THE GREAT best 33beaches OVERALL INDIA: Beach No. 7, Havelock Island INDONESIA: Nihiwatu Beach, Sumba Island MALDIVES: Baa, FINDER North Ari, and North Malé atolls PHILIPPINES: Province BEACH THAILAND: Koh Phi Phi The world’s largest landmass has its share of BEACH HOTELS legendary shores. Cynthia Rosenfeld travels to CAMBODIA: Knai Bang Chatt, Kep MALDIVES: Huvafen countries to suss out strands tailored Fushi, North Malé Atoll 12 33 PHILIPPINES: , to every taste and budget—along with where Pamalican Island THAILAND: , Phuket to eat, sleep, party, play, and be pampered VIETNAM: Nam Hai, China Beach Photographs by Håkan Ludwigson BEACH PARTIES INDONESIA: Ku De Ta, Bali SINGAPORE: Sentosa Island SRI LANKA: Wijaya Beach THAILAND: Amanpuri, Phuket; Full Moon Party, Koh Phangan BEACH SCENERY CHINA: The Great Wall, Lao Long Tou INDONESIA: Komodo dragons, Komodo National Park; Tanah Lot Temple, Bali JAPAN: Hot-sand baths, Kyushu Island SRI LANKA: Stilt fishermen, Weligama BEACH SPAS INDONESIA: Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay MALAYSIA: Four Seasons Resort, Langkawi MALDIVES: Huvafen Fushi, North Malé Atoll THAILAND: Kamalaya, Koh Samui; The Sarojin, Khao Lak BEACH SPORTS Land ho! Each of the six villas at Dhoni Mig- INDONESIA: hili, a two-and-a-half- Diving, Banda Sea; surfing,ˆ Sumba Island acre resort island in the Maldives’ North MALDIVES: Sailing, North Ari Atoll; surfing, Ari Atoll, comes with a North Malé Atoll 65-foot sailboat mod- PHILIPPINES: eled on the wooden Diving, Bacuit Bay dhonis used by the ancient Phoenicians.

152 els in sand up to their necks. Don’t save ing energy I could actually feel as she ten- the roughly five-dollar fee by attempt- derly cradled my head or placed both palms ing to dig yourself a hole: Temperatures between my breastbone and stomach to vary dramatically, and amateurs risk dig- calm my core. At this 91-room resort, by far ging their own graves. Daily repetition of Langkawi’s finest accommodations, even this ritual is believed to purify the blood the standard guest pavilions have been de- as the body sweats out toxins, but locals signed for indulgence by top Thai architect swear these body burials also refresh the Lek Bunnag, who nestled the spa’s six treat- soul. The best time to experience this oth- ment spaces around dramatic granite cliffs erworldly scene of steam swirling around (60-4-950-8888; fourseasons.com; doubles, heads poking out of the shimmering eb- $495–$540; beach villas, $1,500; massages, ony landscape is late afternoon, when the $96–$182). sun streaks pink and yellow behind the nearby volcanic island of Sakurajima. Thailand Overnight at the Ibusuku Hakusuikan ryo- Kamalaya, Koh Samui kan, where then prime minister Junichiro At this open-air pavilion built into the Koizumi, seeking to clear political bad rocky cliffs above Koh Samui’s Laem Set blood, hosted his South Korean counter- Beach, eight simple mattresses clad in part in 2004 (81-993-22-3131; hakusuikan high-thread-count cotton are strategically .co.jp/en; doubles, $127–$300). angled to soak up glistening Gulf of Thai- land views. Each time Kamalaya’s Thai < Best Beach Spas > masseuse wrapped her deceptively svelte arms around mine to bend my coach-class- Indonesia ravaged back into the contortion known as Four Seasons Resort Bali cobra, my eyes feasted on the azure expanse at Jimbaran Bay as if imbibing a curative tonic. Afterward, “You are intensely present,” said Dutch I floated back to one of 60 guest rooms set masseuse Elisa Senese after an hour of ad- amid the towering coconut palms and filled ministering water therapy in the Four Sea- with Himalayan treasures by the art-dealer sons Resort Bali’s oceanfront pool, which owner. Thanks to American architect Rob- overlooks a four-mile caramel crescent on ert Powell’s deliberate design, I never lost the southern coast. What would be a com- sight of the sea, except when climbing back pliment back at the office here was a mild up the hillside for another treatment at the rebuke, as the watsu-trained healer encour- ten-room Wellness Sanctuary, which ad- aged me to let go of the stress inherent in ministers everything from flower remedies a transcontinental life. I heard Jimbaran Bay’s gentle churn when my ears broke the surface as Senese took me through under- Credits water spine stretches that painlessly released Page 14: From top: Pablo Bartholomew/Netphotographs tension. More aquatic