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.

Contents [Show]

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


RELATED POSTS
2 thoughts on "Maldives resort Anantara Veli offering an unlimited year long pass"

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All Comments
  1. Many say Maldives is only for honeymooners, do you think it can be a good place for birthday celebrations?any exciting activities or suggestions?. thank you.

    1. Marolyne,

      It’s true that the Maldives is very popular with honeymoon couples, but I think most of the guests are people who come back every year or every few years. It’s a very addicting place. You definitely wouldn’t be the only ones celebrating a birthday.

      The larger resorts tend to have more options for activities, although honestly most people (especially those who have been before) seem to be happy to relax during the day and party a bit at night. There are boat excursions daily at most resorts, and those can be fun. And there is pretty decent snorkeling below the water villas at most places, although that comes and goes with the tides. -Roger