Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort: what is better than your own beach, on your own tiny private island, within the South Pacific’s most pristine lagoon?
I was born and raised on a Pacific island, and while my travels have taken me places far beyond it, it’s to this paradise, right on our geographic doorstep, I find myself returning.
And to the Pacific, you can add Asia – namely, Asia-Pacific, the theme of this article. Indonesia alone comprises more than 17,000 islands, the largest archipelagic country on the planet, with another 7000 in the Philippines. The Pacific itself has more than 10,000 islands, and fabulous Fiji is made up of 300 islands.
With so many tropical idylls across this spectacular region, you’ll find some of the world’s most welcoming and luxurious resorts, filled with a nonchalant tropical calm and cheer, all far removed from the hustle and bustle of Europe and North America.
Alma Resort in Vietnam has 12 pools.
Days end with sundowners at bars where nothing dare block the view of the setting sun. Life coasts along in a gloriously slow manner; sometimes things seem to come to a complete standstill, especially in countries such as Samoa, where day-time naps are almost mandatory.
Within this deliciously heat-laced Asia-Pacific tranquillity, I’ve found happiness in various places and experiences, from spa safaris in luxurious resorts on remote Indonesian islands to treehouses on overlooked Thai atolls.
Nowhere does it better than the Asia-Pacific, and as a testament to this, I’ve created the perfect Asia-Pacific resort. My utopian resort has the best of the following features for anyone who wants to understand and embrace the magic of this region we’re fortunate to have so close.
The welcome: Stevenson’s At Manase, Savaii, Samoa
Feeling welcome is the most important part of any stay, and nowhere on Earth makes travellers feel like they’ve come home more than the Pacific. While Fiji gets all the wraps (they are famously friendly), Samoa slips under the radar. This is where you’ll find Polynesia stripped back to its simplest form: where aiga (family) is sacred. At Stevenson’s At Manase – on Samoa’s most traditional island, Savaii – staff don’t simply welcome you in. They invite you to share Sunday feasts and church services. You’ll have the chance to spend time with them in traditional villages where 100 per cent of the emphasis is on community. You’ll be part of one of the Pacific’s oldest cultures. From $315 a night; see stevensonsresortsamoa.com
The pool: Alma Resort, Cam Ranh, Vietnam
You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to pools at Alma Resort.
You have your book, cocktail and the sun’s shining; now all you need is a warm, welcoming pool. How about 12 to choose from? Set amid 30 hectares of beachfront on Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Peninsula (near Nha Trang), Alma Resort has a swimming pool to suit everyone. There are large pools for lap swimmers, smaller pools for lounging, jacuzzis, pools for kids and adults-only pools with cabanas and swim-up bars where no children are permitted. You’ll find a labyrinth of pool options among landscaped gardens that look out across a long white-sand beach to the South China Sea. Families also have the option of a water park complete with wave pool. From $194 a night; see alma-resort.com
The fauna: The Datai, Langkawi, Malaysia
It’s likely you will spot exotic wildlife during a stay at The Datai in Langkawi.
A perfect Asia-Pacific resort should teem with exotic creatures, both terrestrial and marine, and the Datai, built within a private 10 million-year-old rainforest on Langkawi’s mountainous north coast, sure does. Keep your doors shut tight – flying squirrels, flying lemurs and monkeys are about. Take a walking tour at dawn as your neighbours in the forest wake – there are more than 260 species of bird making a hell of a racket. Dine at The Gulai House, an open-air traditional-style restaurant soundtracked by creatures of the forest. Your room also overlooks an ecological corridor for aquatic mammals, including three kinds of dolphins, giant groupers and rare whales. From $778 a night; see thedatai.com
The villa: Treehouse Villas Koh Yao, Thailand
You’re going to need the perfect villa to hide away in. The Asia-Pacific region has some of the world’s most luxurious (and expensive) villas, but they need not break the bank. Take a speedboat from Krabi or Phuket to Koh Yao Noi, an island off the mass tourism trail. Treehouse Villas Koh Yao are built directly above the ocean. Enter via a suspension bridge to a villa with an open-air lower level and a plunge pool in jungle surrounds; the upper level is built just above the canopy of the rainforest. There’s a jungle shower to top things off and you’ll have views to the Andaman Sea and across rice paddies where water buffalo till the soil. From $443 a night; see treehouse-villas.com
The bar: Kokomo Private Island Resort, Fiji
Walker D’Plank, a bar oozing character at Kokomo Private Island Resort, Fiji.
