TRAVEL INTEL * HOTELS
Condé Nast Traveler
Why You Should Visit Indonesia in 2017
By Andrew Sessa
March 1, 2017
New hotels and cruises (plus better air routes and infrastructure) equals more island time for everyone.
Indonesia has long been on the must-visit list of intrepid surfers, sun lovers, and spa seekers—not to mention romantic types inspired by the final third of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love. There's a lot of love to go around: “We love Indonesia,” says Catherine Heald, co-founder and CEO of Asia-travel specialist Remote Lands. “It's so huge, and it has thousands of islands. There's so much variety, and amazing culture. In the summer, especially, from May to September, and into October, it's one of our biggest countries [for bookings].”
So why go now, if everyone’s already been? The Southeast Asian archipelago nation has hardly lacked for great places to stay, especially on the perennially popular island of Bali, but it’s experiencing a particular hospitality boom these days. On Bali alone, according to a report last month by consultants Horwath HTL and C9 Hotelworks, hotel occupancy was up by four percent in 2016 from the previous year, and incoming international travel was up by six percent, with the influx of an addition four million foreign tourists bringing the total to more than 11 million for the first time.
Photo by Masashi Kuma
Hoshinoya Bali just opened in the hills of Ubud.
Even better news? More and more top-end hotels are opening to greet these guests. In January,
the Japanese brand Hoshino unveiled Hoshinoya Bali in the rainforest-covered hills of inland Ubud, Bali. There, 30 multi-floor, indoor-outdoor, thatch-roofed, artisan-crafted villas open to a series of swimming pools and canals that are
part of the island’s UNESCO-protected network of water temples. (Be sure to enjoy an Indonesian-Japanese meal in one of the café gazebos that seem to float over the forest.)
Courtesy Bahwah Island
Bawah Private Island (pictured) actually occupies five separate islands—because that's how Indonesia rolls.
In June comes Bawah Private Island, which, despite its name, actually
occupies five separate islands set in three turquoise lagoons in Indonesia’s Anambas archipelago, two hours by ferry and seaplane from Singapore. Spread over 300 acres, the eco-minded, light-on-the-land resort comprises 35 hand-built beach, garden, and overwater villas—many of them luxe safari-style tents, others made of bamboo and thatch—
that give easy access to 13 beaches and pristine primary forests.
Capella Ubud
The hotel trend continues into the fall, when
Capella Ubud pitches its 22 tented villas, each with its own pool and all designed by Bill Bensley—the architect behind the beloved Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, in Chiang Rai, Thailand—to evoke the East-meets-West aesthetic of 19th-century colonial style. Also coming this year is the Legian Lombok, sister of the Legian Bali, whose 39 rooms and eight villas extend along a two-and-a-half-mile, palm-dotted sandy beach on the relatively untouristed island of Lombok.
Star Clippers
Star Clippers Indonesia Journey
It's not just hotels that are investing in Indonesia.
May sees the launch of Star Clippers’ first voyages in Indonesia; a more accessible alternative to chartering a private phinisi. Sailing on the four-masted, 170-passenger Star Clipper tall ship,
passengers will stop in local villages, marine preserves, and volcanic islands for snorkeling and scuba diving. Those traditional wooden sailboats have gotten the luxe treatment over the last several years, refit with plush interiors, and, most recently, built with all the mod-cons (e.g., bigger windows and motors). Among the newest are the two-guest Alexa, the 10-guest Rascal, and the 14-guest Lamima and Donia Baru.
The Gauguin
Seabourn Encore
Paul Gauguin Cruises and Seabourn also have rare stops in Indonesia this year, only the second time each has ever come to the country:
Paul Gauguin’s April and June Pacific itineraries are on its 332-passenger flagship, while
Seabourn’s March “Gems of the Java Sea II” itinerary will be on the months-old 300-suite Seabourn Encore.
Toraja
Heald also says that new flights and local airports are making travel to more off-the-radar Indonesian spots even easier.
Daily routes now connect to the northern island of Sulawesi, known for its fascinating funeral rituals, and Raja Ampat, a jumping-off point for sailing adventures, which also has its own recently opened airport.
Flights to Indonesia from the U.S., meanwhile, still require a layover elsewhere in East Asia or the Middle East. The country’s national carrier,
Garuda Indonesia, had planned to start nonstop LAX-Jakarta routes, but the route is still pending final approval following the FAA’s August lifting of its nine-year ban against Indonesian airlines. The good news? Right now, you can find one-stop trips from the U.S. for less than $700 at various points through the spring and summer.
http://www.cntraveler.com/story/why-you-should-visit-indonesia-in-2017
