Cempedak

Only a third of Cempedak's 17-hectare island has ever been built on, the rest remains mangrove, rock outcrop and forest, home to pangolins and silver leaf monkeys that the resort's own conservation team monitors alongside nesting sea turtles on the beaches. Reaching Cempedak is an adventure in itself; a ferry from Singapore to Bintan, a drive across the island, and a final speedboat crossing.

Twenty bamboo villas, roofed in alang-alang grass and built by Indonesian craftsmen, run on solar power and natural ventilation. There are no televisions or Wi-Fi here, a true digital detox. Vegetables, herbs and free-range eggs come from a permaculture garden. Spend days kayaking or windsurfing, or simply lying in a hammock. Cempedak partnered with Conservation International to help establish a 138,500-hectare Marine Protected Area offshore, and its Island Foundation has trained 1,500 local teachers and reached over 3,000 children across Bintan's coastal communities.