Best beach stays in South-East Asia for less than $100 a night

Sandy feet, thatched roofs, water views: it’s the perfect trifecta for a tropical beach getaway in South-East Asia. And you can get it all for $100 a night. Our top 10 list ranges from a treehouse on a Cambodian island to an ecolodge in West Bali, and a colourful homestay that combines sun, sand and lantern-lit streets in Vietnam’s historic crowdpleaser, Hoi An.

CAMBODIA

Tree House Bungalows, Koh Rong

Tree House Bungalows on the Cambodian island of Koh Rong.

Simplicity is the key at these beachside treehouses on a tropical island off the coast of Sihanoukville. The 20-bungalow resort is near the main tourist beach, Koh Touch, but secluded beaches are also found nearby. Already a bargain by Australian standards, the rainy season sees the price of accommodation dipping to as little as $40 a night for beachfront stays (mid-May to November), with some bungalows set on four-metre-high stilts for the best views. Koh Rong is a 40-minute ferry from the mainland and is excellent for snorkelling, diving, kayaking and windsurfing. The island is also known for its bioluminescent plankton, which light up the seas at night. From $50, treehousebungalows.com

THAILAND

The Village, Coconut Island, Koh Ma Prao

The resort is on the prime real estate of Phang Nga Bay. Credit: The Village, Coconut Island, Koh Ma Prao

Only 30 minutes from Phuket airport, Koh Ma Prao (Coconut Island) sits 500 metres off the coast on aquamarine Phang Nga Bay. With facilities including tennis courts, live music, slider pools, a kids’ club and three restaurants including fine-dining fusion Japanese, The Village lives up to its name. The beachfront accommodation is dominated by suites, but its well-priced deluxe suites deliver all the facilities you need at a budget price tag. Bonus points for being able to take tours to popular beauty spots including James Bond island – right off the resort’s own pier. Transfers to the hotel for check in and check-out are included, otherwise expect to pay about $5 a pop. From $111, thevillage-coconutisland.com

INDONESIA

Menjangan Ecolodge, West Bali

You’ll find this ecolodge inside West Bali National Park.Credit: Menjangan Ecolodge, West Bali

Found on the north-western tip of Bali, there’s an educational bent to this ecolodge, which is set inside West Bali National Park. With the ecolodge’s rangers, you can spot the endangered Bali starling, take a boat out to explore underwater, track herds of wild deer (who also love to swim in the warm waters), or take a free bike or kayak out to adventure out by yourself. The compound has five lodges you can book a room in – or take out the entire lodge. A twin room in one of its lodges, with breakfast, from $45, plataran.com

MALAYSIA

The Barat Perhentian, Perhentian Besar island
With turtle and stingray-rich waters, the Perhentian Islands are renowned as having some of Malaysia’s best diving, and the Barat Perhentian was founded in 2015 by a group of dive instructors. The newly refurbished resort on Pulau Perhentian is 35 minutes by ferry from Terengganu on Malaysia’s east coast, an hour’s flight from Kuala Lumpur. It has 57 rooms and suites, as well as a restaurant and full PADI dive centre, ready for you to explore its underwater world. Garden chalets from $89 in high season (March-September), while you can pick up a seafront chalet for just over $100 in low season (February and October), baratperhentian.com

PHILIPPINES

Fairways & Bluewater, Boracay

The eco-friendly hotel has six swimming pools.

Golf, eco-awareness and budgets go hand-in-hand at this hotel, set on one of the Philippine holiday island Boracay’s famed white-sand beaches. The vast, eco-friendly hotel has 850 rooms, six swimming pools, its own beach and a par 72, 18-hole golf course, as well as more than 20 places to snack and sip, from gastropub to trattoria, jacuzzi bars and a Skydeck overlooking the Sibuyan Sea. Winner of multiple Conde Nast awards for its green practices and budgets, stays in its lead-in premier rooms are from $85 a night, fairwaysandbluewater.com

INDONESIA

Novotel Lombok Resort & Villas, Lombok

The seaside pool at Novotel Lombok.Credit: Novotel Lombok Resort & Villas, Lombok

One of the bellwethers of Lombok’s tourism scene, this four-star hotel is on the island’s south coast, 20 kilometres from the island’s new international airport. Set on the white-sand Kuta Beach (no, not that Kuta), expect all the facilities Novotels are known for – daily yoga, a dive and watersports centre, kids’ club, spa and open-air beachfront restaurant and beach bar. The hotel has 102 rooms and suites showcasing the local Sasak culture, including private pool villas throughout its gardens. Keep an eye out for the monkeys. Take a day trip to a traditional Sasak village, waterfalls or the Gili Islands. Spacious superior king guestrooms, which include a sofa bed, from $93, novotellombok.com

THAILAND

Phi Phi Relax Beach Resort, Koh Phi Phi

Bungalows have glorious views out over the Andaman Sea.

This resort within the Koh Phi Phi Marine National Park is reached by long-tail boat from Tonsai pier, taking you away from the busiest part of the popular island. The thatch-roof bungalows range from garden-view huts a few steps from the beach, to the pricey beachfront huts – but consider the larger sea-view bungalows, which sleep four and have glorious views out over the Andaman Sea for a few baht more. With fragrant gardens full of tropical birds and monkeys, the sea full of bright corals and sea life, and coconuts and hammocks to the ready, there’s no need to leave. Phi Phi is reached by boat from Krabi or Phuket, from $93, phiphirelaxresort.com

VIETNAM

Local Beach Homestay, Hoi An

Local Beach Homestay is located a minute’s walk from the beach at Hoi An.Credit: Local Beach Homestay, Hoi An, Vietnam

Just a minute’s walk from An Bang Beach, choose a second-floor room for beach views at this newly built homestay. It has the added advantage of being just four kilometres from Hoi An’s Ancient Town’s pagodas, markets, silk and lantern shops and super-stylish cafe scene. Host Huyen has run homestays here for several years and keeps sunbeds for her guests on the beach, where you can also order food and drinks. A double room with a sea view from $50, booking.com

PHILIPPINES

Hippocampus Beach Resort, Cebu

This three-star resort runs day trips to the Visayas’ beautiful islands.

The lure of Malapascua island, at the northernmost tip of Cebu, is the chance to dive with shy thresher sharks, which the resort’s PADI-accredited dive crew say are found at their dive site every morning. More relaxing, the three-star resort also runs day trips to the Visayas’ beautiful islands, including Kalanggaman Island, for as little as $22, where you might spot the seahorses after which the 18-room resort is named. Direct bookings with the hotel include breakfast – for the best rates, opt for low season (June-October). Standard rooms from $48, Deluxe Beachfront rooms from $102, hippo-malapascua.com

INDONESIA

Hotel Vila Ombak, Gili Trawangan

Four-star Villa Ombak is on the largest of the Gilis, bang on the beach.Credit: Hotel Vila Ombak, Gili Trawangan

Off the coast of Lombok, the Gilis are a little archipelago of three islands in the Bali Sea, an oasis of calm best reached by fast boat from Bali, or a quick hop from north Lombok. Pack light – the islands famously forbid cars, with walking (and some rather sad-looking horses) the main mode of transport on its sandy roads. The four-star Villa Ombak is on the largest of the Gilis, bang on the beach (with a swimming pool, if azure seas don’t tempt). If you’ve got a few spare rupiah, consider upgrading to a two-storey traditional arched Lumbung hut, with outdoor shower and its own bale. Garden terrace from $87, see vilaombak.com