A private island escape in Indonesia where eco means eco

The pervasiveness of greenwashing in travel is what makes finding those who genuinely walk the sustainability talk – from hiring practices to sourcing materials – so gratifying. Andrew Dixon, who opened Nikoi Private Island in 2007 off the coast of Indonesia’s Bintan, near Singapore, is one. His second venture, Cempedak Private Island (cempedak.com; from $450), is just a few miles south, constructed and designed using bamboo sourced sustainably from Java and Sumatra. Cempedak, like Nikoi before it, is about luxury distilled to its elemental components: space, light, privacy, silence. But unlike Nikoi, the 20 two-storey villas – each with open-air living room and saltwater pool, rising from the jungle in broad, futuristic curves – are strictly grown‑ups only (I love kids, but this, frankly, made my year). Acclaimed Aussie chef Penny Williams consulted on the sophisticated dining fare: local produce, fresh fish and divine tropical fruits, served in the spectacular multilevel dining room. There’s something surreal about sipping a snake fruit-infused G&T in this breathtaking middle of a southeast Asian nowhere, and something instructive – and edifying – in Cempedak’s intelligent interpretation of indulgence.

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