In the past week two separate water-villa resorts have been tapped for prestigious honors within the hotel industry. Both are in Asia and both already had a great reputation so these recognitions are really no surprise, but still it should give potential guests just that much more confidence in both of them.
The World Travel Awards are relatively new and this is only the second year that they have handed out the honor for the “Leading water villa” resort, which has been taken down by Baros Maldives this time around. Baros is already incredibly popular and receives rave reviews from nearly 100% of past guests, although with water villas starting over US$1,000 per night even in low season, it’s among the more expensive resorts in the Maldives.
The awards are voted on by travel industry professionals, yet it’s hard to give them too much weight considering that certainly very few of them have even visited Baros Maldives or many of the other nomitated resorts. The spread-out nature of the Maldives combined with the 75 or so water-villa resorts means that it would take many months and a huge bank account in order to actually compare all the resorts to one another. Still, Baros is doing something right, and those who can afford to stay there will feel even better about booking.
Other nominees in the category
This is the first time an award has been given in this category, and the debut honors go to the well-regarded Soneva Gili Resort in the Maldives. It’s also known has having the largest overwater bungalow in the world (over 15,000 square feet or 1400 square meters), but it’s also known as a top resort for the rich and famous, among others. It has a casual “No news, no shoes” policy, with all of its villas being overwater and huge.
Other water villa resorts nominated in this category
This one may not sound terribly impressive at first, but consider that there are many hundreds of thousands of hotels in the world, if not millions. Pangkor Laut Resort in Malaysia is the only water-villa resort in Asia to have made the cut, meaning that not a single one of the Maldives water villa resorts show up. The only other overwater resort on the list is the InterContinental Resort & Thalasso Spa in Bora Bora.
Looking at the 500 World’s Best Hotels you can clearly see that this is a big honor, as probably half the spots, if not more, are taken up by the famous luxury hotel chains like Park Hyatt, InterContinental, Four Seasons, and Ritz-Carlton. For an independent hotel to get noticed among these chains is certainly an achievement.
Looking for one in Zanzibar for two? Any recommendations? Or Capetown?
Brian,
Sorry, but I’m not aware of any overwater resorts in Zanzibar or South Africa. Hopefully they will be planned in the coming years. -Roger
There are 4 of us that would like to depart Seattle and get to Sunshine in January. We were thinking Bora Bora but are wide open. I was wondering if there are any water bungalows that accommodate 4 people but are still affordable?
Theresa,
Most of the Bora Bora resort hotels allow 3 guests per room, but I’ve only heard about a couple that allow 4, and those are the super expensive ones that go for close to US$2,000 per night.
The option that might work are the so-called Brando overwater bungalows, which are privately run and not part of a resort. A couple of them have two bedrooms and they are actually more reasonably priced. Good luck! -Roger
Hi, there is 5 of us wanting to stay closest to Jacksonville Florida (Mom not doing well). That has the bungalows over the water, but HAS to be clear water? Can you help me? I am a disabled vet, and they wanted to do this for me. Thank you, Lisa🌞
Lisa,
The closest real overwater bungalows to Florida are in Jamaica at two different Sandals resorts, but the water isn’t turquoise like it is in Bora Bora and the Maldives. Unfortunately Florida is pretty much half a world away from the ones with clear water. The closest are probably in Tahiti, but if you go there you might as well go to Moorea, which is right next door. -Roger