Bawah Reserve - Adrift in the Anambas: Indonesia's Most Remote Luxury Escape

Bawah Reserve sits in a corner of the Anambas Archipelago so remote that the only way in is by seaplane, which lands directly in a turquoise lagoon. There are no televisions. WiFi is real but limited. There are no cars, no roads, and no reminders that the rest of the world exists at all - just 13 private beaches, three lagoons, and a marine conservation area so healthy that giant bumphead parrotfish cruise the shallows like they own the place (they do).

Built entirely by hand from bamboo and local stone, without a single piece of heavy machinery, and now running on a renewable microgrid - the first of its kind on any Indonesian island - Bawah is one of those rare places that earns its hype. It spans six private islands and offers 36 suites, bungalows, and villas, with almost everything included: all meals, non-alcoholic drinks, daily spa treatments, watersports, yoga, pilates, and hiking. What you're really paying for, though, is the feeling of being impossibly far away.

Getting There

Bawah Reserve occupies the southern end of Indonesia's Anambas Archipelago, a cluster of more than 200 islands floating in the western South China Sea - closer, geographically, to Malaysia than to the main Indonesian islands of Sumatra or Borneo. It is not easy to reach, and that is entirely the point.

Nearly all visitors begin their journey in Singapore. A Bawah representative meets you at your hotel or the airport and escorts you by car to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, where you board a 30-minute ferry to Batam, Indonesia. After clearing immigration - paperwork handled by staff, not you - a car takes you to Hang Nadim Airport, where a small amphibious seaplane operated by AirFast is waiting. The flight takes around 80 minutes and ends with the plane touching down directly on the lagoon. Staff are with you the entire way. The visas, the queues, the logistics: theirs. You just look out the window.

Flights operate up to four times daily, seven days a week. The baggage allowance is strictly 15kg including hand luggage - a seaplane constraint, not an arbitrary rule - and excess bags can be stored at the Batam office during your stay. An overnight in Singapore or Batam beforehand is worth considering, given the early morning departure times.

The Story of Bawah

Bawah Reserve was not built so much as it was grown into existence. When Singapore-based architect Sim Boon Yang first set foot on the uninhabited islands, he described the feeling as arriving on a lost world. That impression governed every decision that followed.

His central rule was simple: nothing would be excavated or cut by machine. Everything would be built by hand. Bamboo was harvested in Java, treated in a bath of naturally occurring boric acid - which draws out the sugars that attract insects and cause rot - and then transported by boat to be assembled on-site.

Full-scale structural mock-ups were built with the advice of a professor from the University of Badung, since there was no existing engineering framework for bamboo structures of this scale. Rock was sourced from all six islands. The stonework that lines the paths and staircases was shaped by heating stones and cooling them in seawater, letting them crack naturally, then fitting the pieces together based on their organic shapes.

The architectural inspiration came from two sources: the "Rumah Adat," the traditional ceremonial houses of Indonesian tribal communities on islands like Flores and Sumba, with their sweeping oversized roof structures; and the form of a shell - curved, simple, and structurally resilient against monsoon winds.

The result is a resort that looks like it belongs to the landscape rather than having been imposed upon it. Large bamboo frames climb the hillsides and settle into small hand-cleared pockets surrounded by preserved flora. The public buildings - Tree Tops, the Grouper Bar, the Aura Spa - echo those ceremonial structures in their scale and silhouette.

Bawah is now powered by a renewable microgrid. All water is sourced and recycled on the island; paper is mulched; composted, crushed glass filters the water supply; and all other waste is shipped back to Batam for recycling. The resort operates within a 1,000-hectare marine conservation area where fishing, anchoring, and collection of any marine life are prohibited.

Where to Eat and Drink

The flagship, Tree Tops restaurant, sits elevated in the jungle canopy, reached by a series of walkways that carry you up through the forest until you emerge into a vaulted bamboo structure with panoramic views over one of the lagoons. The ceiling is strung with an intricate light installation designed to resemble a bloom of jellyfish - it sounds gimmicky, but in the warm evening light, it works. The long oak table beneath it seats up to 20 for group dinners.

Tree Tops

Breakfast is served here à la carte, and it's worth resisting the safe options. The bubur ayam - Indonesian rice porridge with shredded chicken, fried shallots, spring onion, and green chili sambal - is the kind of thing you'd order again the moment you finish it. The lobster Benedict is another strong argument for staying an extra night.

