The Luxe List 2015: The Sanchaya, Bintan, Indonesia

The first luxe property to open on Bintan Island in a decade, The Sanchaya occupies a prime seaside location in up-and-coming Lagoi Bay. Set on the grounds of a former coconut plantation, the resort centers on its colonial-style Great House, whose dual-tone exterior is a nod to the old black-and-white houses of Singapore, a 45-minute ferry ride away. Here you’ll find guest suites, a salon-style library with clubby leather sofas and a wine cellar, the Dining Room restaurant, and a reflecting pond that preludes a 50-meter saltwater swimming pool. Surrounding this are shingle-roofed villas with decor and furnishings from across Southeast Asia—Burmese colonial window frames, sketches of Philippine tribesmen—all done up in classy white and steel-gray hues and attended by “estate companions” schooled at the British Butler Institute. The simply named Bar, with the look of a late-1800s explorers’ club, stocks spirits from boutique producers, while the food on offer ranges from mod-European and pan-Asian at the Dining Room to Bangkok street fare at the beachside Tasanee Grill. A cute spa with freestanding pavilions offers Thai massages, while other diversions include croquet, archery, and pétanque.

62-770/692-200;The Sanchaya; doubles from US$390