The overwater bungalow guide for Asia beyond the Maldives — the overwater bungalow tradition began in the Maldives and remains most concentrated there, but the Asia-Pacific offers the overwater accommodation in settings that the Maldives cannot give: the Palawan reef (the El Nido overwater cottage giving the Bacuit Bay at first light), the Fiji bure above the lagoon (the coral visible through the floor panel at 4 metres depth, the Fiji reef system the healthiest in the Pacific), and the Thai Andaman islands (the Koh Yao Noi water villa giving the limestone karst landscape that the Indian Ocean does not produce). This is the overwater bungalow guide for the traveller who has done the Maldives or who cannot afford the Maldives or who wants the overwater room with the cultural landscape rather than the open ocean.
Reading time: 7 minutes | Last updated: 2026
The Ranking
1. El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island — Palawan, Philippines
What it is: The overwater water cottage on the Miniloc Island in the El Nido marine reserve — the cottage built above the Small Lagoon (the enclosed lagoon accessible by kayak through the cave passage), the water visible through the glass floor panel at 3-4 metres depth:
The specific Miniloc quality: The lagoon (the water still in the morning, the limestone karst walls visible from the cottage deck, the fish visible through the floor panel without snorkelling equipment) gives the overwater room its specific context — not the open ocean of the Maldives but the enclosed lagoon with the Palawan marine biodiversity visible from the bed.
Cost: USD 400-700 / £315-551 per night, full-board packages available.
Getting there: Puerto Princesa → El Nido (domestic flight, 45 minutes) → Miniloc Island boat transfer (45 minutes).
2. Likuliku Lagoon Resort — Fiji (Malolo Island)
What it is: The Likuliku Lagoon (the resort on the Malolo Island in the Mamanuca group — the 10 overwater bure (the Fijian thatched bungalow) above the Likuliku Lagoon, the coral visible through the floor panel at 2-4 metres depth, the reef accessible directly from the bure deck):
The specific Fiji quality: The Fiji reef system (the Great Astrolabe Reef and the Beqa Lagoon give the Pacific’s highest live coral coverage by percentage) gives the overwater room the underwater visibility that the heavily visited Maldives reef cannot uniformly deliver. The Likuliku coral garden accessible from the bure deck by the provided snorkel is the specific Fiji overwater advantage.
Cost: FJD 1,200-2,400 / £416-833 per night.
Getting there: Nadi Airport → Malolo Island (30-minute boat transfer from Port Denarau).
3. Six Senses Yao Noi — Thailand (Koh Yao Noi)
What it is: The overwater suite on the Koh Yao Noi Island in the Phang Nga Bay — the limestone karst (the James Bond Island karst landscape) visible from the overwater suite deck, the Phang Nga Bay visible in every direction:
The specific Yao Noi quality: The landscape. The Maldives overwater villa gives the open Indian Ocean horizon. The Yao Noi overwater suite gives the Phang Nga Bay — the limestone towers visible above the water, the longtail boat visible in the channel, the specific Thailand landscape that the Koh Samui overwater villa does not give. The reef is less dramatic than the Maldives or the Fiji; the landscape is more so.
Cost: THB 35,000-70,000 / £776-1,551 per night.
Getting there: Phuket → Koh Yao Noi (30-minute longtail from Bangrong Pier).
4. Awei Pila — Myanmar (Mergui Archipelago)
Note on Myanmar travel: The UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Myanmar. This entry is included as a future reference for when conditions allow. Verify the FCDO advisory at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/myanmar before any planning.
What it would give: The Mergui Archipelago (the 800-island archipelago in the Andaman Sea, the least visited in Southeast Asia, the overwater villa accessible only by liveaboard or charter): the most remote overwater accommodation in Southeast Asia, the reef the most intact in the region.