The bar could well be the most important component of the perfect Asia-Pacific resort – what screams happiness more than a sublime watering hole beside the water? Fiji’s Kokomo Private Island Resort is where you’ll find the best. Though it’s an ultra-luxury resort, the bar looks like a Melanesian take on Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. Walker D’Plank is cobbled together with driftwood and other items from a boat yard. Watch baby black-tip reef sharks in the shallows from the open-air bar built a metre above the ocean and reachable only along a walking path. Margaritas are out of this world, but the view across calm water protected by one of the world’s largest reefs is even more ridiculous. From $3200 a night (all inclusive); see kokomoislandfiji.com
The environs: Veluvana Treehouse, Sidemen, Bali, Indonesia
In a region of rare beauty, the emphasis must be on preservation for generations to come. Veluvana Treehouse has used locally crafted and sourced bamboo and reclaimed copper rooves to create five unique treehouses within a rice terrace on the edge of 3031-metre Mount Agung on Bali’s less-visited east coast. The mountain’s aquifer provides fresh water while air-conditioning comes from mountain breezes in the green valley you’re nestled in. Moveable rooves allow views of the night sky, showers are set in the open air, farmers tend to rice paddies nearby and there’s an emphasis on connecting with the tiny community. From $550 a night; see veluvanabali.com
The beachfront: Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort Adults Only, Aitutaki, Cook Islands
Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort: walk from your room to a deserted white-sand beach surrounded by turquoise.
This super resort has got to have one heck of a beach because the Asia-Pacific region is home to a fair percentage of the world’s top-rated beaches. But what is better than your own beach, on your own tiny private island, within the South Pacific’s most pristine lagoon? Aitutaki is home to a lagoon four times the size of the island itself and it’s more idyllic than even Bora Bora’s famous lagoon. Bora Bora has resorts all through its lagoon, while Aitutaki’s almost entirely uninhabited. You can walk from your room to a deserted white-sand beach surrounded by turquoise. From $788 a night; see aitutakilagoonresort.com
The restaurant: Desa Potato Head, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia
Every stomach catered to at Desa Potato Head.
There are so many flavours to sample in this Asia-Pacific region, so why not sample the best? Desa Potato Head is billed as a “creative village” beside the ocean in Seminyak. It’s a one-stop shop for foodies because you can sample every kind of cuisine you might fancy without leaving your hotel. There are plant-based meals using vegetables from regenerative farmers at Tanaman, traditional recipes from Indonesia’s archipelago at Kaum and pizza in the Pizza Garden or tapas-style snacks overlooking the beach while live music plays. Every curious stomach is catered to. From $369 a night; see seminyak.potatohead.co
The sundowner: Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay, Fiji
Watch the sun sink into the ocean at the Fish Bar.Credit: Chris McLennan
The sundowner was a British tradition first observed in Africa, but it’s an Asia-Pacific institution, too – no day on holiday here should go without one. The best in the Asia-Pacific must involve the sun slipping slowly into the ocean, and the adults-only Fish Bar at Fiji Marriott Momi Bay epitomises the glory of this experience. Perched on a cliff above the sea, sit in lounge seats beside a horizon pool in casual luxury (the floor is sand) listening to live music as you look for the green flash with the sun setting into a sea sprinkled with the Mamanuca Islands. From $900 a night; see marriott.com
The spa: Nihi Sumba, Sumba, Indonesia
The al fresco spa pavilion at Nihi Sumba resort, Sumba, Indonesia.Credit: Tania Araujo
Why book a spa treatment at your perfect Asia-Pacific resort when you can experience a “spa safari” instead? Nihi Sumba, an hour’s flight east of Bali, offers half or full-day itineraries at a spa located off-property on a private bay with two white-sand beaches. You’ll get there by horseback, safari jeep or a sunrise walk that takes you through rice fields, communities and palm forests before descending into a secret green valley. Treatment rooms are perched above the ocean. But first, a breakfast cooked on an open fire is prepared in a treehouse platform as you swim. Choose a day’s worth of treatment or ride the open-air safari jeep back to the resort in time for lunch. From $2414 a night (all inclusive); see nihi.com
The activities: Club Med Phuket, Thailand
Go snorkelling or diving off Club Med Phuket.
