Of the twenty or so overwater bungalow resorts clustered around Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora, the most remote is one of the more affordable in the region, called the Manihi Pearl Beach Resort.
Some people may prefer to be on an island with another resort every few hundred yards, but for those looking to feel that they are in paradise at the edge of the world, this is one to consider.
You can check the map of the South Pacific overwater resorts yourself, and you’ll notice the large cluster around Bora Bora, and to the northeast of that you’ll see one standing alone on its own private island with nothing else close. The Manihi Pearl Beach Resort is a 90-minute flight from Tahiti, and then a 10-minute golf cart ride from the small air strip to the resort itself.
As one of the cheaper South Pacific resorts of it’s kind it’s no surprise that the overwater bungalows are modest in size, but at almost 550 square feet they are still nearly twice the size of a standard urban hotel room. There’s also a private terrace, a glass-bottom coffee table, and a mini bar among other luxury amenities.
Along with the full list of standard tropical resort activities, including diving snorkeling, sea kayaks, and swimming pools, the Manihi Pearl Beach Resort also offers several programs that are only found in the South Pacific. There’s an actual oyster farm just a short ride away, and a Polynesian stargazing/astronomy session available for free each Wednesday evening.
Even more memorable is the “Robinson Crusoe picnic on the Motu.” With a group of 4 or more people you can arrange for the resort to take you to a small deserted island (known as a motu in the South Pacific) for a barbecue picnic lunch, snorkeling, and line fishing. This is an experience that is very popular in the South Pacific, and no where can you do it more remotely than on Manihi Island.
Being completely honest, probably the best feature of the Manihi Island Resort is that it’s among the cheapest in this very expensive part of the world. The resorts on Bora Bora itself start at over US$700 per night in season while the Manihi starts at only US$498 per night, plus 15% tax.
Better still, the Premium Overwater bungalows give you the best views and more privacy and they are only $40 per night extra. For a premium resort with all the amenities you expect at a 4- or 5-star hotel, this is very good value.
Price: US$558 per night
My family and I live in Asia and we are looking for a trip to anywhere with water bungalows and hopefully clear, turqoise water with snorkelling and water activities available, and is also budget friendly if possible. We are two adults and one child who is a little over 17. Are there any suggestions or recommendations? Thank you
Silvia,
We keep a list of the 28 cheapest overwater bungalow resorts in the world on our other site:
https://www.priceoftravel.com/992/the-11-cheapest-overwater-bungalow-resorts-in-the-world/
That should tell you what is available in the different parts of the world. -Roger
I am looking to plan a family vacation that is budget friendly. I would love to stay in an overwater hut. Can you tell me the best and most reasonable place to stay with a family the kids are 12 & 16
Kris,
Since you aren’t even sure which part of the world you want to visit, I’d recommend starting with this list of the world’s cheapest overwater resorts on our other site. Most of those resorts only allow 3 guests per room, even though almost all of them have a pull-out couch in addition to a king bed. You might find some good choices in Central America or in Asia other than the Maldives. And of course it really depends on where you are starting from because the cost of flights could cancel out any savings from a cheaper resort. I hope that helps and I’m happy to help with other questions if you have them. -Roger
I would like to attend an over water bungalow resort for me and about 7 of my closest friends to celebrate my 45th Birthday. As most resorts are for honeymooners, are there single friendly resorts that can accommodate a "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" week long celebration. We live on the East coast and realize we will have to fly West for all the bungalows you have described above. All feedback is appreciated to guide me in the planning phrase.
Kim,
That sounds like a lot of fun. You won’t find many resorts that are great options for “solo” travelers, but groups of singles will fit in with many other groups there. Most of the resorts in Bora Bora and Moorea allow 3 guests per bungalow, and they all have a sleeper sofa in them for that purpose (most don’t allow 4 guests per room though). So if two of your group are okay sleeping on a pull-out couch then you can get by with 3 bungalows.
It’s true that many of the guests at these resorts will be honeymoon couples or anniversary couples, but there are also families with older children and multi-generational groups. I think your group would have fun at just about any of those resorts, but I’d probably focus on one that has some nightlife each evening such as a band or DJ. Some of the smaller resorts only have a beach bar and it’ll mostly be couples in those. Long story short, I think I’d look at one of the larger resorts on Moorea or Bora Bora or even Tahiti. The places with at least 100 total rooms (including beach and garden bungalows) should also have plenty of things to keep you happy and a diverse clientele.
