The Best Romantic Hotels & Resorts

Whether you're on your honeymoon or not, French Polynesia is a marvelous place for romantic escapes. After all, romance and the islands have gone hand-in-hand since the young women of Tahiti gave rousing, bare-breasted welcomes to the 18th-century European explorers.

Back in those days, everyone here lived in a proverbial little grass shack by the beach. The modern resorts have elevated that concept into luxurious guest bungalows, many built on stilts out over the lagoons. I've never stayed anywhere as romantic as these thatch-roofed overwater units, most with glass panels in their floors for viewing fish swimming below. If their indoor luxuries aren't enough, you can climb down the steps leading from your front deck and go skinny-dipping in the warm waters below. The overwater bungalows help make French Polynesia -- especially Bora Bora -- one of the world's most famous honeymoon destinations. Naturally, they are the most expensive accommodations here.

One caveat is in order: Many overwater bungalows are relatively close together, meaning that your honeymooning next-door neighbors will be within earshot if not eyeshot. ("It can be like watching an X-rated video," a hotel manager once confessed, "but without the video.") Therefore, if you're seeking a high degree of privacy and seclusion, these won't necessarily be your best choice.

The top resorts are variations on the same theme: A beachside central complex with restaurant, bar, and other public facilities flanked by individual guest bungalows in a coconut grove. From the shoreline, piers reach out to the overwater units.

Tahiti: Most visitors now consider Tahiti to be a way station to the other islands, but the Inter-Continental Tahiti Resort has overwater bungalows that face the dramatic outline of Moorea across the Sea of the Moon. Some of those at Le Meridien Tahiti also have this view.

Moorea: The units at the Club Bali Hai are among the oldest -- and the least expensive -- overwater bungalows in the islands, but they enjoy an unparalleled view of the jagged mountains surrounding Cook's Bay. Some overwater units at the Sofitel Moorea Beach Resort actually face Tahiti across the Sea of the Moon, and they're built over Moorea's most colorful lagoon. The Moorea Pearl Resort has a few bungalows perched on the edge of the clifflike reef, making for superb snorkeling right off your front deck. You'll have more luxurious options at the Inter-Continental Resort & Spa Moorea.

Huahine: After a few days on Bora Bora, many couples today are opting to end their honeymoons by decompressing on Huahine or Tahaa . On Huahine, the American-owned Te Tiare Beach Resort is one of the smallest and most intimate retreats in French Polynesia. Its units have some of the largest decks of any overwater bungalows (one side is completely shaded by a thatch roof).

Tahaa: The most charming of all overwater units are at the Le Taha'a Private Island & Spa, a luxurious resort on a small islet off Tahaa. Some of these have views of Bora Bora on the horizon.

Bora Bora: This most famous -- and crowded -- of French Polynesia's honeymoon islands has several hundred overwater bungalows, and many more will be here by the time you plan your trip. Meantime, the largest and most luxurious are at the Bora Bora Nui Resort Luxury Collection, although they don't look out to tombstonelike Mount Otemanu, rising across the famous lagoon. Along with Cook's Bay on Moorea, this is one of the most photographed scenes in the entire South Pacific. For that, you have to stay at the Sofitel Motu or at the Hotel Bora Bora. Other bungalows at the Hotel Bora Bora sit right on the reef's edge, providing fantastic snorkeling. Ashore, the Hotel Bora Bora has large, luxurious bungalows that boast their own courtyards with swimming pools. Equally private, though less luxe, are the garden units at the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort; you can cavort to your heart's content in their wall-enclosed patios, which have sun decks and splash pools. The smaller but well-appointed overwater units at the friendly Hotel Maitai Polynesia are the least expensive on Bora Bora.

Tuamotu Archipelago: Out at the huge atoll of Rangiroa, the Hotel Kia Ora has bungalows over the world's second-largest lagoon. It also boasts beachside units with Jacuzzi pools set in their front porches. On the adjacent atoll, the Tikehau Pearl Beach Resort resides on its own small islet, affording more privacy than most other French Polynesian resorts. Some overwater bungalows actually sit over the rip tides in a pass that lets the sea into the lagoon. On Manihi atoll, units at the Manihi Pearl Beach Resort are cooled by the almost constantly blowing trade winds.