Living Not Just by the Water, but Over and Even Below It Six decades ago, a hotel was built with rooms set on concrete piles placed deep within the ocean floor. The design has been flourishing ever since. An aerial view of the Conrad Bora Bora Nui, a contemporary luxury resort with overwater bungalows and walkways.Credit...Alamy By Mark Ellwood June 9, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET It was an idea born from the tropical desperation of three American friends who had moved to French Polynesia on a whim in 1959. Their first plan there — to run a vanilla farm — had fallen through, so they resolved to try the hotel business. Tourism was nascent, and international visitor numbers had begun to grow after a new airport opened on the main island, Tahiti. The three men — Jay Carlisle, a stockbroker; Hugh Kelley, a lawyer; and Donald McCallum, a salesman — bought a couple of properties to turn into funky hotels they called the Bali Hai. One was on the island of Ra’iatea.