I dreamed of overwater bungalows in places like the Maldives but dreaded the long flight there. And I believed the best place to create that experience would be in an overwater bungalow — the epitome of a luxury tropical vacation. Levente Bodo/Getty ImagesThere's a reason overwater bungalows aren't as popular in the CaribbeanOverwater bungalow resorts are more than 55 years old. And Ra'iātea's calm waters made it the ideal place for an overwater bungalow, Kelley said. My first overwater bungalow stay reminded me I don't need to hop on an all-day flight to experience the accommodation.

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Persons: —, Levente Bodo, — Jay Carlisle, Hugh Kelley, Donald McCallum —, Hugh Kelley's, Vaihiria Kelley, Kelley, Condé, hasn't, Monica Humphries Organizations: Service, Levente, Muy'Ono Locations: Maldives, Central America, Caribbean, Belize, Tahiti, Polynesia, Moorea, Bali, Ra'iātea, South Pacific, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Aruba, Panama, Antigua, Mexico, St, Lucia, Vincent, Turks, Caicos, Denver , Colorado