The Sanchaya

Ah, paradise — just a hop, skip and a jump away. Well, for non-locals, just a flight to Singapore, then a 15-minute drive to the ferry terminal, then a 45-minute boat ride to the island of Bintan, then another 15-minute drive to the north shore. We won’t pretend otherwise: the Sanchaya is far away from everything. But the remoteness is part of its appeal. And the path to this particular paradise goes a bit faster and smoother than it would if you were staying in some other resort. The Sanchaya handles express immigration and customs clearance, and has a private VIP lounge in the ferry terminal. In other words, you’ll be relaxing with tea or champagne while someone deals with your paperwork. And that’s before you even get to the hotel itself, which is where the fun really begins. The Sanchaya, grand and gleaming, is impossibly photogenic at dawn and dusk, the colonial architecture and towering palm trees reflected in the still water of an Olympic-sized infinity pool. There’s rainforest and a manmade lagoon on one side, and clear blue sea on the other; inside, the hotel is like a museum of Southeast Asian art and artifacts. The hotel looks larger than it is, but that’s only because the rooms and suites are so generously proportioned. There’s no “standard double” here, just 21 villas and nine suites spread out between the main house and the lagoon-facing Lawan Village. The aesthetic mixes colonial charm with clean, modern lines: think parquet floors, Chinese-style cabinetry, and antique wooden writing desks stocked with artisanal stationery, as well as a state-of-the-art wine fridge, TVs by Bang & Olufsen, and an iPad mini, in case you’d rather type a note home instead of writing out a letter.