we first had the idea to create a worldwide directory of every overwater resort in the world, we honestly assumed there were about 20 or maybe 30 of these places. It turned out we underestimated by quite a bit, and since new ones keep opening up, the number keeps getting higher and higher.
A couple months ago I wrote a post called where are overwater bungalows, which lists all the major spots in the world where you can find these things. However, continued research means that I've uncovered quite a few more places, so that original post will be updated very soon.
One small problem persists though, in that in some cases it's difficult to classify whether a place has real overwater bungalows or not. There are a few places with entrances on the shore but most of the room is over the water, and there are also places that have up to 6 rooms per structure, so they probably don't qualify as “bungalows” or “villas.”
Still, I thought people might be interested in exactly how many resorts and rooms are out there, so below are some facts I've collected. There might be a few more resorts that I've yet to uncover, but for the most part this list is nearly 100% accurate.
We reviewed the choices here and didn’t see anything that looked affordable (cheap). We are looking for an over water room with all inclusive amenities so we can eat to much, drink to much and relax enough for 4 nights and 5 days. The issue has been finding a place in our “cheap” budget of 2300.00 for the accommodations plus about 400.00 for transportation to and from Male to the resort. Can you help?
Michael,
My top recommendation for an all-inclusive water villa in the Maldives is Meeru Island. They are one of the larger resorts and that allows them to offer very good rates and still keep a very high quality of service. The rates are different depending on the week or month you want to visit, so I’m not sure whether they fit your budget or not. If Meeru doesn’t fit your budget then you’ll probably have to settle for a resort that isn’t all-inclusive. Best of luck! -Roger
https://www.overwaterbungalows.net/meeru-island-resort-maldives