Bungalow
When I think of bungalows I think of a small, but luxurious, romantic place to retreat. What comes to your mind when you think of the word “bungalow”?
Bungalow photo courtesy of wikipedia. All rights reserved.
Bungalow Definition
It turns out I’m not that far off as Arts & Crafts Style defines bungalow as “A low house, cabin or cottage of one or one-and-a-half stories, with a low-pitched gable or hipped roof, often with dormer windows, overhanging eves, exposed rafters and beams, a prominent and usually wide front porch, typically but not always small in square footage and frequently built of rustic materials.”
However, although bungalows share common design features, it gets confusing when bungalows are variously referred to as…
- Cottage
- Cabin
- Rustic
- Craftsman
- California
- Chicago
- Prairie
- Spanish
- Tudor
Did you know that bungalow style is so popular there are at least two home furnishings retailers with bungalow in their name: Bungalow 5 and Bungalow Classic?
Photo courtesy of Fodors. All rights reserved.
Beach Bungalows
A small, but luxurious, romantic place to retreat sounds like a memorable place to vacation, especially at the beach. Apparently a number of hoteliers agree with me, especially when it comes to overwater bungalows.
Overwater Bungalows
The first time I ever heard of an overwater bungalow was in reference to the high-end luxury hotel, Hotel Bora Bora in Tahiti, when one of my very lucky friends stayed there on his honeymoon. As it turns out, overwater bungalows did originate at the Hotel Bora Bora way back in 1971. Today they’ve spread around the world. (Sadly, I’ve yet to stay in one myself. One of these days.)
Fodors Travel calls these the “World’s Best Overwater Bungalows”:
- Song Saa Private Island in Cambodia
- Cocoa Island By Como in the Maldives
- Cayo Espanto in Belize
- Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora in Bora Bora
- Rosewood Mayakoba in Riviera Maya, Mexico
- Hôtel Palafitte in Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Pangkor Laut Resort in Malaysia
- Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa in Bora Bora
- Ayada Maldives in the Maldives
- Misool Eco Resort in Indonesia
Other hotels with the word “bungalow” in their name are Bungalow Hotel in Long Branch, NJ; Bungalow Beach Resort in Bradenton Beach, FL; First Bungalow Beach Resort in Koh Samui, Thailand; The Bungalows Hotel in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; and Banana Bungalow Hostels in Hollywood, CA, West Hollywood, CA, San Diego, CA, and Maui, Hawaii.
It’s not only hotels that want to capitalize on the bungalow mystique. Two popular spots in the Los Angeles area have bungalow in their name. They are The Bungalow in Santa Monica and Larchmont Bungalow in Los Angeles.
Larchmont Bungalow is a popular “Artisan Café, Bakery & Brew” that specializes in all-day breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, and specially crafted teas and coffees.
The Bungalow is a lounge in the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Ocean Avenue. LA Weekly selected The Bungalow as one of the top 10 Bars in Santa Monica.
To many joyful beach experiences!
— Lisa Dworkin
