An overwater bungalow is a stilted villa above a lagoon with direct water access. The category collapses at the edges (some are wooden decks over sand, some are proper suites with plunge pools built into the deck). The most honest way to shop is per lagoon: Maldives runs the biggest inventory at $800 to $6,000 per villa per night; Bora Bora runs $1,200 to $8,000; Fiji and the Cook Islands sit lower ($600 to $2,200); Belize adds one or two operators at $1,400 to $3,200. Anywhere else, the category is thin.

Maldives (12 resorts we would book)

Soneva Jani for the lagoon slides. Soneva Fushi for the sister-island size. Cheval Blanc Randheli for the LVMH register. St Regis Vommuli for the underwater bar. Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi for the private-island suite. COMO Cocoa Island for the smallest footprint. Anantara Kihavah for the dhoni villa. Amilla Fushi for the reef beach. Six Senses Laamu for the wellness anchor. Milaidhoo for the intimate-scale house-reef. Fairmont Sirru Fen Fushi for the coastal atoll. Baros for the classic Maldives.

French Polynesia (5 resorts)

Four Seasons Bora Bora for the Mount Otemanu view. The Brando on Tetiaroa for the private-motu isolation. St Regis Bora Bora for the lagoon depth. Conrad Bora Bora Nui for the wraparound sunset. InterContinental Le Moana for a Bora Bora entry rate.

Best time to book

Maldives peak December through March (dry, calm, expensive). Shoulder May and October for savings. Bora Bora peak June through October. Fiji drier season May through October. Cook Islands year-round with fewer weather variations.

Honeymoon vs family

Honeymoon: overwater with a plunge pool, small resort, one-restaurant intimacy. Family: villa or reef-side with kids club, more restaurants, interconnecting rooms. Soneva Fushi handles both. Cheval Blanc handles honeymoon. Anantara Kihavah handles family.