Bawah Reserve

Bawah Reserve took five years to build without a single piece of heavy machinery. Bamboo grown and prefabricated in Java, copper recycled into sinks and bathtubs on-site, and stone quarried from the island for paths and foundations. Even the jetty is asymmetrical, its shape dictated by divers overseeing construction to avoid damaging the coral reef running between two of the resort's lagoons. Spread across six private islands in Indonesia's remote Anambas Archipelago, the 36 suites, tented, overwater or pool villa, sit within a 1,000-hectare marine conservation area, reached only by an 80-minute seaplane flight from Batam.

Floating and rooftop solar panels supply 40 per cent of the resort's power, and wastewater is treated and reused for irrigation rather than discharged. Marine biologists relocate turtle nests to improve hatching odds, protecting over 1,500 hatchlings a year, while a fifth of the kitchen's fruit and vegetables come from the reserve's own permaculture garden. Dive the house reef, hike rainforest trails past trees arborists have dated to 2,000 years old, or learn batik-making from a foundation that trains local women in the craft. After dark, with no other light for miles, the Milky Way is a treat for the eyes.