The Bawah Reserve is the only known resort on the remote Anambas Archipelago of Indonesia. Its 13 lush beaches offer a level of sanctuary that you won’t find anywhere else in the country.
Any entrepreneur would milk this reserve for profits, of course. However, Matt Chapman, the owner, seems like he doesn’t want to do that. In fact, he wants Bawah to be a space where people can feel the rush and surprise of exploration.
“We want every guest to feel like an explorer stepping foot on the island for the first time,” he says. The terrain, marked by tropical vegetation and clear, turquoise waters, served as an inspiration for the resort. The designers sought to make everything by hand. That includes the 11 overwater bungalows and beach and garden suites, using mostly using bamboo harvested from Java and driftwood.
Elsewhere, you’ll find Lychee wood counters, freestanding copper bathtubs and sinks, plus rattan accents all over — a nod to the islands’ sprightly and exotic ecology. You’ll also find splashes of green and blue throughout, supposed to highlight “the relationship between the property and the land in a way that draws upon whimsical interpretations of the sea,” according to Eco.id founding partner and director Sim Boon Yang.
With the whole property set on a marine preserve, visitors can partake in a variety of outdoor adventures, like kayaking, trekking, snorkeling, diving, island-hopping. After a day’s exhausting but fulfilling bout of roughhousing in the wilderness, you can just relax on one of the reserve’s pristine white-sand beaches. We don’t need to say more, though. We’re betting you’ve already booked a trip here.
SEE MORE HERE
Photos courtesy of Bawah Reserve