If your budget can handle a bit over US$2,000 per night you might even consider one of the Sandals resorts on Jamaica because the flights will be so much shorter and cheaper. The overwater bungalows there are huge (I just toured both resorts recently) and the nearby beach rooms are really wonderful there as well. The beach rooms start at around US$500 per night, but they are premium all-inclusive with even many activities included so they would be really fun for a group. In other words, maybe you could get 1 (or 2) overwater bungalows and a couple of beach rooms, and take turns in each? And you could mostly hang out in the overwater bungalow during the day, which is plenty big enough for everyone. When you add in the cost of flights and all that time flying to Los Angeles and to Tahiti then the Jamaica plan could look even better. Also you have to factor in the cost of meals and drinks and activities. In the South Pacific the room includes breakfast, but everything else is extra, while in Jamaica it’s ALL included in the price. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
My wife and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. It would be wonderful to stay at an over water bungalow.
Is Tahiti, Bora Bora gay-friendly islands? Are any island more friendly than others?
Merchel,
Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora are all part of French Polynesia, and the French culture there is quite strong. With that in mind, I’d expect that the islands and the resorts in particular would be quite LGBT-friendly. I don’t recall seeing anything in particular that stood out when I’ve been there, but I have a strong hunch that the resorts are all very progressive with that sort of thing. The island people seem to be quite open minded, and French people are famously tolerant. I wish I could give you more certainty. Best of luck with this. -Roger
I am trying to plan our 10 year wedding anniversary. We are both pretty easy to please regarding vacations.
I do know that my wife would really love to stay at an over water Bungalow for this trip.
We would be traveling from Wichita, KS to Bora Bora or somewhere similar.(hopefully if price is right).
I have browsed a bit and can’t find much for our budget (around $3-4k per person). Obviously I would love to be on the low end of my budget and save as much as possible.
If not in Bora Bora, we would be okay with over water bungalow’s elsewhere.
Travel dates would be leaving August 26th and Returning September 2nd (can go 1 day either way if needed).
Michael,
We are simply an online guide to overwater bungalows and not a travel agency. You’ll find the best deals online for these resorts. You can usually get better value in Moorea, which is another gorgeous island right off Tahiti itself. The room rates are a bit lower and transportation is faster and cheaper as well. If you have any specific questions just let us know. -Roger
We our planning our honeymoon and live near San Francisco. We’d love to go to an amazing bungalow but the issue is we have only around 7 days for our trip, so the long flights really eat into our time. Is there an island you recommend we go to which is easy to reach from SFO? Thanks!
Andrew,
From San Francisco the closest overwater bungalows are in Tahiti, which is only a couple hours farther than Hawaii. It looks like you’d have to fly down to LAX first, as that’s where all the flights to Tahiti start. There are two resorts not far from the Tahiti Airport that offer overwater bungalows. Those resorts are pretty nice, but there are 4 nicer ones on Moorea, which is a 5-minute flight or one-hour ferry ride from Tahiti. If you are going all that way, it’s probably worth going to Moorea, as it’s also a much prettier island than Tahiti itself. Bora Bora is a 60-minute flight from Tahiti, and it has even more options. Those islands are so gorgeous and wonderful that I think it’s worth the flight, even for a week. Best of luck with this. -Roger
Hi
We live at the Gold Coast, Australia so can fly out of here or Brisbane. For our 20 year wedding anniversary in April we want to stay at an overwater bungalow – this will probably be a one-off so I want it to be in the clearest water with white sand so that the swimming and hopefully snorkelling is great. Maybe even some other water activities like sailboarding nearby? What do you recommend also considering ease of getting there? Thanks!
Margo,
There are actually a few resorts in the South Pacific that aren’t far from you, including one in New Caledonia. Have a look at our list of resorts in the South Pacific for more details. The next closest to you are in the Philippines and Malaysia. You can find those under the Asia tab on the top of this page.
But really you’ll find the best affordable resorts in the Maldives, which has 80 different overwater hotels, each on its own island. Click on the Maldives tab for all of that information. And of course Bora Bora, which also isn’t too far from you, has many of the world’s best overwater resorts if price isn’t a major factor. Best of luck and let me know if I can help more. -Roger