Well + Good: Epic Overwater Bungalows

It was the most magical vacation experience of my entire life, sans even a whiff of hyperbole. After six nights spent sleeping on stilts, with my bungalow’s doors ajar so I could hear the rushing water, and seven days of jumping from my bedroom directly into the crystalline ocean waters, I felt years younger. I slept like a baby, experienced exactly nil bouts of anxiety, and I didn’t have a single negative thought. But why?

Guzzling water is unquestionably good for you, but are other types of hydrotherapy similarly healing? Marine biologist and author of Blue Mind, Wallace J. Nichols, PhD, says absolutely. “There’s a long list of positive health benefits derived from spending time near, in, on or under water, including stress and anxiety reduction, treatment of depression, and relief from the overwhelming sensory overload associated with autism,” he tells me.

“There’s a long list of positive health benefits derived from spending time near, in, on or under water.” —Wallace J. Nichols, PhD, marine biologist

In fact, he even created a term to explain these benefits: The title of his book. “Blue mind,” he says, “refers to the mildly meditative state we feel when near, in, on or under water.” This helps to contextualize research noting that those who live near coasts are happier and healthier than their ocean-deprived counterparts, and why pink noise, AKA the sound of rushing water, helps people sleep more soundly and improves their memories.

Sure, none of these studies specifically show that overwater bungalows spike the benefits of H2O to be had. But as someone who rarely sees bodies of water, I’d say the experience magnified the oceanic healing powers by infinity. (Yes, that’s my scientific conclusion.). Below, find seven overwater bungalows strewn throughout the world where you, too, can slip blissfully into maximum “blue mind.”

Keep reading for help planning (or fantasizing about) an epic overwater bungalow experience.