Are Overwater Villas Worth It? An Honest Guide
They're the most photographed rooms in travel. Here's how to decide if the splurge makes sense for your trip.
The overwater villa is the ultimate travel flex — but is it worth two to three times the price of a beach villa?
Our honest take: spend at least two of your nights over the water, not all of them. The novelty of the glass floor and ladder-into-lagoon is genuinely magical, but beach villas often have more privacy, bigger pools and easier access to the island's restaurants.
Book the overwater nights at the end of your stay — the anticipation is part of the joy, and you'll finish on the highest note. Choose sunset-facing decks, and check whether your resort's lagoon is swimmable at low tide; some are knee-deep coral rubble.
Done right, it's not just a room. It's the memory that outlasts the whole trip.