Compare 576 Travel Destinations

Bali is Indonesia's most famous island — a tropical paradise of terraced rice paddies, ancient Hindu temples, volcanic peaks, and world-class surf breaks. From the spiritual heart of Ubud to the beach clubs of Seminyak and the cliffside temples of Uluwatu, Bali offers something for every type of traveler.

An Indonesian island in the Riau archipelago lying 20 km southeast of Singapore, close enough that Sindo Ferry and Batam Fast catamarans cross from HarbourFront Centre and Tanah Merah in 45 to 60 minutes for about SGD 38 round-trip. Batam is the duty-free weekend escape Singaporeans use for cheap seafood at Top 100 and Welcome Restaurant, beach overnights at Montigo Resorts Nongsa, Turi Beach Resort and Nongsa Point Marina, golf at Palm Springs and Tamarin Santana, and the reflexology and shopping circuit of Nagoya Hill. The centre is industrial rather than pretty, but it is the most affordable island getaway in the region — and the only one with no flights from Singapore because the ferry is simply faster.

A tear-drop island in the Central Visayas, two hours by fast ferry from Cebu and home to the most famous landform in the Philippines: the Chocolate Hills, 1,776 conical limestone mounds spread over 50 sq km of Carmen and Sagbayan that turn from green to brown in the February-to-May dry months. The Loboc River cruise glides past nipa-palm villages on a floating buffet boat, the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella protects the 13cm saucer-eyed primate, and the resort island of Panglao — connected by causeway to the main island — strings Alona Beach with dive shops running daily trips to Balicasag's wall and Pamilacan's whale sharks. A 1-hour Cebu Pacific or PAL flight from Manila lands at Bohol-Panglao (TAG).

The northern tip of Palawan and the world capital of recreational wreck diving — twelve Imperial Japanese Navy vessels sunk by US carrier planes on 24 September 1944 lie between 10 and 40 metres in Coron Bay, accessible to anyone with an open-water certification. Above the waterline, the Tagbanwa-owned island of Coron itself walls in jade-water lagoons fringed by 200-metre limestone karsts: Kayangan Lake (often called the cleanest lake in the Philippines), Twin Lagoon's swim-through opening, the 38-metre fresh-and-saltwater pool of Barracuda Lake. Reach: a 1-hour AirSwift, Cebgo or Philippines AirAsia flight from Manila MNL into Busuanga (USU).

A long volcanic spine of an island in Indonesia's Lesser Sundas chain east of Bali, anchored by the harbour town of Labuan Bajo where every Komodo National Park live-aboard and day boat departs. Inland, the 1,639-metre Kelimutu volcano holds three crater lakes that shift colour independently — turquoise, olive, black — and the cool highland villages of Bena and Wae Rebo preserve thatched conical houses and Ngada megalithic ancestor stones. Days run from dawn dragon walks on Rinca to swim stops at Pink Beach, manta cleaning stations at Manta Point, and the 5km drone-friendly ridge of Padar Island. Christian-majority and overwhelmingly local in feel.

Three tiny islands off Lombok's northwest — Gili Trawangan (party), Gili Meno (honeymoon), and Gili Air (balance). Zero motorized vehicles: walk, bike, or pony cart. Turtles guaranteed on the snorkel, diving world-class, Bintang at sunset swings. 2-hour fast boat from Bali Padangbai or 20-minute public ferry from Lombok Bangsal.

South Korea's volcanic island paradise holds a UNESCO triple crown — biosphere reserve, world natural heritage, and global geopark — for Hallasan (1,950m, Korea's highest peak), Seongsan Ilchulbong (a tuff cone rising from the sea), and Manjanggul (one of the world's longest lava tubes at 13 km). The busiest air route in the world runs Seoul–Jeju; 15 million visitors come annually. Jeju has its own visa exemption — 30 days for most nationalities without a Korean visa.

Koh Phi Phi is six islands in the Andaman Sea between Phuket and Krabi, the most famous of which are Phi Phi Don, the inhabited backpacker hub with no roads and a maze of pedestrian sois, and Phi Phi Leh, the uninhabited limestone fortress whose Maya Bay starred in The Beach. Maya Bay reopened in 2022 with daily caps, mooring bans, and a strict no-swimming-on-the-bay-side rule that lets the coral recover. Ferries take 90 minutes from Phuket or Krabi. Days revolve around longtail island-hopping and snorkel stops; nights revolve around fire-show beach bars on Loh Dalum Bay and the cheapest bucket cocktails in Thailand.

