Overwater bungalows are found in some of the most exotic places on earth, particularly the Maldives and French Polynesia. These also happen to be some of the most expensive places on earth. In the midst of all the options to redeem points for an overwater bungalow in one of these beautiful locations, one hotel stands out as incredibly valuable while being the most reasonable option for those who know how to work the travel game.
Not everything I’ll quote will be free though. Sure booking a hotel room is free to book but if you’re going to make the journey do it right and upgrade to an overwater bungalow. Shouldn’t that be on everybody’s bucket list? So prices for upgrades could be free, a small amount of points or as much as $500 a night – but I want to give you all the options.
Before we list all the hotels with overwater bungalows let’s talk about how to redeem points for such a room. You may find that many of these hotels have standard rooms on the beach and not over the water. The problem is that for many hotels the standard room you can book points with is commonly not an overwater room. So each hotel chain will talk about earning points, getting upgraded to the overwater bungalow and then list the hotel options by location.
Let me start by giving one general strategy for getting upgrades.
- Get status. There are a number of ways to get free status – credit cards, status matches, promotions, links, etc…
- Ask for an upgrade touting your status and loyalty. If the hotel confirms your upgrade in advance, which is possible in slow season, it’s your lucky day.
- If they do not upgrade you based on status, email the hotel directly and ask how much it would be to upgrade. They may have even included prices in their reply but if not, send a polite email asking, “how much would it cost to upgrade from [standard room] which I currently have booked with points, to [an overwater bungalow]”. Be specific as to what room you have and what room you would like so they can give you a price. You can even do this before you book in order to decide if it’s too pricey ahead of time. One way to predict this price is by taking the price difference between the two rooms. But ultimately they can charge what they want.
InterContinental Hotel Group (Priority Club)
Earning points: First you should know that racking up points is easy if you’re loyal to this hotel chain. Between promotion and their credit card you could rack up points fairly easily. But the credit card also gives a free night at any IHG hotel, which in this first example is worth nearly $1,000 and possibly more. Yet the annual fee for the card is only $49. (Here is a link that still work for the 80,000 point credit card).
Getting upgraded to the overwater bungalow: IHG does not currently have an option to upgrade rooms using points (although I wouldn’t be surprised if that changed this summer). Still there are two options. The first is that those with Ambassador Status get a guaranteed room upgrade. Even if it’s only one tier that is enough for the Intercontinental hotels in Bora Bora. Ambassador Status costs $200 or 32,000 points but it could be well worth it simply for the other benefits (although it’s a status only good at InterContinental branded hotels). And I think you’ll find it’s even cheaper than paying for even 1 night of an upgrade. But you can always try to ask for an upgrade as an elite member (it’s very easy to earn Platinum Status as it can be earned by points or with the card). Also a lot of these hotels are known for having a price for upgrading to overwater rooms.
French Polynesia
InterContinental Bora Bora Resort &thalasso Spa
- 50,000 points for a standard room and a value of $1,000 a night.
- Overwater Bungalows are only one upgrade tier away and a $100 difference!
InterContinental Le Moana Bora Bora
- 50,000 points for a standard room and a value of $700 a night.
- Overwater Bungalows are only one upgrade tier away!
InterContinental: Resort Tahiti
- 30,000 points for a standard room and a value of $300 a night.
- Overwater Bungalows are three upgrade tiers away (or about $140 difference).
InterContinental: Resort And Spa Moorea
- 25,000 points for a standard room and a value of $400 a night.
- Overwater Bungalows are four upgrade tiers away.
Vanuatu
Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu
- 20,000 points for a standard room and a value of $300 a night.
- Overwater Bungalows are four upgrade tiers away and a $200 price difference.
Maldives
Holiday Inn Resort: Kandooma Maldives
- 35,000 points for a standard room and a value of $275 a night.
- Overwater Bungalows are five upgrade tiers away and nearly $300 difference.
Hyatt Gold Passport
This is pretty simple as they have only one property with overwater bungalows and that’s the Park Hyatt in the Maldives.
Earning points: Hyatt hasn’t had a good promo in the last year or so and thus most of my points are from spending on the Hyatt visa. That card gives two nights at any hotel but you may be better off going after a couple of Chase cards that earn points and transfer to Hyatt. By having those cards you could rack up a ton of points and then redeem them for the Park Hyatt for 22,000 points a night.
