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.

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Countries with overwater bungalow/water villa resorts

Maldives

 

75 resorts – 3005 overwater rooms

 

Bora Bora

 

11 resorts – 652 overwater rooms
(note: 1 resort is closed until 2012 for refurbishment)

 

Moorea

 

5 resorts – 179 overwater rooms

 

Tahiti

 

2 resorts – 44 overwater rooms

 

Elsewhere in the South Pacific

 

12 resorts – 136 overwater rooms
(includes Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa, Huahine, Tikehau, Vanuatu, Tahaa)

 

Malaysia

 

5 resorts – 527 overwater rooms

 

Thailand

 

5 resorts – 56 overwater rooms (many not technically bungalows)

 

Philippines

 

3 resorts – 73 overwater rooms

 

Honduras

 

3 resorts – 30 overwater rooms

 

Panama

 

3 resorts – 21 overwater rooms

 

Belize

 

2 resorts – 7 overwater rooms

 

Switzerland

 

1 resort – 24 overwater rooms

 

Mexico

 

1 resort – 14 overwater rooms

 

Indonesia

 

1 resort – 13 overwater rooms (not all technically bungalows)

 

Bermuda

 

1 resort – 13 overwater rooms (closed until 2012)

 

Mauritius

 

1 resort – 11 overwater rooms

 

World total: 113 resorts

Total overwater bungalow rooms in the world as of February, 2012: 4965


Resorts with most overwater bungalows

#1 – Golden Palm Tree Resort & Spa – Malaysia: 392 overwater bungalows

#2 – Meeru Island Resort – Maldives: 106 water villas

#3 – Four Seasons Bora Bora – 100 overwater bungalows


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  1. Well written article.

    We are planning on staying at St. Lucian in the Spring of 2022 celebrating our Anniversary. Any of suggestions you may have ? If there a price difference for “in Season” and if so what are the dates ?

    Thanks

    1. Keith,

      The overwater bungalows at the St. Lucian seem to be the same rate almost every day of the year, and that’s a bit over US$2,000 per night if you book 3 nights or more. For shorter stays it’s MUCH more expensive for some reason. The high season for St. Lucia runs from mid December through the end of March, but the rates seem to be the same as summer, strangely enough. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger