12 Affordable Private Island Resorts

Price: Doubles from $141 for first night, from $85 for each additional night; rates include meals and use of equipment.

What to Expect: Forty-five nautical miles north of Jakarta, among the Thousand Islands in the deep-blue Java Sea, two-and-a-half-acre Pulau Macan is a dreamy island oasis with an incredible coral seascape, which guests can enjoy up close from the expansive wooden deck at the clubhouse. Inside, look for a pool table, comfy sofas, and “appropriately light literature.” Accommodations consist of three rustic but comfortable bungalows (two rooms have air-conditioning), and the restaurant features local ingredients—like kemangi, a lemon-flavored Indonesian basil-many of which are organically grown on the island. Sample the herb in karedok, a house specialty also made with Chinese long beans, cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, and a spicy-sweet peanut sauce.

What to Do: Borrow a rowboat, flat-bottomed canoe, or rubber dinghy, and paddle 150 yards to a deserted island covered in palm trees. There, string up a hammock (the resort has them on hand), snorkel, or comb the white powdery beach for sand dollars.

Getting There: The resort’s fast boat makes the trip from the marina in Ancol, North Jakarta, in 1.5 hours. Or take the ferry from Marina Ancol in North Jakarta to Putri or Sepa (a two-hour trip), and ask resort staff to meet you with their boat.

Insider Tip: At the tip of the island, Bungalow 3 is the most private.