Getting upgraded to the overwater bungalow: Unfortunately this Hyatt property does not allow using points for suite upgrades nor does it accept suite upgrade certs. However, they have been know to be generous to Diamond members when there is a lot of availability to upgrade from a beach to overwater villa. Still, it seems safer to secure an upgrade into an overwater bungalow for $350.
Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
- 22,000 points for a standard room and a value of $750 a night.
- Overwater Bungalows are two upgrade tiers away and a $350 difference.
Hilton HHonors
Earning points: As stated in my recent post on Rethinking Hilton HHonors new rewards pricing, my current strategy would be to get the Reserve card for the two free weekend nights. If you have points to burn there may be some good options but I’d rather use free night certificates. Still there are a number of ways to earn as there are multiple credit cards and you can transfer from Amex.
Getting upgraded to the overwater bungalow: Unfortunately Hilton doesn’t have great upgrade options. They have premium room rewards which are insanely priced, where they multiply price by points to make premium rooms available. Since I’m already ditching the points plan the only other scheme is to email/call and ask to buy an upgrade… which can be pricey.
Maldives
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
- 95,000 points for a standard room and a value of $1,150 a night.
- Overwater Bungalows are one upgrade tier away but a $500+ price difference.
Hilton Maldives Iru Fushi Resort & Spa
- 70,000 points for a standard room and a value of $540 a night.
- Overwater Bungalows are two upgrade tiers away.
French Polynesia
Hotel Bora Bora
- 95,000 points for a standard room and a value of $600 a night.
- Overwater Bungalows are two upgrade tiers away.
Hilton Moorea
- 80,000 points for a standard room and a value of $375 a night.
- Overwater Bungalows are three upgrade tiers away.
Starwood Preferred Guest
Let me start by saying that Starwood sucks for these aspirational awards. They have a list of hotels where they get to charge whatever they want and many of these hotels are on the list. I’d skip this part but you may have an infinite amount of SPG points.
Earning points: Obviously you earn points with their loyalty program but you can make more ground on the credit cards (here is the Starwood Personal and Starwood Business card). They earn 1 point per dollar which generally goes further with Starwood.
Getting upgraded to the overwater bungalow: You can actually book upgrades for award stays at the time of booking but you need to call. Give Starwood a call and see how much it would cost. If it’s considered a suite upgrade, you may notice that it can cost double the amount of a standard room. At that point you might as well try a different program.
French Polynesia
St Regis Bora Bora Resort
- 120,000 – 140,000 points and a value of $1,300 a night.
- Overwater Bungalows available for standard redemption.
- Must call Starwood for availability.
Le Méridien Bora Bora
- Starts at 60,000 points in low season for standard room and a value of $800 a night.
- Overwater Bungalows available for 90,000 points a night.
- Must call Starwood for availability.
Le Méridien Tahiti – Overwater bungalow is far from the standard room.
- 16,000 points and a value of $300 a night.
- Overwater Bungalows are four upgrade tiers away and a $400 difference in value.
Maldives
Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa
- 20,000 points for a standard room, a value of $400.
- Overwater Bungalows are two upgrade tiers higher.
New Caledonia
Le Méridien Ile des Pins – A 2 tier upgrade and the bungalows don’t really sound like they’re overwater.
Marriott does not currently have any properties but has announced plans to open a JW Marriott in the Maldives. It appears that Radisson Blu is building in the Maldives as well. Which is great news for those of us with hundreds of thousands of Club Carlson points from their recent promotions. It says they are looking to build the Radisson Blu brand as a luxury name in the hotel world. It’s very welcome.
Transport to your hotel.
Again, since these are some of the most exotic locations on earth, transportation can be tough. Getting around locally can be tough. For example the Conrad in the Maldives has it’s own air taxi that costs $500 for a round trip. You can look into hiring private air taxis as well but either way it’s expensive. So do your research on transport to your hotel. After all, these are some of the most luxurious hotels in the world and their taxi isn’t cheap.
Even in French Polynesia you need a flight to get from Papeete (the capital) to Bora Bora – which can be a couple hundred. However, the ferry to Moorea is pretty cheap. But it’s actually much less spread out than the Maldives making it a cheaper option for transport.
Getting free flights across the world.
Male (capital of the Maldives) is actually really easy to get to using miles (it’s the local transport that kills you).
