I recently went to Venice. The floating city renowned for its beautiful architecture, rare artwork, intricate canals teeming with gondolas, lack of autonomy, birthplace of Vivaldi, blah blah blah… Oh, something that the guidebooks fail to mention, it’s also rammed to the gunwales with tourists. The narrow, dissecting streets may be part of the city’s charm, but when pressing through them like cattle to market, your face in the armpit of the man in front, a young child deep in yours, the romance and ethereal quality is somewhat tainted.
I appreciate the grandeur of the place – you’d have to be a hermit to not – but mostly I remember the tourists. There were certain routes which made the Tube at rush hour seem distinctly deserted, which, as I’ve always considered the Northern line at 7.30am to be the closest one can physically come to hell while on Earth, is quite a statement. No, I like my rivers, seas and lochs to be as secluded and secretive as possible – it’s why I’m such a devotee to Scotland’s hinterlands, but that’s another article.
As soon as we get a glimpse of sun here in South England, our beaches become a hive of pale bodies, each fighting for a square of shore the size of a postage stamp. I prefer to stick with my ghostly shade rather than join the melee. Obviously, given the choice we’d all rather jet off to the warm, azure waters of the Seychelles than squeeze onto a slither of Brighton’s pebbles, frigidly dipping our toes into the icy, cloudy waves.
This trip to your own piece of marine perfection may just be a pipeline dream, or it may be next year’s consideration. Either way, here are 5 of the most incredible overwater villas we highly recommend you take the plunge with…
(Click on the photo for more information)
SONG SAA PRIVATE ISLAND, CAMBODIA
1 Bedroom Overwater Villa from £1,704 per night.
FOUR SEASONS RESORT BORA BORA
Otemanu Overwater Bungalow & Plunge Pool from £1,017 per night.
ROSEWOOD MAYAKOBA, RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO
Deluxe Overwater Lagoon suite from £301 per night.
ONE & ONLY REETHI RAH, MALDIVES
Pool Watervilla from £2,279 per night.
THE MANTA RESORT, ZANZIBAR
7 x nights at The Manta Resort, including return flights from UK, from £2,913 per person.
LE PRINCE MAURICE, MAURITIUS
From £2,356 per person for 1 week, including flights from the UK.
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