The Perfect Travel Spot: Lagoons, Mountains, and On-The-Water Bungalows

July 17, 2007 2:26 PM

Planning a honeymoon. Can you help me find a place outside the continental U.S. that has bungalows on the water? Or if not, what about lots of shallow clear lagoons/secluded spots? (Mountains a plus!) I'm in Michigan and don't want to fly all the way to Bora Bora, which seems to have that - anything closer that is comparable?

(What I've seen so far in the Caribbean and Mexico seem to be hotels on the actual shore and little privacy or great clear swaths of shallow waters.)

posted by GenTso to Travel & Transportation (16 answers total)

Unfortunately, the only over-water bungalow resorts I have heard of are all in French Polynesia, mostly in Tahiti.

I would look more into the less touristy parts of Hawaii perhaps for the type of honeymoon you are looking for if you are willing to make an exception on the over-water bungalows.

However, I have to say...you only honeymoon once (hopefully)...maybe you deserve to splurge & get exactly what you want in French Polynesia?
posted by tastybrains at 2:35 PM on July 17, 2007

Biras Creek, Virgin Gorda... no cars...you check in they give you a couple of bikes and a dinghy with a motor and you have the run of the whole North Sound...hiking action in the mountains with spectacular views...party action at the Bitter End Yacht Club if you want it with just a quick hike around the point...quiet little cottages if you just want to shack up. Awesome food too. Fly to Tortola and they send a boat with cocktails to pick you up. Have fun!
posted by cyclopz at 2:36 PM on July 17, 2007 [1 favorite]

I always recommend Verana to couples looking for something different. It may not be exactly what you want (i.e. the bungalows are up the mountain from the sea) but it's quite lovely, relaxing and rustic (in a good way)

We went there for our 25th anniversary. We'd go back in a heartbeat.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:37 PM on July 17, 2007

Actually, Glover's Reef Atoll in Belize seems to have over-water bungalows.
posted by tastybrains at 2:41 PM on July 17, 2007

The Maldives Hilton has bungalows over the water.
posted by goo at 2:43 PM on July 17, 2007

I was going to say Maldives too:

http://www.kuredu.com/
posted by koshka at 2:46 PM on July 17, 2007

Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort has rooms (not bungalows) directly over the water. We stayed in one last year, and I'd highly reccmmend it. Our room had a 250-square-foot balcony and two full-sized sliding glass doors, and cost something like $240 a night. It's in a somewhat touristy area (though the Big Island isn't as touristy as other areas of Hawaii), but you can take easy day trips to very isolated spots. And tide pools abound--I swam around by myself with a couple of sea turtles directly under our room.
posted by MrMoonPie at 2:47 PM on July 17, 2007

St. Lucia. We stayed at the Ladera for the first 4 nights and the Ti Kaye for the next 4 nights.

Ladera. Oh. My. God. A room on a cliff, with only three walls, looking over a jungle/the pitons/the ocean. Private pool. Amazing meals. Very quiet.

Ti Kaye had just opened when we stayed there, but also amazing. Private bungalow with outdoor shower in a garden. You could borrow snorkling equipment and walk down the stairs set into the cliff to a gorgeous beach with a reef. Some of the most beautiful snorkling ever.

Enjoy your honeymoon!
posted by jeanmari at 3:06 PM on July 17, 2007

Wherever there are bungalows over the water you risk running into potentially toxic concentrations of other honeymooners. Unless fishing is involved in some way or other.
posted by rongorongo at 3:08 PM on July 17, 2007

Depending on the time of year, you could do 9 Beaches in Bermuda. And seconding Belize...which may be more laid back than most.

We just honeymooned in the Maldives after getting married in Sri Lanka, and if you can handle the long flights it is absolutely beautiful there. And if ocean levels rise, the atolls there will be some of the first places to be submerged so see them while you can.
posted by JaredSeth at 5:51 PM on July 17, 2007

We went to French Polynesia summer of 2006 and it was fantastic, but very, very expensive. Like, more expensive than you can possibly imagine. We stayed in a fabulous OW bungalow in Rangiroa, which also has some of the best diving I've ever seen, BTW, and prices on Rangi are way cheaper than Tahiti or Bora Bora but they were still very expensive.

So, this summer we went to The Philippines instead. Not really as nice as FP, but much less touristy and definitely less expensive. Our OW bungalow there was less than $100 US a night, and it was still just a beautiful as Tahiti, only maybe a little less... fancy. But see, that's part of the charm to me.

That said, neither one of these places is very close to the US. Perhaps you should look at the Bahamas or Jamaica or Mexico or Hawaii for something closer.
posted by Brittanie at 6:20 PM on July 17, 2007 [1 favorite]

The Island of Roa Tan sounds just like what you are looking for. We stayed at Anthony's Key resort. The little bungalow was over the water, it had 3 sides made of louvers. After the lights were turned off, we opened all the louvers. It was wonderful.

Anthony's Key resort is geared towards scuba diving. But there is plenty of other things to do as well. This place is primative, no phones,tvs or even clocks.
posted by JujuB at 9:42 PM on July 17, 2007

Damm, thought I hit preview... oh well here is a link to Roatan
posted by JujuB at 9:46 PM on July 17, 2007

Response by poster: These are very helpful - thanks all! [Looking at links/researching now...]
posted by GenTso at 7:58 AM on July 18, 2007

You might be interested in the Hotelito Desconocido, on Mexico's Pacific coast. You've got bungalows, the ocean and the fact that the entire thing was designed for honeymoons. Mind you, I've never been there, but a lot of Mexican couples spend their honeymoons there and bring back glowing reports.
posted by Cobalt at 12:03 PM on July 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

dominican republic, try bavaro, or punta cana
posted by hudsonvalley5 at 7:21 PM on July 19, 2007