Tahiti is reachable on Air France using Delta Skypesos (a good use of Delta miles!) and Air Tahiti Nui using American Airline miles (not bookable online). Again, this gets you to Papeete not Bora Bora. Although I’m unreasonably optimistic that Air Tahiti Nui will become a OneWorld partner and I’ll be booking flights between PPT and BOB using British Airways Avios sometime next year.
For other destinations like Vanuatu and New Caledonia I recommend using United miles to get there on Air New Zealand.
In conclusion…
The Maldives is very expensive to explore and it seems that I would have to pay $350 a night to be in an overwater bungalow at the Park Hyatt Maldives. So a four night stay plus two people roundtrip just to Male would cost $2,400. I mean, that’s way better than paying $1,500 a night but I’m not sure if it’s how much I’d want to pay for four days. Perhaps someone needs to sell me on the Maldives.
Tahiti is slightly harder to get to using miles but it can still be done and the options are more reasonable. What is obvious to me, is that the InterContinental Hotels in Bora Bora are by far my best options to stay in an overwater bungalow for free. And since they cost the same amount of points, I might as well stay at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort &thalasso Spa.
Everything about the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort &thalasso Spa is right. The rooms are enormous – 100 square meters with a separate living area, balcony and direct access to the water (and has a four person maximum). While it sits above the beautiful lagoon it is separated from the ocean by a small strip of land where the main area of the hotel sits. It’s stunning.
For 50,000 points this hotel is a steal as the flexible rate is $1,100 for the standard room. Again , you get 80,000 points for the credit card completely free. If you’re making a trip like this, get yourself and your spouse the card (160,000 points) and upgrade one of you to Ambassador before the trip. (Plus, I could use my free night certificate that I got for keeping the card). So with my Ambassador status and loads of points, this is not only the free option, it’s one of the highest values. Again, even Ambassador status can be bought with points, it guarantees an upgrade and and makes the room completely free.
That is what I’m going to do. At least two nights free and two more nights when we both pay the $49 annual fee. But my plan is to wait a little as it probably won’t fit in the next year anyways and hope award availability gets better to Bora Bora. Either way, I’ll save some Priority Club points and then make a trip to Tahiti next year. Stay there for a couple of nights. Check out Moorea for a couple of nights and then head on over to Bora Bora for a while. While it’s tempting to spend all the time at the nicer InterContinental Hotel, it might be more exciting to spend a couple nights at the InterContinental Le Moana Bora Bora which is on the main island.
We better start saving the points now.
![Most Valuable Hyatt Hotel Redemptions [A Data-Driven Look]](https://travelisfree.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/data-driven-look-hyatt-120x86.jpg)
So the secret to the “free” bungalows is to pay for them based on what I’m reading here. Awesome.
Thanks for commenting. :-p I’m glad your visiting and appreciate your critiques.. And yes many of these options are very expensive. Except for the Starwood hotels that are only Overwater Bungalows that can be had for points, the Hilton premium rewards (not that I recommend it but it’s much less of a difference now) and the IC hotels which can be paid for by points and have guaranteed upgrade with status (which you can get with points).
I just wanted to lay all the options out there. I included those that need paid upgrade (like the Park Hyatt Maldives) as it’s still a popular choice as paying $350 for a $1,500 room is not bad. But I myself will go with the completely free room.
This is an epic post! I’ve been thinking about a trip like this but didn’t even know where to start. It’s cool just google pictures of the hotel. Again, awesome.
@wandering aramean – do you even read before you comment? Plus the point is that it’s a lay out of the point option hotels. Get over yourself.
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
But all comments are welcome. 🙂
WA- surprised that you do a blog yourself and you are being so mean spirited when commenting on this one. Pretty sad.
TIF – I travel to Tahiti quite often and have laid out a lot of $ for my trips, so the information you posted here will be super helpful in saving me thousands of dollars on my next trip – Thank you!
Tahiti is fun – once. But islands are tiny with little to do – and it’s expensive even when “free”. I stayed on overwater bungalows 20 years ago when they were novel. Now everyone has em, so not all that interesting/exclusive/aspirational.
Great post, as usual! I also wouldn’t know where to begin! I appreciate your blog so much! 🙂
Thanks Erin!
Thank you so much for your posts – they have been very inspiring for free travel. I have sent you a private email via your website for perhaps some insight on a few things – hopefully you can help.
Thanks again!