pleasures, from pri- .com; © Fredrik Renander/Alamy; Emmanuel Dunand/ AFP/Getty Images. Page 18: Condé Nast photo studio. Page vate sea-facing plunge pools to outdoor 20: Chris Wise. Page 22: Clockwise from top right: Cour- showers and soaking tubs, awaited back at tesy Cynthia Rosenfeld; courtesy Gentl & Hyers; Jeremy Hall-Smith; Rodney Smith; Stephanie Pfriender Stylander; the 147 thatched-roof villas sprinkled along courtesy Philip-Lorca diCorcia. Page 42: © Shinya Na- the southern slope of Jimbaran Bay, all kajima, from the exhibition “Shinya Nakajima Television Advertisements: Shinya Nakajima and 29 Art Directors,” with sea views, Balinese textiles, and gener- October 2007. Page 46: Courtesy Michel Harcourt. Page 52: ous daybeds (62-361-701-010; fourseasons Clockwise from top center: © Thierry Falise/OnAsia.com; fotosearch (3); © JoSon/Getty Images. Page 60: From top: .com; doubles, $630–$2,700; one-hour wa- Sime Photo/gigiamarchiori.com; Emmanuel Dunand/Getty ter massage, $110). Images; Marco Moretti/Anzenberger. Page 63: Jose Fuste Raga/Corbis. Page 64: Clockwise from top: Olivier Weid- man/Commencal; G. Simeone/gigiamarchiori.com; Brian Malaysia Stevenson/Aurora. Page 68: Clockwise from top left: Clem- ens Emmler/Laif/Redux; Galen Rowell/Corbis; Christopher Four Seasons Resort, Langkawi Wise. Page 70: Tetsuya Miura. Page 74: Clockwise from top The choice between the amenities of a left: Hu Yuanyong/Imagine China; Martin Westlake; An Fu- bin/Imagine China. Page 76: Clockwise from top left: Rory full-service spa and the convenience of an Spowers; Christopher Wise; Victor Borg. Page 78: Clockwise in-room treatment is rendered moot at the from top: V. Sidoropoler/Travel-Images.com; Charlotte Shalgoski; Frumm John/Hemis Fr. Page 80: Clockwise from Four Seasons Resort’s 2,369-square-foot top: Vincent Gautier/OnAsia.com; OnAsia.com; Pablo beach villas, all 20 of which front the An- Bartholomew/Netphotographs.com. Page 88: Left: East News/Polaris. Right, from top: Istock.com; Leo Hetzel-AP daman Sea. As I plunged into my private Photo; East News/Polaris (2); Istock.com (2). Page 90: From top: Istock.com (2); Niall McDiarmid/Alamy; Cephas/Tim pool, the masseuse readied the massage Hill; Veer.com; Werner Forman/Corbis; Masterfile.com; room. Moving from bottom to top, this Ba- Istock.com. Page 98: Mueller-Naumann Photography. Page linese master worked her strong hands into 102: © Hawaii Air. Page 130: Ralph Davis/Aurora Photos. Page 132: © Fredrik Renander/Alamy. Page 134: Left: Cour- my feet to unlock travel tensions at the root. tesy Ananda in the Himalayas. Right: Courtesy Self-Realiza- Like all therapists here, she is trained in tion Fellowship, L.A. Page 138: Courtesy Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari Ashram. Page 144: Herbert G. Pon- Reiki, which allows her to channel balanc- ting/Popper Foto. Page 198: Bernd Jonkmans/Redux/Laif. o c to b e r 2 0 0 7 241 Asian Beaches to a full Western medical checkup (66-77- 76-427-900; sarojin.com; doubles, $365– Maldives 429-800; kamalaya.com; doubles, $217– $541; Faa Fairt massage, $150). Sailing, North Ari Atoll $345; Thai massage, $53–$73). “It’s all about the dhoni,” said my friend < Best Beaches for Sports > Katerina Katopis of her recent visit to Dho- The Sarojin, Khao Lak ni Mighili, a two-acre islet cum resort in the Few experiences can top a sunset walk Indonesia Maldives’ North Ari Atoll. The unique sell- along Khao Lak Beach’s nearly seven miles Diving, Banda Sea ing point of the rustic-chic property, which of latte-colored sand; among them is the What nineteenth-century British natural- is limited to 12 adults at a time, is that each Pathways spa’s Faa Fairt massage, still a ist Alfred Russel Wallace observed in the of its six modest villas comes with a 65-foot favorite of mine after two years and doz- biodiverse waters off present-day Indone- sailboat similar to the wooden dhonis used ens of exotic treatments around the globe. sia prompted peer Charles Darwin to pub- by the ancient Phoenicians. Handcrafted I practically skipped across the elevated lish his theory of evolution. Darwin may of balau wood, Dhoni Mighili’s inter- wooden walkway that snakes through this have stolen history’s spotlight, but serious pretations have been updated with cushy 56-room resort. The Sarojin—which has divers seek out the Wallace Line (an eco- comforts like daybeds on deck and Frette minimalist yet entirely comfortable