The tropical overwater bungalow turns 50

Washington

THE overwater bungalow - that iconic symbol of the paradisiacal tropical vacation, standing in clear blue water on stilt legs - turns the big five-oh this year. The thatched huts, often outfitted with such luxury amenities as plunge pools and glass floors to better see the fish below, are a staple on the bucket lists and Pinterest boards of aspirational travellers the world over. Yet, their origin lies in a surprisingly prosaic exercise in problem-solving.

Back in the 60s, three tanned, party-hearty California kids - Hugh Kelley, Don "Muk" McCallum and Jay Carlisle - left their 9-to-5s in pursuit of their tropical dreams in French Polynesia. Opening hotels on Moorea and Raiatea, the trio was dubbed the Bali Hai Boys, after the mystical island in James Michener'…