Amy
Good to hear. Thanks for the email and hopefully our reply was helpful. 🙂
Anyone who says that points are completely free is missing a lot of the bigger picture. I use points all the time and I get better value for my time and money spent than if I didn’t collect and use them. But I’m under no illusion that it is free.
As for the post here, yes, I read it. In most cases the “secret to free overwater bungalows” is to book an award for a different room type then pay cash in some amount to get to the bungalow. Even if the points were free certainly the up-charge to the overwater room is not. And I don’t know how anyone can reasonably claim otherwise. The post is great at identifying the hotels where this type of room exists and how to get booked in to one. But calling them “free” when that is far from the reality of the situation is disingenuous IMO.
I don’t think that they are bad options necessarily, but decidedly not free.
Well…
Crappy title and great post. I can take constructive criticism if I can have the compliment too. But really, thanks for the feedback.
@CJ. I’m glad it was helpful and I’m a little jealous as I wouldn’t mind “travel to Tahiti quite often”. Although I wouldn’t want to have to pay for it regularly without a large collection of points. But yea, the IC Tahiti seems like a good deal.
Thanks for this great post! Just wondering about the link that you mentioned still works for the 80,000 point credit card for Intercontinental Hotel Group – there was no link actually included, and i couldn’t find it elsewhere in the post. Perhaps I missed it – or could you post? Thanks!
i did not see link either..could you please send for the 80000 point cr. card…thank you
The link can be found on this FT thread. Sorry, took me a few to find the link. And it looks like it goes right to the application.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/milesbuzz/1282804-80k-points-no-fee-1st-yr-priority-club-select-visa.html
Great, inspirational post!
I have staid at The InterCon Thalasso Bora Bora using miles and got a complementary upgrade (Platinum member) to an OW villa – bungalow doesn’t do them justice, they are amazing 😉
They only have few (3-4?) family, non OW bungalows – they are in the back and not nearly as nice. I’d pay the fee for the upgrade, if not free… Be aware that everything in the resort is very expensive, from breaky ($45pp), dinner ($100pp or more) to massages, etc etc… Even if the room is free, the vacation will be far from it!
We checked out the other IC Bora Bora – but it is no comparison, wouldn’t stay there…
I also staid at the Conrad Rangali Maldives on points, but skipped the upgrade to the OW bungalow. I’d prefer the IC Bora Bora, no doubt. Also, this is even more expensive, despite free room: seaplane flight $500pp, dinner at underwater restaurant ($500pp),….
If you have lots of points, but little money, be careful booking these hotels – because they are so wonderfully remote, you have little to no choice but paying for the transfer and eating at these resorts, paying the 5* prices.
Awesome! Glad to hear. I really plan on getting to the IC next year sometime. And if a Platinum member can get an upgrade at an IC, then we’re in good shape. 😉
Yea, so when I was in high school we went to the caribbean and my mom backed a GIANT suitcase of food. I think if I go for a week, I’m going to treat it like a camping trip. However, I wonder if the food on the main island is cheaper. I mean, there’s got to be a place where locals eat. Then it’s a matter of getting to the island.
Great blog post. I found your blog via TravelBloggerBuzz. You’re my new “MileValue” before he sold himself out on pumping credit cards. Very good content here.
Anyway, wife and I stayed at the Thalasso last November. We both had the PC card and redeemed our annual free night there, which was awesome. I then emailed the hotel for an upgrade and the cheapest was about ~$200/night. So I spent $400 for the upgrade. I’m kind of upset now because if I had read your blog then, I would have paid for the $200 Ambassador and gotten the free upgrade for those 2 nights (thus saving me $200). I didn’t want to take the risk of the hotel being sold out and us getting one of the 3 shacks in the back.
Thanks! Glad you enjoy it.
Haha yea. Well, you’re always learning something new in this game. Can’t kick yourself for $200 (when I’m sure it was a great experience), as all the time I’m figuring out how to do more with less.
If you are headed to Thalasso or any other IC property for that matter, it’s a good idea to check out the IHG promo thread on flyertalk. We found a code for free ambassador and got upgraded to a Diamond room in Bora Bora (although it was a paid trip, we booked Emerald through a package deal, and essentially ended up with a double upgrade)
Thanks! Great tip.
