island the Saudis call Ummahat. It has access to some of the world’s most pristine coral reefs and marine… > Read More

The Fiji Marriott, Momi Bay is an exclusive 5-star resort near Nadi, and the Momi WW2 Gun Site, with an idyllic lagoon and ocean setting. It also has an array of fantastic facilities, premium quality accommodation, including some top-of-the-range overwater bungalows that we found surprisingly good value. Overwater Bungalows & Other 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… > Read More

Soneva Jani is one of The Maldives’ most exclusive private islands and for us its overwater bungalows are uniquely spacious, stylish, and luxurious. We find the very largest of them, the two and four-bedroom ‘water reserves’ around the end of the walkway, really quite extraordinary creations. These opulent wooden palaces come with private pools, water slides, and retractable roofs that allow stargazing direct from the master bedroom. Excellent, gourmet all-inclusive packages are available at Soneva Jani. Check below for details… > Read More

Why We Like It: For us a strong candidate for the best luxury resort in Mauritius, the 5 Star Constance Le Prince Maurice, just an hour from Port Louis and its international airport, is a divine slice of paradise and one that boasts the country’s only overwater bungalows. There are just eleven in total though – eight junior suites and three particularly spacious and luxurious water villas – so we’d recommend you book well in advance. Though the height of… > Read More

Why We Like It: The El Nido eco-resort chain’s Lagen Island branch has a jaw-dropping setting, even by Philippine island standards – a picture-perfect cove surrounded by limestone cliffs and lush green forest. We think Lagen Island as a whole is spectacular and it is a known sanctuary for a huge variety of flora and fauna. If you’re any kind of nature lover we’d highly recommend the resort’s guided jungle hikes. It is a luxury resort (4-star), with a kind… > Read More

Upgraded and rebranded following Hurricane Melissa, Sandals Caribbean Cay (formerly Sandals Royal Caribbean) near Montego Bay remains a landmark destination as the site that introduced the very first high-end, overwater bungalow concept to Jamaica and the Caribbean in 2016. Located just a 5-minute drive from Sangster International Airport via private shuttle, Caribbean Cay offers an all-inclusive, high-end private island exclusively for overwater guests, top-tier amenities, and access to neighboring Sandals resorts. The resort is scheduled to reopen for bookings on… > Read More

There’s certainly no shortage of Maldives overwater bungalow resorts out there, but not many see the same number of positive reviews as Niva Velassaru. It is an enormously popular resort and many of its guests happily return year after year. We think the convenience helps in fairness – we love the fact that this island paradise is just 25 minutes by speedboat from Male Airport. Its prices are a positive factor too – for a 5-star resort in the Maldives… > Read More

Total: 12 overwater suites in three categories: Junior, Presidential, and Chairman. Junior Suites: 1,138 sq. ft., plunge pools, outdoor showers, glass floor panels. Presidential Suites: 1,912 sq. ft., larger layouts with upgraded features. Chairman Suite: 3,049 sq. ft., two bedrooms, two terraces, two plunge pools, hammocks, bar, and kitchenette. Extras: All bungalows include Royalton Diamond Club perks—VIP lounge, 24/7 butler, seamless check-in.   Opened in May 2024, Royalton CHIC Antigua was the second resort in Antigua to have overwater bungalows,… > Read More

Why We Like It: Nujuma, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve, opened in May 2024 as the third super-luxury resort to welcome guests to the Saudi Arabian Red Sea’s Ummahat Islands. Inspired by the word Nujum, meaning ‘stars’ in Arabic, it is also the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve in the broader region, and one of only seven worldwide. It’s a special place, then and the location sure is special too; on its own private island in the same Ummahat Archipelago as the St. Regis… > Read More

Sandals St. Vincent is the Caribbean resort chain’s newest resort, opened in March ’24, with among its broad accommodation choices St Vincent & The Grenadines’ very first Sandals overwater bungalows They are also among the very newest overwater bungalows in the Caribbean, and seem to offer good value compared to some of the more established alternatives. They come as two-story units with outdoor decks with access to the water below, overwater hammocks, a semi-open air upper floor for lounging and… > Read More

Sandals Grande St. Lucian is a 5-star, adults-only, all-inclusive resort situated on the scenic Pigeon Island Peninsula in northwest St. Lucia. It remains home to this tiny island paradise’s ONLY overwater bungalows Opened in 2017, the resort’s nine overwater bungalows offer the same Sandals premium, overwater experience as in Jamaica, with glass floor panels, tranquility soaking tubs, outdoor decks and dedicated butler service. They’re not cheap, of course; budget for at least $4,000 per night in season for the overwater… > Read More

Thatch Caye is a private island paradise off the coast of Belize, offering cozy Caribbean overwater bungalows surrounded by crystal-clear waters and the incredible marine life of the Belize Barrier Reef. It’s a small, all-inclusive resort with a relaxed, eco-friendly spirit and barefoot-chic kind of atmosphere. Thatch Caye is the type of place that sees you slow down and disconnect whether that was the plan when you arrived there or not. There’s little of the formality of a traditional luxury… > Read More

Sun Siyam Iru Fushi is an award-winning 5-star all-inclusive with overwater bungalows on a stunning 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 for three years running from 2016 to 2019, while also being nominated multiple times for the world’s best family resort. We find it’s also a popular place for a romantic getaway too though – this being… > Read More

The 5-star, adults-only Likuliku Lagoon is an eco-friendly island paradise off the coast of Western Fiji, and the first resort in the country to incorporate overwater bungalows. We love that conservation is a big part of the Likuliku story. The world’s last wild population (they were assumed to be extinct until 2010) of Fijian Crested Iguanas to be found in the resort’s on-land sanctuary. Educational, expert-guided forest walks can be arranged. Overwater Bungalows & Other Accommodation: The aforementioned overwater bungalows,… > Read More