Especially during the Christmas holidays, princes surge through the roof in many places across Asia. We’re not willing to spend thousands of Dollars in a place that is then swamped by tourists, so if you’re looking for a tropical paradise, that’s still rather unknown and where you actually get your money’s worth, then this island off the coast of Aceh is the perfect spot.

Casa Nemo is definitely the best place to stay at on the island. Not only because the resort itself is amazing (review coming up), but also because the beach here is the nicest one on the island. And now I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

You’ll find various hotels across Pulau Weh, but the largest cluster is in the village of Iboih near the best dive sites. It’s a beautiful place to stay at, but also the most crowded and although the water is crystal clear, the stunning beaches can be found somewhere else.

The crystal clear turquoise water is just one of the highlights of Pulau Weh.

The beach right in front of Casa Nemo on Pulau Weh was one of the most beautiful ones we’ve been to.

White sand, pristine waters, palm treed and no one around is what made Pulau Weh the perfect getaway spot for us.

Pulau Weh is a tropical island in the North of Sumatra.

The beach in front of Casa Nemo is the nicest on on Pulau Weh.

Welcome to paradise.

Due to its special form and beauty of its landscape, the tiny island is often referred to as “butterfly of the Aegean”. Still due to her manageable form, Astypalea offers quite a lot. Especially for vacationers who long to travel away from tourist crowds, it will be love at first sight. Astypalea is quite, mystical, idyllic, familiar with typical Greek ambience, dozens of beaches and crystal clear water. Yet her name holds no meaning to many – 90% of the islands visitors are Greek. The majority of foreign tourists are yet unaware of this hidden island secret.

Astypalea offers few sights. There are several small villages worth a look, yet Chora is the real highlight. Narrow alleys, traditional windmills and the remains of an old Venetian castle grace the islands largest village. Apart from the castle and the red-hooded windmills, a stroll through the streets is the best way to explore. You will also come across the famous white houses with blue roofs, normally associated with Santorini.

But let’s not forget about the stunning beaches. A holiday in Greece would be nothing without spending at least a couple of hours along the shores. It would be like spending a weekend in Paris, without gazing upon the Eiffel Tower. The beaches of Astypalea don’t have a cosmopolitan vibe or white sands, yet they offer turquoise, light-flooded water, relaxation and peace.

What can we say? Our trip to Astypalea was one of the most pleasant experiences we’ve encountered. Here, everyone knows everyone, which makes the island even more likeable. Only in August could you encounter not finding a room. During all other months, it’s quiet. Cozy. What fortune for island and visitor.

Infos & Tips:

• Best time to visit: From spring to fall you’ll find temperatures the most pleasant. This is when the water is warm enough to jump in.
• How to get there: From Athens you can fly to Astypalea in about 40 minutes, or you can take the ferry from Piraeus (even with your own car), which will take about 8-10 hours.
• Where to stay: The number of hotels on Astypalea is limited. The largest house offers only 28 rooms. You’ll search in vain for hotel bunkers. Instead several families rent out private rooms and apartments.

Chora is the capital of Astypalea, built on the hill slope. On top is a Venetian castle situated, known as the Querini Castle.

Querini castle in Chora is a wonderful sight placed on top of the hill. The castle was constructed by John Querini, a noble Venetian family who had taken over the rule of Astypalea after the siege of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204. It was built as a shelter against pirates and other enemies.

Due to its isolation, Astypalea has not made it onto many bucket list, yet this is what makes it special for eager travellers wanting to discover something new.

We could spend hours strolling through Chora, looking at all the different houses, cafés and taverns.

In the main square of Chora, you will find eight traditional picturesque windmills.

Astypalea fulfils every Greek island dream: whitewashed houses, blue painted doors and windows, tavernas with fresh seafood, the friendliest people, no mass tourism and all next to crystal-clear waters.

Chora amazes visitors with its unique architecture. The white houses, with their blue windows, wooden balconies and outdoor stairs, give it a traditional Greek charm.

All beaches in Astypalea have crystal clear water and they’re much quieter than beaches on other Greek islands.

Querini castle was made with black stones that shows a strange contrast with the white-walled cluster of houses around it. From up here, you have an amazing view of Chora.

Strolling through the streets of Chora is the best way to explore the village.

You’ll find few accommodation options in Chora and there are also many cafés and taverns that offer delicious traditional dishes.

Up from the lighthouse you have an amazing view of Koh Rong Samloem. This island is still as pristine as it was hundreds of years ago and well worth the trip!

Welcome To Paradise.

Just 45 minuted by speedboat from the mainland lie Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem. While Koh Rong already has the reputation of a backpacker-party-island, Koh Rong Samloem is still quite unspoilt. Thanks to the lease agreements, which last just for a short period of time (unlike the ones on Koh Rong), larger hotel chains stay away and the beaches are dominated by smaller bungalow facilities.

You’ll find four beaches on Koh Rong Samloem: Saracan Bay, M’Pei Bay, Lazy Beach and Sunset Beach.

Beach #1 On Koh Rong Samloem: Saracan Bay.