Just wanted to add, having been there in person, I would NOT want to stay in a Motu room at Thalasso (the ones they typically use for points redemptions)- they looked NASTY! If it came down the that I would gladly stay at their sister property the Le Moana. Definitely worth the upgrade!
I’m bookmarking this post! Bora Bora is on top of our list. With your post, we can do the bungalows free with points without too much planning headache on my part. Now, figure out how to get there with the least points and how long to stay.
Is there a low season for Bora Bora?
It seems like there is no lounge/free breakfast at all, even with highest membership status. The free upgrade will be all you get.
Correct me, if I am wrong.
Right. You get nothing more than an upgrade, even as an RA. If you want cheap food, you better pack it yourself. The checked suitcase of canned food was learned from my mom. :-p
Thank you for such an excellent and thorough posting of the various options. Quick question the InterContinental upgrades — I am planning on signing up for Ambassador status but I’ve heard / read the fine print and it appears that they do not have to “guarantee an automatic upgrade if you are staying on Points / Award” reservations and you will still need to email / negotiate some $$$ with the hotel to guarantee the confirmed upgrade to an OWB. Please let us know if this is incorrect? I still think you provided the best list of available options and strategies, but I think you’ll just need to be prepared to kick-in some $$ at the IC hotels as well in order to guarantee that OWB experience. Please let me know if I’m wrong. Thanks so much for a great blog!
The best thing I can say is to email ahead. If they are now charging even Ambassadors for OWB upgrades, it will be set. Just send an email saying, “hey I don’t have a reservation yet, but as an Ambassador would you upgrade my award night to an OWB?”
If yes, buy AMB, if no… save it, right?
A while back Ambassadors for sure got OWB on awards but IC changes stuff, and IHG has gotten more strict this year. Others would know better than me anyways in regards to this hotel, as I’ve never been.
Excellent article. I am experiencing some of these issues as
well..
Thanks for this article, it – and the comments – were very interesting. I was very excited about this potential opportunity… until I read how much a person spends each day just on food. So perhaps a hybrid plan would be to stay there a shorter duration than planned and instead visit 2 countries. Any suggestions on the 2 country and if this is even a good idea?
Thanks, Janet
I called SPG and they said there is no reward for water bungalow @ Sheraton Maldives. Is there a way to get bungalow on reward?
I am going to Tahiti next Sept from SF. I was able to book most of the flight on miles, except for the last segment from LA to SF which we paid for. I am going on a cruise but have 3 nights pre-cruise. I got the IHG card and earned the 80K points(Thank you Flyer Talk), transferred the other points from my Ultimate rewards to get the 90k points needed for 3 nights points and cash.(BTW- you need to update this post. IHG Moorea and Tahiti cost 40K points).I contacted the hotel regarding upgrade and they wanted $223/night plus tax for an upgrade to a beach bungalow and $390/night plus tax for an overwater bungalow. Our first night is in Tahiti after a long flight so I don’t really care what kind of room I have as long as it’s the kind that has a bed.The next 2 nights are in Moorea and I would love at least a beach bungalow, but I don’t want to shell out another $500 let alone $900 for an OWB. I am platinum elite. What are my chances of getting an upgrade? When I spoke to the Ambassador dept. they said you only get a guaranteed upgrade on PAID nights, not award nights. What would your strategy be? I did request the second floor with an ocean view at least. I know French Polynesia is very expensive and I want to be able to afford other things like food and excursions. Should I just hope that when I get there I get an upgrade? When I get there can I offer to upgrade my status to Ambassador if they can give me a room upgrade. As you said, paying for Ambassador status is way cheaper than paying for the upgrade. On the other hand I would hate to pay for it and end up with nothing. Have you guys been there lately? How easy is it to get an upgrade upon arrival? Please advise.It seems as though certain bloggers (Million Mile Secrets) can get things the rest of us mere mortals can’t (like inexpensive upgrades).
Don’t discount the Intercontinental Le Moana Bora Bora. Did a last minute trip there before a cruise from Tahiti. No, not as fancy as the Thalasso, but perfectly fine and has more of a Polynesian feel. Did an on the spot upgrade to an overwater bungalow for about $165 for one night and it was delightful. Also spent a 2nd night (free annual night) at a “beach Bungalow” which was about 25 feet from the waters edge with a knockout view of the lagoon.
Was looking on the IHG website for reward availability for the Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa and found it was very, very limited, like a single night every few months. Any suggestions on how to book three nights?