Luxury Indonesia Holidays

Indonesia’s giant cascade of 17,000 exotic islands were, for centuries, the haunt of trading ships, pirates, missionaries, merchants and colonists. The legacy of this turbulent history is an amazing cultural diversity, which pervades every aspect of Indonesian life.

First, Java is a place of forested peaks and liquid green rice terraces, whose ancient temples and soaring volcanoes form the backdrop when exploring this interesting island.

The shores of Bali - the ‘Island of a Thousand Temples’, are washed by the Java Sea and soothed by the warm ocean breezes that blow in from the Pacific. This fascinating island offers a vibrant cavalcade of lively Hindu festivals, exquisite artefacts and classic Balinese dance.

Bali’s beguilingly beautiful and lesser-known neighbour is Lombok, where green rice terraces, intriguing temples, ancient palaces and unspoilt beaches all await your exploration. Here, life is lived at an unhurried pace, and the modern age often seems an intrusion.

The same can be said for the adjoining island of Moyo, which has a timeless quality of peace and serenity, broken only by the plaintive cries of tropical birds calling from the soaring treetops. Meanwhile, the captivating Spice Islands sprawl eastwards across the South China Sea.

Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island, It is one of the country's 33 provinces with the provincial capital at Denpasar towards the south of the island. With a population recorded as 3,151,000 in 2005, the island is home to the vast majority of Indonesia's small Hindu minority. 93.18% of Bali's population adheres to Balinese Hinduism, while most of the remainder follow Islam. It is also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking and music.

Bintan
Bintan Island or Negeri Segantang Lada is an island of 1,866 square kilometers, and is part of the Riau Islands province of Indonesia. The capital of Bintan is the southwestern city of Tanjung Pinang. Bintan first became politically important when Sultan Mahmud of the fallen Sultanate of Malacca fled to Bintan and created a resistance base there after Malacca was taken by the Portuguese forces in 1511. The Portuguese eventually destroyed the stronghold in 1526, and after a few years the Sultanate founded a new capital back on the Malay Peninsula and developed from there. Bintan resortBintan was also once the capital of the Sultanate of Johor that grew to considerable political and cultural power from the 17th to the 19th century. The island played a central role in Malay culture.

East Java
East Java, is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and also includes neighboring Madura and Bawean islands. The administrative center of the province is located in Surabaya, the second largest city in Indonesia and a major industrial center and port. According to the 2000 census, East Java has 34 million inhabitants, second only to West Java among Indonesian provinces. The inhabitants consist of mostly Javanese. Native minorities include migrants from nearby Madura, and distinct Javanese ethnicities such as the Tengger people in Bromo, the Samin and the Osing people in Banyuwangi. East Java also hosts a significant population of other ethnic groups, such as Chinese, Indians, and Arabs. In addition to the national language, Indonesian, they also speak Javanese.

Lombok
Lombok (population 2,950,105 in 2005) is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It is part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is roughly circular, with a "tail" to the southwest, about 70 km across and a total area of about 4,725 km˛ (1,825 sq mi). The provincial capital and largest city on the island is Mataram.

Moyo Island
Moyo Island, at the mouth of Saleh Bay, has a nature reserve with wild oxen, deer, wild boars and a great variety bird species. Visits are best made during the dry season from June through August. A few kilometers of the north coast of Sumbawa, the national park island of Moyo Island is probably the most rewarding destination in Sumbawa, surrounded by beautiful coral reefs and home to wild pig, monitor lizards, 21 species of bat, huge herds of native deer and hordes of crab-eating macaques.

Surabaya
Surabaya, is Indonesia's second-largest city, and the capital of the province of East Java. It is located on the northern shore of eastern Java at the mouth of the Mas River and along the edge of the Madura Strait. To Indonesians, it is known as "the city of heroes", due to the importance of the Battle of Surabaya in galvanising Indonesian and international support for Indonesian independence during the Indonesian National Revolution

Ubud
Ubud is a town on the Indonesian island of Bali, located amongst rice paddies and steep ravines in the central foothills of the Gianyar regency. One of Bali's major arts and culture centres, it has developed a large tourism industry. Ubud has a population of about 8,000 people, but it is becoming difficult to distinguish the town itself from the villages that once surrounded it. 8th century legend tells of a Javanese priest, Rsi Markendya, who meditated at the confluence of two rivers (an auspicious site for Hindus) at the Ubud locality of Campuan. Here he founded the Gunung Lebah Temple on the valley floor, the site of which remains a pilgrim destination.