(CNN) — Glass-bottomed bathrooms, roof-deck water slides and stairs leading directly into the ocean. What could be dreamier? For travelers yearning for a tropical escape, overwater villas are the epitome of vacation goals.
While Tahiti may have started the overwater trend in the 1960s, the Maldives has undoubtedly perfected it.
This year marks 50 years of tourism for the idyllic Indian Ocean nation, and today, there are over 150 resorts welcoming guests with a cold towel and a coconut, or other signature treats. Best of all, these resorts are committed to sustainability, featuring everything from water desalination plants to reef restoration projects.
Ready to book that trip? Here are 12 of the best overwater villas in the Maldives. (Starting rates are in US dollars per night.)
Kudadoo Maldives
All 15 of Kudadoo’s overwater residences are powered by solar panels.
Kudadoo
One of the smallest and most sustainable resorts in the Maldives, Kudadoo has just 15 overwater residences powered entirely by solar panels.
Designed by Japanese architect Yuji Yamazaki, it has a modern ryokan aesthetic, most notably in its onsen-inspired bathing area.
Covered in latticework wood patterns, the materials used come from sustainably managed forests in New Zealand, Canada and Indonesia.
Each residence has a plunge pool, a glass-bottomed deck section for peeping at parrot fish and a private butler to get you anything you want, at any time — all included.
Soneva Jani
Soneva Jani’s not your typical luxury resort. Here’s what visitors at this “no shoes, no news” property can expect.
Thanks to social media, aerial views of Soneva Jani’s winding jetty and private water slides have become synonymous with the Maldives.
But Soneva has also become synonymous with sustainability.
Its never ending initiatives, including upcycling just about everything with its Waste to Wealth program, Eco Centre, carbon-neutral status, beef-free menu, plastic-free policy and sprawling organic on-site garden make it a world leader in sustainable luxury.
Its 51 Water Retreats range from a one-bedroom with no slide (due to low tide) to a four-bedroom palace perched over the crystalline waters of the Indian Ocean. Each is crafted with sustainable, whitewashed wood, endless plush seating areas and, for all but two, a retractable roof for stargazing.
The resort is divided into Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, each side easily accessible by speedboat, electric bike or butler-driven buggy. At the newly-opened Chapter 2, it’s an all-inclusive experience, including spa treatments at the new Soneva Soul spa.
The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands
Each villa’s vertical wooden slats are made from sustainable timber.
The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands
At this new five-star island escape, the majority of its 100 villas are over water. Channeling the motion of the ocean, each is uniquely circular in design and outfitted with distinct, vertical wooden slats made from sustainable timber shipped over from Austria and Germany. The majority of the resort’s villas have solar-paneled roofs and management aims to have all 100 of them equipped with the technology by 2023.
The resort is perennially popular for Americans using points on a stay, but with so many people spending time in their villa, you’d never know it. Guests can spend the entire day cooling off in their villa’s infinity pool, reading on its lavish loungers or snorkeling off its expansive outdoor deck.
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Read More: The Maldives’ best overwater vllas