Thailand's second-largest island after Phuket (228 km²), in the Gulf of Thailand off the eastern coast — circled by a single 50-kilometre ring road that takes about 90 minutes to drive in full and connects every major beach. There were no roads on Samui at all until 1970, and the Bangkok Airways-built Samui Airport (USM, 1989) transformed the island in a single generation. The 12-metre golden Big Buddha (Wat Phra Yai) on the connected islet of Koh Faan has greeted arriving flights since 1972 and remains the most visible landmark. Chaweng Beach is the longest and liveliest stretch on the east coast; Lamai is the second beach, calmer; Bophut's Fisherman's Village preserves Chinese-Thai shophouses. The Full Moon Party rave is on neighbouring Koh Phangan (20 minutes by ferry); Koh Tao for diving sits two hours further north. Crucially, Samui's weather is opposite to Phuket's — wet October through December (when Phuket is dry), dry January through September.

Home of the Komodo dragon and some of Indonesia's best diving. Pink beaches, manta rays, and the dramatic Padar Island viewpoint make this a nature lover's paradise.

A duty-free island paradise in the Andaman Sea — UNESCO Geopark with dramatic limestone formations, SkyBridge, mangrove kayaking, and pristine beaches at a fraction of Thailand island prices.

Bali's quieter neighbor offers pristine beaches, world-class surf, the challenging Mount Rinjani trek, and the idyllic Gili Islands just offshore. Less developed and more affordable than Bali, with a distinctive Sasak culture.

The Maldives is the ultimate tropical escape — 1,190 coral islands scattered across the Indian Ocean, with some of the clearest water on earth. Overwater villas, world-class diving and snorkeling, and sunsets that defy description. While luxury resorts dominate, guesthouses on local islands offer a more affordable and authentic experience.

A 14 sq km island in the Seto Inland Sea reborn as one of the world's most ambitious open-air contemporary art experiments. The Benesse Art Site has wrapped the south end in Tadao Ando concrete; Yayoi Kusama's polka-dot Yellow Pumpkin sits on a private pier; the Chichu Art Museum is sunk into a hillside to hold three Monet Water Lilies, a James Turrell skyspace, and a Walter De Maria room. The Honmura village houses are themselves the artworks. Reach by ferry from Uno Port, an hour from Okayama on the mainland.

Japan's subtropical island chain has a culture distinctly its own — the Ryukyu Kingdom (1429–1879) left Shuri Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site rebuilt after its 2019 fire, and a cuisine defined by champuru stir-fry, awamori liquor, and the "Okinawa diet" that helped create one of the world's highest concentrations of centenarians. The Kerama Islands 30 minutes by ferry have water clarity among the finest in Asia. The US military controls 30% of the main island's land area — a geopolitical reality woven into daily life.

Malaysia's food capital is an island of incredible hawker food, vibrant street art in George Town's UNESCO-listed core, colorful temples, and colonial mansions. One of Southeast Asia's best-value food destinations.

A six-island archipelago in the Andaman Sea between Phuket and Krabi — protected within the Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, with Permian-era limestone karst cliffs ringing turquoise water. Phi Phi Don is the only inhabited island; Phi Phi Leh holds Maya Bay (the famous beach from "The Beach" 2000), which closed entirely from 2018 to 2022 for coral recovery and reopened with strict daily caps (4,375 visitors/day, 60-minute slots, no swimming inside the bay), closing annually August 1–September 30 for further recovery. The classic Phi Phi day combines Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Bamboo Island snorkelling, and the Phi Phi Viewpoint hike for the iconic double-bay photograph. No roads, no cars, no airport — everything is by boat from the wooden Tonsai Pier.

Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest island, a pepper-and-fish-sauce outpost in the Gulf of Thailand that sits closer to Cambodia than to the Vietnamese mainland. The south end has the postcard beaches — Sao Beach’s soft white crescent and Long Beach’s 20-kilometre sweep of resort and hostel — plus the world’s longest sea-crossing cable car at 7.9 kilometres, which links the mainland to little Hon Thom island and was opened in 2018. Vietnam grants 30-day visa-free entry to every nationality on arrival here, which makes it one of the easiest tropical entries on the planet. The fish-sauce factories of Duong Dong town smell like the Atlantic at low tide.

Thailand's largest island is a tropical playground of palm-fringed beaches, turquoise Andaman Sea waters, and lively nightlife. From the bustling Patong strip to the serene coves of Kata and Rawai, Phuket offers everything from luxury resorts to budget beach bungalows. The jumping-off point for Phi Phi Islands and Phang Nga Bay.

A tear-shaped island of 437 square kilometres in the Pacific-facing eastern Philippines — voted Conde Nast Traveler's best island in Asia in 2019 and the world's best in 2022. Cloud 9 is the country's most famous wave, a hollow right-hand reef break that fires September-November when Pacific swells line up; non-surfers come for Sugba Lagoon's jade-green saltwater swim, the Magpupungko low-tide rock pools, the Three Islands boat day-trip (Naked, Daku, Guyam), the stingless jellyfish at Tojoman Lagoon, and tens of thousands of coconut palms covering most of the island. Super Typhoon Odette flattened most resorts in December 2021 and reconstruction continued through 2024; tourism infrastructure is now mostly rebuilt and often more typhoon-resistant. General Luna ("GL") is the main hub.