accom- tone in the waters between Bali and Lom- sheets in the stateroom down below, not to modations and gourmet French and Thai bok) and the Makassar Strait, where two mention a crew of three. Traveling skippers cuisine—has led local efforts to put Khao distinct Asian and Australasian ecosys- may miss the hard work of actually keep- Lak back on the holiday map (it was one tems overlap. Former Ambon Island dive- ing the boat afloat, but sybarites like me can of the beach communities hardest hit by shop owner Jason Friedman suggested I sunbathe between scuba dives among the the 2004 tsunami). While a great rub needs submerge myself in the Banda Sea, since kaleidoscopic coral and soldierfish, turtles, no special ambience, a sublime location fish migrate down the Marianas Trench and whale sharks. We disembarked at one can significantly enhance the experience. seeking food along these rich coral reefs. postcard-perfect deserted isle after another These four open-air suites set along a natu- “It’s a marine superhighway,” he told me for fresh-caught picnic lunches of grilled ral klong, or canal, are protected from the by e-mail from his current post as manag- tuna and chili lobster (960-666-0751; dhoni Andaman Sea by high dunes yet are close er of the Four Seasons’ elephant camp in mighili.com; doubles, $2,200–$2,600, all- enough that you can hear the waves wash- Thailand’s Golden Triangle. There’s even inclusive). ing over the coral. For 90 minutes, I enjoyed a beach bonus: Parrot fish and other reef- the indulgence of two women stroking my eating marine life digest the coral and then Surfing, North Malé Atoll naked limbs with Swiss synchronicity (66- flush out the powdery white granules that These Indian Ocean atolls are fast becoming I found along Friedman’s favorite Asian known as some of the world’s most indul- beaches—those that ring the Tanimbar Is- gent surfing destinations, with high-perfor- lands, between Timor and New Guinea. mance waves and water temperatures of 80 Dive the Banda Sea in style aboard the to 86 degrees year-round. Swapping bespoke ­Silolona, a thoroughly luxurious five-suite business suits for neoprene, stressed-out ex- interpretation of the indigenous ships that ecutives catch the curl aboard the 128-foot, have transported rice and spices through triple-deck Four Seasons Explorer. Austra- the surrounding waters for centuries (62- lia’s Tropicsurf operates surf clinics for all 361-287-326; silolona.com; from $12,000 levels aboard the luxury catamaran, which per day). accommodates up to 22 guests but recom- mends that novices complete a beginner’s Surfing, Sumba Island course at the Four Seasons Kuda Hura, in Lethal for beginners, the left-breaking the North Malé Atoll. For three days (four- waves off the ten-bungalow eco-retreat and seven-day cruises are also options), we Nihiwatu (see “Best Beaches Overall”) are sailed, as promised, between “secluded lo- legendary for serious surfers, who arrive cations no other surfers know about, where by air from Bali with three boards in tow. guests can live out their surfing fantasies.” “It’s a drag not to have a fourth,” former Then came my favorite part: a pampering pro surfer Jeff Novak lamented as our Trig- welcome back from the Kuda Hura’s smil- ana Air flight from Bali bounced through ing staff, arms outstretched to wrap us in the clouds (Bali’s Denpasar airport levies bathrobes seemingly sewn of cloud fluff considerable fees for travelers with more (960-664-4888; fourseasons.com; one night, than three boards, to discourage illegal im- $679–$784 per person). ports). Novak was surfing well-known Bali swells Dreamland and Uluwatu when surf- Philippines er Web sites like wetsand.com lured him to Diving, Bacuit Bay Sumba’s less-crowded waters. Only nine Spend time between the sheets at El Nido surfers at a time are allowed at Nihiwatu, Resorts’ Miniloc Island Resort or Lagen which keeps the island’s southwest coast Island Resort (see “Best Beaches Over- clear for wave warriors like those I heard all”), then hit the water, where prehistoric praising “the fastest curls short of the Pipe- limestone rocks jut through green-tinged line,” referring to Oahu’s iconic break (62- Bacuit Bay. The ancient monoliths here 361-757-149; nihiwatu.com; doubles, $390, recall Phuket’s Phang Na and Vietnam’s all-inclusive). Halong Bay, and gentle currents allow div-

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