Saracan Bay is the main beach on which not only most resorts have settles, but also the main docking station for boats from Sihanoukville is located. One lies on the norther, one on the southern part of the beach. From fairly cheap non-aircon-bungalows to high class villas, everyone will find the right spot. The beach here is white as snow and soft as silk, the water radiates in all shades from turquoise to blue with wonderful 27° Celsius and the vegetation is still as untouched as is was hundreds of years ago. What more could one want?! Unfortunately you’ll still come across people who don’t appreciate the value of such a paradise. When walking up and down,  you’ll see certain sections where trash piles up. This is where the hotel managers are challenged, because the resort staff should clean their respective section. This was one of the reason why we chose to stay at Sol Beach Resort. The real winner though was the amazing bungalow with a complete glass front, which gave us an amazing view right after waking up in the morning (detailed review will follow asap). The food here was not a winner (especially not if you’re vegetarian), but the surrounding resorts are a great alternative.

Tip: Once you step across the southern docking point of Saracan Bay, trash actually piles up quite a bit, so we wouldn’t recommend booking a hotel down here. Unfortunately the hotel managers here don’t seem to care much for the environment.

This is the view we had from our bungalow at Sol Beach Resort on Koh Rong Samloem. Not bad huh?

The beach front bungalows at Sol Beach Resort on Koh Rong Samloem are really amazing thanks to their full glass front.

This was right in front of GreenBlue Resort on Koh Rong Samloem. The hammocks right above the water are great when the tide comes in.

Beach #2 On Koh Rong Samloem: M’Pei Bay.

The second beach, M’Pei Bay, lies on the northern end of the island. You’ll come across several smaller resorts, as well as a docking stations for boats here. Also, it’s where one of the two fishing villages of the islands can be found. M’Pei Bay is the second largest beach on the island, yet still pretty laid back. You can hike here from Saracan Bay – back and forth it’ll take you about 5 hours, but the best way to get here is definitely by boat.

Beach #3 On Koh Rong Samloem: Sunset Bay.

The third player is Sunset Bay, which is also the only beach we didn’t visit. As Lazy Beach, it lies on the western side of Koh Rong Samloem and is more relaxed with only three backpacker resorts and a dive shop.

Beach #4 On Koh Rong Samloem: Lazy Beach.

Last but not least: Lazy Beach. Our personal island highlight. With just one very basic resort, you won’t come across any masses of people. The 20 minute walk through the jungle from Saracan Bay keeps more crowds away. If you do decide to take on the trip, you won’t regret it: Lazy Beach offers delicious food and drinks and the combination with one of the most beautiful sunsets you’ll ever get to see will leave you speechless.

Once you come out of the jungle, you’ll already get a sense of what live looks like at Lazy Beach.

White sand, beautiful water and almost no people is what you’ll come across at Lazy Beach on Koh Rong Samloem.

The sunset at Lazy Beach was truly one of the most amazing ones we’ve come across.

Résumé Of Our Week On Koh Rong Samloem.

You can spend an unforgettable holiday on Koh Rong Samloem. Due to the lack of roads and the presence of only smaller resorts, the island is yet still a fairly unknown spot with the same charm as many islands of Thailand had two decades ago. Those who were here, will tell others and we’re sure that this will mean further changes in the next couple of years. But let’s hope that Koh Rong Samloem will not become another victim of mass tourism, but that it’ll continue being this pristine little island it is now.

A Few Tips If You Come To Koh Rong Samloem.

• Be sure to calculate enough time for the crossing, because depending on which company you go with, you’ll either stop at Koh Rong to let of/let on people before or after. Boats take off at Serendipity Beach Pier in Sihanoukville and here you’ll get all the relevant infos on which boat goes where and when.
• There are no banks and therefore no ATM machines on Koh Rong Samloem. Be sure to bring enough cash, because some resorts don’t take credit cards. Prices are really expensive too. Calculate at least double that what you’d pay on the main land – or even better, calculate with European prices.
• Be sure to bring enough insect repellant and a torch for the nightly walks along the beach(es) or jungle.
• Definitely check out the lighthouse on the island. Depending on where you start, the trip will take you between 1 1/2 – 2 hours each direction. We’ll write more about this later on.

Padang is the largest city on the western coast of Sumatra and the hopping off point for a trip to the Mentawai islands and this is why most tourists (especially surfers) come here. At first sight, it’s definitely not the postcard-perfect town, This is also why most of the tourists who come here don’t even bother to explore Padang and its surroundings further. It’s unfortunate for them because they’re missing out on stunningly beautiful trips (some of them are mentioned below), but good for people who want to enjoy this part of the world as it was, without tourists running around half naked as we see it every day in Bali. So for this, thanks to all those who want to get away from Padang as fast as possible. And terima kasih Sumatra, for being as beautiful and pristine as you were during my first visit back in 1996. You’re definitely one of my favourite travel destinations and one of the most amazing travel photography models!

 1. A Walk Through The Rice Fields.

Rice production in Indonesia is an important part of the national economy and Indonesia is the third-largest producer of rice in the world. Rice cultivation is well-suited to regions that have a warm climate, low labor costs and high amounts of rainfall as this staple crop is labor-intensive to cultivate and requires lots of water supply. Sumatra fulfils all of the above.

