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Old Posted Mar 23, 2021, 10:59 PM
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Living Above the Sea

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Overwater bungalows make home feel like a resort
BY V.L. HENDRICKSON | ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 23, 2021

Overwater bungalows give residents a sense that they’re always on vacation.

The distinctive style—built on stakes so the rooms are literally over the water—has humble roots, but has become a must at the most exclusive resorts throughout the world.

The concept of these villas dates to the 1960s, when a group of Californians started to rebuild a hotel in Tahiti. Based on local fishing huts, they reinvented the accommodations to rise above the waters of the South Pacific. Life magazine did a feature on the expat lifestyle in the French Polynesia area, which includes Tahiti and Bora Bora, enticing readers to the distant shores with hotel rooms on stilts.

French Polynesia is still known for its overwater bungalows, as is the Republic of Maldives, located in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean.

The style has become so popular that some properties in Mexico and the Caribbean have started to offer them for luxury travelers, at prices more like $2,000 a night.

Buying such a bungalow isn’t easy, however, as supply is extremely limited, according to Roger Wade, whose website, overwaterbungalows.net, serves as a guide to international resorts that offer such accommodations . . . .

“Unless you are in the Maldives or South Pacific, it seems like getting permits to build these things is almost impossible, and they are way more expensive than most investors seem to realize,” he explains.

Still, some resorts have started to offer them, including Soneva Jani in the Maldives.

Soneva Jani, located in the Medhufaru lagoon in the Noonu Atoll, launched sales of its residences 10 years ago, according to Yoshie Kondo, area director of the Soneva villa-ownership program. They’ve recently expanded their offerings.

The bungalows are built on a lagoon that is separated from the ocean by a reef and more protected from wind and waves. Soneva builds with sustainability in mind, and the villas are made from sustainably sourced materials such as plantation-grown wood, recycled glass, and driftwood.

Residents can wake up with a splash, as each home has a water slide. They also have retractable roofs so the stars can be seen from the top floor. Each also features a mini bar, study, a private pool, seamless indoor-outdoor spaces for maximizing outdoor time, and, no surprise, panoramic views of the water.



There are also plenty of outdoor amenities, including sunken seating adjacent to the ocean and an outdoor dining room.

Larger bungalows, like the 13,000-square-foot four-bedroom villa, have even more amenities, such as an outdoor shower and bath with private access to the lagoon, a sauna and steam room, gym, and catamaran netting over the water . . . .

In Mexico, the Rosewood Mayakoba resort, located on a 620-acre nature preserve in the heart of Riviera Maya, also has residences on a lagoon. The Hong Kong–based hospitality group is launching its first collection of homes at the property this year, according to the company.

Ranging from two to five bedrooms, the houses are nestled into the landscape and feature terraces over the lagoons of Mayakoba. The first home, dubbed Villa Magna, is launching in April, according to Daniel Scott, regional vice president and managing director at Rosewood Hotels and Resorts.





Javier Sordo Madaleno of Mexico City–based firm Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos designed the six-bedroom, 16,300-square-foot home, using locally sourced wood, tilework, and natural stone showcasing Mexican craftsmanship. An additional four villas are under development, with an asking price of US$9.75 million. Undeveloped land is available, too.

All the amenities of the resort are available to residents, including private eco-tours on the water and access to the on-property Sense spa, several restaurants, and the Greg Norman championship golf course. In addition, they can take advantage of the “barefoot-luxury style of service” of the resort. That includes its butler program, 24-hour in-room dining, and resort programming.
https://www.mansionglobal.com/articl...=WTRN#cxrecs_s
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