Boutique hotels in Indonesia

Indonesia stretches across more than 17,000 islands, and its boutique hotels are as varied as its landscapes. Bali alone has rice-terrace retreats, surf-town design hotels and temple-side villas, while the islands further east hold some of the world's most remote and beautiful hideaways.

Bali and its neighbors

Ubud, in Bali's green interior, is the island's cultural heart, surrounded by rice terraces and river gorges. Seminyak, on the southwest coast, is all beach clubs, restaurants and sunsets. Across the strait, Lombok and the car-free Gili Islands are quieter, and Nusa Penida's cliffs are a short boat ride away.

Java and Sumatra

Yogyakarta is Java's royal and artistic city, close to the great temples of Borobudur and Prambanan. Jakarta is a vast, energetic capital, Bandung a cool highland retreat, and Mount Bromo a smoking volcano rising from a sea of sand. In Sumatra, Lake Toba fills an enormous volcanic crater.

The eastern islands

Labuan Bajo is the gateway to Komodo's dragons and reefs, Flores and Sumba have traditional villages and empty beaches, and Raja Ampat, Wakatobi and the Banda Islands offer some of the richest diving on earth.

When to go

The dry season runs from about April to October across most of the country, with July and August the busiest months. The rains from November to March are usually short, heavy afternoon showers.