Overwater bungalows in Playa del Carmen, near Cancun, Mexico

In the overwater bungalow scene there is no more popular topic than when Caribbean resorts will build the “honeymoon style” units to compete with those in Bora Bora and the Maldives. Though there are several resorts that claim to be in the process of building overwater rooms, currently there are only a select few that have actually succeeded in building them.

When in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, guests will find two overwater resorts nearby with each offering a Caribbean experience with a South Pacific twist.

Overwater bungalows in Playa del Carmen, near Cancun, Mexico
New overwater bungalow resort in the Bahamas wins approval to build

Interest in honeymoon-style overwater bungalows in the Caribbean is extremely high, and there is a new reason to be optimistic that we may finally get them after an announcement recently in the Bahamas. According to the Nassau Guardian, a proposed resort called Leaf Cay in the Exuma Island chain has won approval from the government for its plan to build a private-island resort similar to those in the Maldives and Bora Bora.

New overwater bungalow resort in the Bahamas wins approval to build
Overwater bungalows in Montego Bay, Jamaica UPDATE: Opening soon

As the chorus of people hoping for real overwater bungalows in the Caribbean grows louder each year, it seems we may finally have some good news. According to at least one respected travel blog, the Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica will soon be getting 5 large and very luxurious overwater bungalows.

The rumor of this construction has been around for years, but we are told that actual construction (or at least pre-construction) has begun, and reports on TripAdvisor from recent visitors seem to confirm it.

Overwater bungalows in Montego Bay, Jamaica UPDATE: Opening soon
Overwater bungalow of the week: St. George’s Caye Resort – Belize

This week we are featuring a unique “couples resort” located on its own private island just off the coast of Belize. St. George’s Caye Resort has 6 over-the-water-cabanas, as they call them, which share a semi-circle pier out over the Caribbean sea. There are six other rooms located on the island itself and that’s it, and if you have a group of the right size you can rent the entire island out yourself.

Overwater bungalow of the week: St. George’s Caye Resort – Belize
Overwater bungalows planned for the Dominican Republic

Potentially exciting news for the many thousands of people who are interested in 5-star overwater bungalows in the most popular parts of the Caribbean, as at least one company has them in the planning stages. A resort called Las Canas on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic is intending to build 10 luxury units, to be opened in 2013.

This follows recent news of overwater bungalows nearly ready to open at the St.

Overwater bungalows planned for the Dominican Republic
Sandals St. Lucia announces opening dates for their overwater bungalows

much speculation, Sandals Resorts have finally announced the dates when visitors are expected to be able to stay in their overwater bungalow suites, and unfortunately it’s quite a bit later than we had hoped. The folks at caribbeannewsdigital.com interviewed Sandals’ CEO recently who said that the groundbreaking on the 26 overwater bungalows is scheduled for August 15, 2012, and the opening to the public of the suites is February, 2013.

FEBRUARY, 2017 UPDATE: Sandals has opened 17 overwater bungalows at their Royal Caribbean Resort in Montego Bay and they have finally officially announced that the Sandals St.

Sandals St. Lucia announces opening dates for their overwater bungalows
Is a Sandals all-inclusive vacation right for you? Here’s how to decide

You may not yet know that Sandals is a chain of about 20 resorts all over the Caribbean and 3 of those resorts have the regions first “honeymoon-style” overwater bungalows. With a name like Sandals you might also not expect that this is a very high-end chain of all-inclusive resorts, but that’s exactly what it is.

The overwater bungalows start around US$3,000 per night and I had a chance to visit them at two of Sandals’ Jamaica resorts on a recent press trip.

Is a Sandals all-inclusive vacation right for you? Here’s how to decide
Overwater bungalows in Jamaica: Two amazing all-inclusive resorts

Jamaica is one of the Caribbean’s most popular islands, especially for all-inclusive resorts, and starting late in 2016 it also became the region’s capital of overwater bungalows. There are now two amazing overwater bungalow resorts on Jamaica, and we are hoping to welcome more in the future.

Fans of all-inclusive resorts will be happy to hear that both of the Jamaican resorts are part of the famous luxury Sandals chain, so guests pay one price and nearly everything they can think of (including premium items and excursions) is included.

Overwater bungalows in Jamaica: Two amazing all-inclusive resorts
Overwater bungalow resorts in Panama

We are constantly asked if there are any of those amazing overwater bungalow resorts in the Caribbean, and many people are disappointed to learn that there are only a few options that come close to what you would find in the South Pacific and the Maldives.

With this said, there are some good options for budget seekers off of the Caribbean coast of Panama. Most of these hotels, lodges, and resorts tend to focus more on nature and being as eco-friendly as possible than on luxuries, so they’re certainly not for everyone.

Overwater bungalow resorts in Panama
Overwater bungalows in Mexico

When many of us think of a tropical winter vacation, we immediately think of Mexico, so it’s no wonder that quite a few people hope to find overwater bungalows in the country. There’s a bit of good news here as there are two resorts in Mexico that feature overwater villas, one of which is considered all-inclusive.

The problem is that overwater bungalows, or water villas, as they are called in many parts of the world, can only be built over still water.

Overwater bungalows in Mexico