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Best Overwater Villas

Overwater villas and bungalows compared on privacy, pool, lagoon access, orientation and price, from the Maldives to Bora Bora.

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Choosing an overwater villa

An overwater villa is a room on stilts above a lagoon, reached by a jetty or walkway, with a deck and steps down into the sea. The Maldives has by far the widest range, from simple jetty rooms to two-storey residences, while Bora Bora adds a mountain backdrop at a narrower, higher price band.

What to check before booking

  • Where the square metres are: published sizes usually count the deck and pool, so ask for the bedroom and bathroom dimensions on their own.
  • Pool size and water: a "pool villa" might have a plunge pool of under 20 square metres or a proper lap length; freshwater and infinity edges vary too.
  • Which way the deck faces: sunset-side villas cost more, and some face the next villa or the island, not open water.
  • Distance from the noise: villas close to the seaplane platform or the main jetty hear every arrival, so request one near the far end of the walkway.
  • Depth and reef below: a shallow sandy lagoon suits paddling, while a deeper drop-off is better for snorkelling straight from the ladder.

How the categories differ

Entry water villas are often the smallest rooms at a resort, with a deck and no pool. Pool water villas add a plunge or lap pool and usually more deck. Above them sit sunset or end-of-jetty villas, then multi-bedroom residences and private-boat houses, such as those reached only by rowing boat. In Bora Bora the order can flip: at some resorts the beach villas are bigger than anything over the lagoon.

Price signals

In the Maldives, well-reviewed pool water villas tend to start from around US$1,300 a night, and the design-led headline villas from around US$2,000 to US$3,500. Bora Bora entry overwater suites mostly start from around US$1,200 to US$1,600, with plunge-pool bungalows from around US$2,500. Add Maldives taxes (17% GST, a 10% service charge and the US$12 nightly Green Tax per person) and a seaplane fare before comparing. We'd book a pool villa further down the jetty before an upgrade to a larger entry villa close to the arrivals area.

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