Dinners lean toward what the kitchen calls "semi-formal" - dishes that arrive beautifully plated but don't demand that you treat them reverently. Wagyu tartare on sushi rice, mushroom dumplings, beef rendang that falls apart without being asked to. A tasting menu is available to guide you through the highlights.

The Boat House

Lunch happens down at The Boat House, a sand-between-your-toes restaurant at water's edge with views across the lagoon to a particularly handsome sandbar. The aesthetic is relaxed to the point of barely trying - swing chairs, sun loungers, the smell of the brick oven - but the food is considered. Fresh-caught seafood, poke bowls, nasi goreng, grilled tiger prawns, pizza from the custom brick oven.

Twice a week, the evening version of this transforms into a beach barbecue: Indonesian dishes for sharing, the sky enormous overhead, the Starlit Cinema setting up on the outdoor screen shortly after.

Grouper Bar

Named after the impressive fish that inhabits the lagoons, the Grouper Bar serves as the social anchor of the resort - open from early morning through to late night, positioned steps from the jetty, the beach, and the infinity pool. By day it's a spot for coffee, mid-afternoon snacks, and watching the waterfront activity.

By night it shifts into a low-lit lounge with a sound system that can, reportedly, be turned up considerably if the mood calls for it. The house margaritas are worth investigating. So is the whisky selection, if the evening has gone well.

A third option for evenings is the Jules Verne Bar, perched at the highest point on the island and reached via a spiral staircase. Named after the 19th-century author, it's dedicated to the idea of fantastical, remote places - cocktails made with lemongrass, chili, pandan, and pink peppercorns, and sunsets that do most of the decorating.

Where to Sleep

Bawah's 36 accommodations span four types, each with a different relationship to the water and the landscape. The Tented Beach Suites sit directly on the sand; the Overwater Bungalows are built on stilts above the lagoon; and the two villa configurations add private pools and expanded living space for groups or anyone who simply wants more room to spread out.

For those who want an island entirely to themselves, Elang Private Residence - covered separately below - occupies one of the six islands and is available only as a full buyout.

Tented Beach Suite

The Tented Beach Suites are not tents in any meaningful sense of the word - they are 70-square-meter safari-style structures with direct beach access, a lagoon-facing covered verandah, a large copper bathtub, separate rain shower, and double vanities. The bamboo and canvas construction keeps things feeling connected to the outside without sacrificing comfort; ceiling fans and air conditioning coexist. The verandah is wide enough for a proper meal or a long afternoon with a book. For most guests, it becomes the primary room.

Overwater Bungalow

The Overwater Bungalows are the most instinctively appealing option, built on stilts above two of Bawah's turquoise lagoons.

At 105 square meters, they're generously proportioned.

The main room has a desk, armchairs, a large bed under a billowing white canopy net, and a dark wood-paneled bathroom with double sinks, a copper bathtub, and a separate shower.

What earns the bungalow its reputation is the outdoor deck - a wide, open platform extending from the room over the water, furnished with sun loungers and leading directly via a short ladder into the lagoon below.

You can step off the deck in the morning and be snorkeling in minutes, or simply sit with a drink watching the light shift across the surface of the water. From the verandah, the outer islands are visible on clear days. At night, the stars are genuinely startling; there is no light pollution for a very long way in any direction.

Two-Bedroom Deluxe Pool Villa

At 210 square meters, the Two-Bedroom Deluxe Pool Villa is designed for unhurried living - a deliberate pace built into its layout. A 9-meter plunge pool sits at the center of the structure, with the master suite and second bedroom arranged on one side and a large open living and dining pavilion on the other.

The pavilion faces the lagoon directly, which means morning coffee and evening meals happen against panoramas that tend to make conversation stop temporarily. The semi-covered dining deck extends the living space outward. Both bedrooms have their own bathrooms, air conditioning, and ceiling canopy fans.

Infinity Pool Villa

The Infinity Pool Villa takes a different structural approach: two standalone beach suites connected by a central open-air living and dining pavilion, with a private infinity pool oriented toward the ocean. The effect is less "villa" and more "private compound" - the suites sit independently enough that the space between them becomes its own room. The pool deck is wide and well-positioned for both morning meditation and sunset entertaining.

Aura Spa and Wellbeing

Aura Spa is built into the heart of the resort, surrounded by enough jungle that it functions as a genuine retreat rather than a hotel amenity bolted onto the main building. One 60-minute treatment is included per room per night - chosen from an extensive menu of massages, body scrubs, sea salt treatments, facials, and wraps, most using natural ingredients sourced from the island. The spa has both the main Aura Spa building and a separate Hill Spa, offering variety in setting as much as treatment.

