Overwater

Soneva Jani

Maldives

The fable

Slide from the bedroom into the lagoon

Overwater villas strung across a vast private lagoon in Noonu Atoll, most with a water slide off the deck and a retractable roof that rolls back over the master bed for stargazing. Barefoot-luxury rules apply — shoes off on arrival, with the resort's own observatory and overwater open-air cinema. The catch: Among the Maldives' most expensive resorts, and it's a 40-minute seaplane transfer from Malé charged on top of the villa rate.

• overwater villas
• retractable roof
• water slide
• lagoon