Not the lounging-by-the-pool type? Club Med Phuket has more activities – some included, some you’ll pay extra for – than almost any other resort in the Asia-Pacific. You could spend two weeks here and not sit still. There’s a flying trapeze school, yoga classes, high intensity gym sessions, Thai boxing or Thai cooking classes dishes. Most activities are included but if you’re still restless, book a half-day snorkelling trip around offshore islands or a bamboo rafting tour up a river. Learn to dive or expand your existing skills at 10 diving spots nearby. From $505 a night (all inclusive); see clubmed.com.au
The family: Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, Vanua Levu, Fiji
Kids can get a hands-on lesson in oceanography at Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort in Fiji.
Fiji is one of the world’s most family-friendly destinations, and Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort is regularly voted Fiji’s best family resort. The resort allows children and adults their own space. Children five years and under are assigned the same nanny for their whole stay.
Children six to 12 are led by the same buddy on activities such as harvesting vegetables and helping prepare the resort’s lunches and dinners. There are waterslides, zip lines, treehouses and trampolines as well as some of the Pacific’s best diving for parents. The resort also specialises in multi-generational activity programs. From $940 a night (all inclusive); see fijiresort.com
The culture: Sinalei Resort and Spa, Upolu, Samoa
Nowhere does more to preserve its culture than Samoa, where people live according to principles of Fa’a Samoa – a 3000-year-old set of cultural laws that organise a society in which chiefs rule the country, locals live in traditional villages and everything stops on Sunday when Samoa feasts. The best place to join in is at Sinalei Resort and Spa. Take part in Samoan feasts during which you can help prepare underground ovens (umu), participate in fia fia cultural shows celebrating traditions and accompany staff as they take you around their village for an insight into one of the best-kept cultures in the Pacific. From $424 a night; see sinalei.com
The breakfast buffet: Four Seasons, Jimbaran Bay, Bali
The breakfast buffet at Jimbaran Bay, Bali, has something for all tastes.
Breakfast, allegedly, is the most important meal of the day. And nothing says “I’m on holiday” quite like a prolonged stint at the breakfast buffet, particularly with a jaw-dropping view from an open-air eatery over a beach. The Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay has six separate breakfast stations. Open from 6.30am to 10.30am, you’d need four hours to sample everything, such as the sambar curry from the tandoor station or teppanyaki or noodles from the Asian station. Then there’s the honey-glazed ham and back bacon with poached eggs from the Western station. For sweet tooths, there is a pastry station as well as a creperie and pancake station (with ice-cream). From $1050 a night; see fourseasons.com
The overwater bungalow: The St Regis Bora Bora Resort, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
The St Regis Bora Bora Resort. Bora Bora is still the best place in the world to experience an overwater bungalow.
Overwater bungalows were invented in Bora Bora, and there’s still no better place on Earth to road-test one. There’s no way to get a closer view of a South Pacific lagoon – the foundations of your room are down there with the fish and coral. Take a paddleboard (or swim) from your overwater bungalow to breakfast beside a white sand beach on your private islet. Look for Hollywood stars (Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman honeymooned here), or set your gaze beyond the lagoon to towering Mount Otemanu. From $2600 a night. See marriott.com
Asia v The Pacific put to the test
The cleanest
Winner: The Pacific
Not even close. With the exception of a few less developed Pacific Islands, you will not find a cleaner place on Earth. Communities in many Pacific islands even have “clean police” and better-developed rubbish-collecting infrastructure takes care of the rest. It’s not that people don’t care in Asia, there are just fewer resources for collecting litter.
The safest
Winner: The Pacific
That’s not to suggest Asia is dangerous, but it pays to be on guard with your possessions all the time. There are really only a few urban centres in the Pacific where you have to consider petty crime. Using hotel safes is a good idea throughout much of Asia, but almost an insult in some parts of the Pacific.
The nightlife
Winner: Asia
Although there are many islands in the Pacific with decent enough nightlife scenes, the action is often geared around beach bars at sunset. Asia, meanwhile, often parties until dawn, especially in bigger tourist cities and nightlife hot-spots such as Bali’s south-west coast, Phuket (Thailand) and Singapore.
The tastiest
Winner: Asia
While seafood and produce is ridiculously fresh, unaffected by pollution and tasty in the Pacific, Asia is blessed with the world’s best street food offering a range of diverse, exotic flavours. You’ll also find some of the planet’s most prestigious fine-dining restaurants.
Best overall
Winner: A draw
Asia pulsates with an energy that’s infectious, but it can be polluted, crowded and someone will try to sell you something every day of your holiday. The Pacific is laid-back, always pristine and no one will try to sell you anything – but you’ll miss some of the options Asia offers. Be grateful we have both so close to home.