The Maldives or the South Pacific: Which overwater bungalow destination is right for you?

want to stay in an overwater bungalow or a water villa, you most likely are going to want to head to either the South Pacific (Bora BoraMooreaTahiti etc) or the Maldives, which is just southwest of India. There are nearly 30 resorts with overwater bungalows in the South Pacific , and over 75 with water villas (as they are usually called there) in the Maldives.

The Maldives or the South Pacific: Which overwater bungalow destination is right for you?
Best 9 videos of overwater bungalows in Bora Bora

Everybody loves photographs of overwater bungalows, especially the aerial shots that show all the rooms lined up over the turquoise lagoon, but obviously those don’t really tell you much about what it’s like to stay in these glorious hotel rooms.

The good news is that many guests are so thrilled with their bungalow that they’ve recorded guided video tours of them. There are 9 overwater bungalow resorts on Bora Bora itself, and I’ve collected the best video for each of them and put them below.

Best 9 videos of overwater bungalows in Bora Bora
Map of all overwater bungalow resorts in the South Pacific

you might already know, almost all of the overwater bungalow resorts in the world are in two main places. One is the Maldives, which is an island group and nation just southwest of India, where you’ll find about 75 water villa resorts alone. That accounts for about two thirds of all the overwater bungalow resorts in the world.

The other grouping, which is actually more famous internationally, is spread around the South Pacific.

Map of all overwater bungalow resorts in the South Pacific
One of the greatest overwater bungalow photos I’ve seen

many of us, a large photo of an overwater bungalow resort is as close as we are likely to ever get to them. We are adding photo galleries to each resort page, starting with Bora Bora and Moorea, so I’ve been spending many hours lately going through these magnificent and inspirational images.

I think most of us are easily hypnotized by the aerial photos of the resorts, but one particular photo I came across hit me in a different way so I thought I’d share it with everyone.

One of the greatest overwater bungalow photos I’ve seen
Map of all Bora Bora overwater bungalow resorts

people consider the French Polynesian island of Bora Bora to be the single most beautiful place on earth. While it’s obviously impossible to prove that, Bora Bora is so special that it even looks gorgeous from the satellite view. With that in mind, we’ve made a map showing the exact locations of all the over water bungalow resorts in Bora Bora.

When you are looking at it keep in mind that in the center of the main island you’ll find a tall volcanic mountain, which is visible from just about every resort in the area.

Map of all Bora Bora overwater bungalow resorts
Kardashians invade Bora Bora in an overwater bungalow suite

April, 2011, the Kardashian clan (and their film/production crew) invaded the French Polynesian island of Bora Bora for a 7-day family visit. Needless to say, the whole thing is part of their “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” show, and the 3 Bora Bora episodes begin airing this coming Sunday, August 21, 2011, in the United States.

Evidently the main purpose was that Bruce and Kris Jenner were going to renew their wedding vows for their 20th Anniversary so nearly the whole family were there to help celebrate.

Kardashians invade Bora Bora in an overwater bungalow suite
Where are overwater bungalows and water villas?

Happened to all of us. We see a photo of an overwater bungalow (or a water villa, as they are called in much of the world) and we immediately daydream about spending a holiday in one ourselves. There’s something both romantic and private about these hotel rooms, which is one reason that they are incredibly popular for honeymoons and anniversary trips.

One complication is that overwater bungalows are found in only a few parts of the world, almost all of which are a long way from the people who’d like to stay in them.

Where are overwater bungalows and water villas?