INDONESIA CEMPEDAK PRIVATE ISLAND
Some 266,000 pieces of sustainable bamboo were used to construct this grown-up retreat off the coast of Singapore. Thrilling raised walkways and dining areas shaped like bracken fiddleheads unfurling down towards the sea are all fashioned from the stuff, as well as the 20 villas that are lined along a driftwoody beach up to a pandanus-filled forest. Ecologically friendly design doesn’t always translate to elegance, but these open-sided structures (actually recycled old Javanese houses), with their crescent-moon-shaped thatch roofs, could be a collaboration between a weaver bird and Dr Seuss. Founder Andrew Dixon has form when it comes to eco-castaway islands: he was responsible for acclaimed Nikoi, also in the Riau archipelago. At Cempedak there are solar panels and waste-water gardens, no plastic, no air-con (the whispering sea breeze is far superior), and zero preachiness. Style is never compromised, but it still feels wild: at the spiral-shaped Dodo bar, Pink Floyd spins on a bamboo record player as swallows swoop through the air. A spa with sea views arrives this autumn. FLASH POINT The cooking by Medanese chef Dika (Java-style tuna, sensational bread-and-butter pudding) is a defined foil to sandy-toed days spent island-hopping.
MALDIVES THE ST REGIS MALDIVES VOMMULI
The architects insist that the buildings at Vommuli were inspired by marine creatures. And it’s true that the elongated, open-mouthed design of the Whale Bar – one of the most remarkable structures anywhere in the Maldives – does a very passable impersonation of its cetacean namesake. Yet it’s difficult not to conclude that these same architects must have spent a great deal of time watching sci-fi cartoons such as The Jetsons during their formative years. The entire place looks like a space station made of teak. And if that sounds a bit odd, well, it is – in the best possible way. Vommuli is not merely quirky but original, memorable and beautiful. There are 77 villas and no duds among them. Here the traditionally less prized garden villas are just as impressive as the overwater ones. The founder of the original St Regis in New York is honoured in the John Jacob Astor Estate, the largest lagoon villa in the archipelago at 1,500 square metres. Yes, it comes with all the trimmings, but it hasn’t quite got everything. If you want to play pool or air-hockey, you’ve got to head over to the brilliantly kitted-out kids’ centre, which really has got everything. FLASH POINT Jordanian-Australian chef Ayyoub Salameh, who has resurfaced at Vommuli from the underwater restaurant at the Conrad Maldives, oversees no fewer than six restaurants on this one private island. None is more charming than Cargo, where top-notch street food is dispensed from what looks like a washed-up shipping container.
GREECE BILL AND COO COAST, MYKONOS
The latest Bill and Coo (the original is a five-minute drive away on the outskirts of Mykonos Town) is tucked away on an enviably hardto-find beach on the Agios Ioannis peninsula. Designed by super-hip Athenian architects K-Studio with upper-A-list guests in mind, the 15 suites are all similarly secluded with private terraces and plunge pools overlooking the sea. The rugged stone, bleached wood and cast-iron design is a welcome break from the Cyclades standard of whitewash and blue doors, and the interiors are understatedly chic: light greys and powdery whites with the occasional jet-black vase thrown in for contrast. The pretty pool area has shady gazeboes and a view of Delos island. By all accounts, admirers of the hotel’s lunchtime-only Taverna include Heston Blumenthal, who was likely charmed by the humblesounding but actually superb sardines on toast and dolmas stuffed with crab. FLASH POINT A new spa with special post-sun facial therapies by Swiss brand Valmont has just opened at the original hotel.
SEYCHELLES SIX SENSES ZIL PASYON, FELICITE
Félicité is one of the most dramatic islands in the Seychelles. Now it is also home to the smartest new place to stay in this tropical-island nation. The spa, which opened in March, has quite possibly set a new standard for Six Senses; certainly its location alone – high on rocks above a churning sea – would be enough to clear any cobwebs, and the five glass-fronted treatment rooms, linked by rope bridges and wooden steps, are wondrous relaxation spaces. The 30 enormous villas are all sublimely private, some set back in frilly foliage, others steps from a soft-sand beach. Chef Richard Lee overseas the Island Café, where breakfast and supper is served (masala-spiced spinach and ricotta omelettes; lobster tails with mango butter) and the Ocean Kitchen for Six Senses’ tailored wellness menus and simple, fresh fish. The hotel only takes up a tiny part of this 264- hectare island, most of which remains inaccessible other than along walking trails cut into landscape. FLASH POINT The neighbouring isles of La Digue and Praslin are within easy reach, and regular boat trips are available to both, so it’s easy to plug into the laid-back Seychellois lifestyle.