Question Could you sleep in an overwater bungalow with no A/C?

[NW Dive Dawg]

I would always prefer AC but probably could be OK if we have a quality ceiling fan that puts out some serious CFM's.....

For me it's really the humidity that makes the difference. If it's a drier desert island.....like Bonaire.... with pretty much constant ocean breeze and not to "buggy" then I can acclimatize and be OK... But a liveboard with nothing but a non opening porthole has to have AC. Wherever I go in the tropics I always bring a small personal "clamp-on" fan so I can at least have some circulating air on my face while sleeping.

 

[beccaaa]

In case anyone has this question in the future.

Summary - I struggle to sleep in humidity/hot weather and wondered if I could in Raja without AC

Papua Paradise - there was a ceiling fan directly over the double bed and a pedestal fan at the single bed that you could use with the mosquito nets down. It was warm but I could sleep

Papua Explorers - while there are no mosquitos here, if it rains the bugs come FLOCKING inside the pondoks so I would recommend closing the doors before dinner. There was no breeze the week I stayed (first week of Jan) and we had one small fan between two twin beds and unfortunately I did not get a single night's decent sleep.
The staff were kind enough to provide a spare fan so one for each bed, however we had to re-arrange the room and made it work with the mosquito nets due to the above-mentioned bug situation.

For anyone who knows they struggle with humidity and sleep...I might look into whether it's safe to take sleeping pills and dive

If anyone wants a full trip report...let me know

 

[Shasta_man]

You might consider taking your own small fan, and don't forget to bring a power convertor if necessary.

 

[lowflyer]

AC for me, and @Centrals, I don't know why anyone consider that "personal information." Heck, I doubt anyone even knows who I really am I don't know who you really are.

 

[Pearlman]

You might consider taking your own small fan, and don't forget to bring a power convertor if necessary.

A USB powered fan running off a 20000mAH lithium power bank used to charge phones otherwise … hard to beat idea for remote places without electricity.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

I have the most experience in Belize and Roatan. In Belize, I'm fine with the breezes that blow through. We're so far from the mainland and freshwater sources that mosquitoes aren't an issue. I've done this trip 14 times, and at worst it takes a night to acclimate. The exception was a trip where we were in what amounts to a windowless room. No air flow was miserable for the first few nights, but I acclimated.

Come to think of it, I've also stayed routinely in an "over pond" cabin in Belize. Also never had trouble sleeping there. The windows were screened and there were multiple fans in the ceiling and free-standing. I've used the fans more to dry out clothes that had gotten soaked, or dive gear on the way to the airport to fly home.


On Roatan, it was a similar issue: The room had minimal airflow and would have been unbearable without air conditioning. (This one was not over the water, which likely made it worse.)

 

[Shasta_man]

Please note I suggested the fan because you would have it if you need it. To reiterate, my own overwater bungalow experience in Tahiti was it was cool enough with just ceiling fans and in fact did not have AC and further just being a bungalow on the beach started to make a big enough difference to start to need AC that did come in those on-shore bungalows. However, I would not bank on it, and just bring the fan because it will suck if you need it and don't have it.

 

[Trilobite]

In case anyone has this question in the future.

Summary - I struggle to sleep in humidity/hot weather and wondered if I could in Raja without AC

Papua Paradise - there was a ceiling fan directly over the double bed and a pedestal fan at the single bed that you could use with the mosquito nets down. It was warm but I could sleep

Papua Explorers - while there are no mosquitos here, if it rains the bugs come FLOCKING inside the pondoks so I would recommend closing the doors before dinner. There was no breeze the week I stayed (first week of Jan) and we had one small fan between two twin beds and unfortunately I did not get a single night's decent sleep.
The staff were kind enough to provide a spare fan so one for each bed, however we had to re-arrange the room and made it work with the mosquito nets due to the above-mentioned bug situation.

For anyone who knows they struggle with humidity and sleep...I might look into whether it's safe to take sleeping pills and dive

If anyone wants a full trip report...let me know

I was at Papua Explorers for a week in October 2023. No bugs at all in the rooms. Propped the portable fan up so it blew on me while I slept; no problems at all sleeping--though it would have been uncomfortably hot for sleeping without the fan.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I was at Papua Explorers for a week in October 2023. No bugs at all in the rooms. Propped the portable fan up so it blew on me while I slept; no problems at all sleeping--though it would have been uncomfortably hot for sleeping without the fan.

Similar experience in April 2022 and I did the exact same thing. Their nets were also very good compared to other places I’ve been at. Long, no gaps, overlap is significant. I also travel with a flat fan powered by a power bank just in case.

 

[USdiver1]

I lived 10 years in tropical Central America w/o A/C. Never a problem per se, however I was 60 Lbs. lighter, so there was that.