South Pacific

The very sight of a bungalow hovering over clear blue water is instantly transporting. Close your eyes and you can hear the sea lapping at the deck, smell the salty breeze and feel the warming sun. It’s almost impossible to look at these gorgeous overwater resorts and not add at least one to your bucket list. Which is your favourite?

Tahiti was once best known for a torrid history as the chosen home of Bounty mutineers and the sensuous depictions of Tahitian women by French artist Paul Gauguin. Nowadays, though, the word Tahiti conjures vivid daydreams of densely forested and mountainous islands with picturesque thatched-roof bungalows at their shores, hovering over the clear lapping waters. The islands of Tahiti made it onto the international tourist map when the first-ever overwater bungalows were built over the cerulean lagoons of Raiatea and Moorea in 1967. The overwater style has since become a byword for tropical luxury and you’ll find them in the Maldives, Hamilton Island, the Seychelles – any island worth its sand. Tahiti’s original humble structures on stilts above the coral have evolved, too. Iconic luxury hotels have created their own versions of the overwater bungalow boasting private decks, infinity pools, hammocks suspended over the water and glass-floored bedrooms. Now, there are more than 900 such overwater accommodations spread over the 118 islands that make up Tahiti. These are some of our favourites.