The newer addition is Aura Sanctuary - an integrated hot and cold contrast therapy space built in a village of open pavilions. It includes a traditional dry sauna running at 82°C, a steam room at 62°C, a cold room maintained at 16°C, and an icy plunge pool kept at 12°C.

Aura Wellbeing supplements the spa with daily movement classes - yoga, pilates, meditation - held both on the beach and in a fully equipped air-conditioned gym with lagoon views. Private one-on-one sessions are available with advance booking.

Elang Private Residence

A short boat ride from Bawah's main jetty - three minutes across the lagoon - sits Elang, one of the six islands that make up the reserve. Unlike the main island, Elang is available only for whole-island buyouts. It sleeps between 10 and 19 guests across six standalone cliffside lodges and accommodates children of all ages, making it the more natural choice for families and larger groups.

Five of the six lodges are one-bedroom structures of 136 square meters each. Each has a king-sized canopy bed, an en-suite bathroom with rain shower and twin sinks, a guest bathroom, an open-plan living room, and a full-width covered balcony with lounge seating and partial ocean views. Three of them - Lychee, Cycad, and Satigi - have an outdoor bathtub on the balcony.

The sixth is the Longhouse, a two-bedroom structure of 254 square meters. The master bedroom has a king canopy bed, desk, and en-suite with both a bath and rain shower. A central open-plan living and dining room is enclosed by floor-to-ceiling windows looking out at the surrounding jungle, with a full-width balcony running the length of the space.

All lodges come with personal butler service, stocked minibar, pantry with snacks and a coffee machine, bathrobes, beach bags, sun hats, daily housekeeping, nightly turn-down, laundry, and island-wide WiFi. The rate at Elang includes all meals, non-alcoholic drinks, daily yoga and meditation classes, and daily spa treatments at Kayu Spa.

One detail that delights younger guests in particular: the saltwater infinity pool on Elang comes with a waterslide.

Kayu Spa

Kayu - meaning "wood" in Bahasa Indonesia - pays tribute to the native trees of the island and is housed in a restored Joglo, a traditional Javanese structure with a pyramidal roof shaped like a mountain peak. The Javanese consider mountains sacred; that feeling pervades the space. The Joglo sits at the cliff's edge on Elang, with views across to Bawah, Sanggah, and Muerba islands.

Treatments are fully inclusive for Elang guests and can be tailored entirely to preference. The approach is hedonic and unhurried - a guided meditation might precede a massage and lead into a restorative soak; a body scrub might be combined with a body wrap while a facial works alongside it. Ingredients are sourced from the islands where possible. The Kayu bale - an open-sided pavilion at the water's edge - serves as the setting for daily yoga, meditation, and wellbeing classes, with ocean breezes and unobstructed sea views.

Kayu has two couple's treatment rooms, an outdoor stone bathtub, the waterfront bale, and access to the air-conditioned gym on the main Bawah island for guests who want it.

Beach Muerba

Among Bawah's 13 beaches, Muerba stands apart for its position and feel. Visible from the Kayu bale on Elang, it's one of the beaches that makes the most of Bawah's geography - the kind of white-sand stretch with no footprints on it that most people assume exists only in photographs.

Access is by boat from either island. Castaway picnics can be arranged here - a boat drops you off with food, drinks, and equipment, and collects you later.

Diving

Bawah Reserve sits within a 1,000-hectare marine conservation area that has been protected long enough to show it. The results are visible to anyone who puts their head underwater: 253 identified fish species, coral coverage at 63% of the reef area, and the kind of density of marine life that takes years of protection to build. Hawksbill turtles, clownfish, angelfish, giant bumphead parrotfish, and spotted rays are regular sightings. The reef is not just healthy - it is thriving.

There are 12 dive sites accessible from the resort, most featuring sandy slopes descending to depths of 25 to 30 meters. Bawah operates a PADI five-star diving center staffed by dedicated marine biologists who run everything from introductory discover scuba sessions to full certification courses. Children are welcome in the water and the staff adjust accordingly.

Beyond recreational diving, the marine biologists lead conservation dives open to guests. These include coral transplantation - joining the Anambas Foundation team to help transplant and maintain coral on the reef recovery structures known as hexadomes - reef health monitoring, and underwater clean-up dives to remove ghost fishing nets and equipment that has drifted onto the reef.

Night snorkeling is also available, offering a chance to observe the reef behaving in ways that daylight doesn't reveal: coral feeding, spawning when conditions are right, and a nocturnal cast of creatures that never appear during the day.