Perfect 10 private island resorts

Pangkor Laut
Malay Peninsula, Malaysia

1 p.m.
As we approach by boat, Pangkor Laut emerges like a floating kingdom from the turquoise Strait of Malacca, its stilted, dark-wood bungalows looking more like chalets fashioned in traditional Malay style. Granite boulders tumble along the shore, and a jungle drapes the four-acre island that sits off the coast of the Malay Peninsula. I walk the raised, wooden-plank walkway to my Sea Villa where, jet lagged, I draw a bath in the deepest of stone tubs, push open the frosted-glass windows and let the steamy Asian air hypnotize me. I open my heavy eyelids just in time to see a teakwood tongkong boat sail by.

3 p.m.
Although the resident naturalist, Mr. Yip, is available to take a jungle trek with me, I opt to walk solo through Pangkor Laut’s two-million-year-old rainforest to Emerald Bay on the west side of the private island. It’s a steep walk, but I’m rewarded with monitor lizards sunning on rocks, the distinct sounds of macaque monkeys squabbling in the thick canopy overhead and loads of colorful butterflies.

5 p.m.
My feet are being pounded by a tiny woman in the Japanese Bath House, part of the Spa Village here. I’m told this ritual was specially reserved for the concubines of feudal China, but I’m not complaining at the comparison. Between a cold dip in a rock pool and a hot dip in a Rotenburu pool, I lean over steam pots to inhale scents that are marked detoxifying, passion, calming and uplifting. I linger at calming. After my campur-campur treatment, which combines Malay and Thai massage techniques, I nod off in my sarong in a napping pavilion, a pagoda-like, open-air structure near the beach.

8 p.m.
I walk toward swaying red silk lanterns. They mark Uncle Lim’s, a restaurant built on a rock overlooking the sea. I order an embarrassing amount of Hockchew Chinese-style dishes, but my favorite is the crispy, delicate soft-shell crab. As I head to my villa, a thin mist rises around the island. Like a good disciple of Eastern philosophies (and after all my impromptu naps), I suddenly feel awake – refreshingly aware and at peace. – Christine Richard

North Island
Inner Islands Group, Seychelles

10 a.m.
I walk through the rooms of our thatched-roof villa on North Island – everything from beds and bathtubs to light fixtures and door hinges is crafted from local materials; takamake, casuarina and banuas woods; bamboo, sandstone and granite. The teak floors are so smooth that I don’t dare wear shoes, and it is a bit unfair to call the bathroom a bathroom. It is more of a second villa with a tub large enough for a party. My daughter, Eugenie, is in the outdoor shower: A waterfall cascades from a log. I’m unsure whether she will ever get out.

11 a.m.
I head down to the Indian Ocean for a dip and am surprised to see an enormous tortoise. It raises its head, albeit only for a moment, as if to nod in the direction I need to go. Upon my return from the beach, I meet the tortoise’s family. Eugenie and I offer them mashed bananas. They are displeased, I think, with our lack of imagination.

1:30 p.m.
Here, nobody cares how or why or when you conduct your day. So, we request to have our lunch on Honeymoon Beach, a stretch of deserted sand reached by a short buggy ride through the forest. Footprints mar our beach! We soon realize that they are only the evidence of the staff that had been there moments before to arrange a lunch of wine, fresh lobster and organic salads.

5:40 p.m.
We walk to Grande Anse Beach and come across the rustic North Island Sunset Bar. After a show-stopping sunset, the moon showers phantom daylight across the ocean. The path home is covered in snails chattering so loudly we think coconuts are falling – it’s snail mating season. Our game is to make it all the way to our villa without crunching a single snail underfoot.

7 p.m.
Once we are home, we sit and listen to the waves, look at the stars and breathe. This is a tranquil haven from my public life, a place where I feel I am part of the scenery rather than an intruder. The magical and therapeutic powers of North Island will be everlasting. – Sarah Ferguson

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