Although Indonesia is the third-largest country regarding global rice production, it’s still a rice importer. This situation is caused by farmers’ use of non-optimal production techniquesin combination with large per capita rice consumption. In fact, Indonesia has the largest per capita rice consumption in the world. Indonesians consume around 140 kilogram of rice per person per year.

The rice fields are worked by men and women equally.

 2. A Visit To A Surrounding Waterfall.

Be prepared for pure, natural and pristine nature. But also be prepared to share your walk with hundreds of leeches waiting to suck your blood. I’m not a wuss, but leeches are pretty much my least favourite animal on the planet. Especially when they come in multiple forms and numbers. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that the ground was crawling! Would I do it again? Well, not for a while, although this trip will go down in history as my encounter with a moving ground of hundreds of blood suckers, which I’m sure I’ll tell my kids about someday…

The scenery looked very idyllic, yet the floor was moving with leeches.

The only reason I managed to get up to the waterfall was because I didn’t want my friend Niki to think I was a wuss.

3. A Visit To Indonesia’s Only Living Root Bridge, Jembatan Akar.

There are pretty amazing bridges all over the world. When the engineer is Mother Earth herself, an entirely different type of product is produced: a living bridge.

Located over the Batang Bayang river approximately 88 kilometres South of Padang, one of these bridges can be found – supposingly the only living root bridge in Indonesia. The bridge is known as Jembatan Akar. It was created in 1890 by a Muslim teacher by the name of Pakih Sohan. He wanted students living on the other side of the river to be able to attend his classes. By stringing the roots of two banyan trees around a stem bridge he made this happen – even though it took 26 years until the bridge could actually be used. Since our visit to Jembatan Akar we’ve also seen the most amazing of all living root bridges: Umshiang Double Decker Living Root Bridge. Nature is just unbelievable.

Indonesia’s living root bridge Jembatan Akar, located south of Padang in Sumatra.

Jembatan Akar is 25 metres long, approximately 1.5 metres wide and spans 3 metres above the river.

4. A Ride With A Bemo.

The main form of public transport in Padang is by bemo. It’s normally a minibus or van with a row of low seats down each side. Bemo usually hold about 12 people in very cramped conditions.

Riding bemo can be part of your Bali adventure or a major nightmare depending on your outlook at that moment in time. You can certainly expect journeys to be rather lengthy and you’ll find that getting to many places is both time-consuming and inconvenient. It’s uncommon to see visitors on bemos in Padang, so be sure to get a lot of attention.

Make sure you know where you’re going, and accept that the bemo normally won’t leave until it’s full and will usually take a roundabout route to collect and deliver as many passengers as possible. If you get into an empty bemo, always make it clear that you do not want to charter it. (The word ‘charter’ is understood by all drivers.)

The main bemo station is located right next to the market in Padang.

5. A Visit To The Market.

We love markets, especially wet markets. Not only will you see all sorts of interesting food stuff, but you will meet the local community. You’ll get an insight on their way of living and traditions when browsing through the various market section. Sumatrans friendly and helpful people, who respect and welcome visitors. No matter what situation, they always wear a smile.

Vendors at the wet market in Padang are happy to spot tourists and are always good for a laugh.

Fish is a staple food across the entire country. Fresh tuna can be bought at almost every local market in Sumatra. Sever hundred kilos of tuna are sold at the wet market in Padang every day.

6. Observe The Fishermen At Bungus Beach.

Indonesia is richly endowed with marine natural resources, and its people are highly dependent upon them for food. So fishing is one of the main incomes across Sumatra. At the beaches near Padang, fishing is very often done directly from the beach. This method is called seine fishing. A seine is a fishing net that hangs vertically in the water with its bottom edge held down by weights and its top edge buoyed by floats. Seine nets can be deployed from the shore as a beach seine, or from a boat. At Bungus beach, the nets are hauled in manually with pure man-power. The process actually takes quite long (up to three hours, depending one the size of the net) and the outcome is not always that satisfying.

After the nets are pulled in, it’s time to check-out the catch. At Bungus beach, the fish is sold right on the spot.

Fishermen hauling in a beach seine at Bungus beach in Sumatra, Indonesia.

7. Relax On One Of The Islands Near Padang.

Just off the coast of Padang, you will not only come across the well-known Mentawais, but hundreds of little islands with pristine beaches, palm trees and not a single soul in sight. Whether you want to stay at a beautiful beach resort like Cubadak Paradiso Village Resort, or a place with a Robinson Cruiso feeling, the choice is yours. But most importantly, a visit to these islands makes you feel like you’re in a far away place, with nothing to worry about except those possible coconuts falling on your head while sunbathing on the beach…

Tropical beach paradises can be found just off the coast of Padang.

8. Taste The Delicious Padang Kitchen.

A typical Padang kitchen restaurant displays their already cooked dishes in the front window. Once you take your seat, instead of handing you a menu, different food dishes will be brought to you in bowls. Pick out the ones you want to eat and leave the rest. When you’re done, the server will come back, take a look at the dishes, and look what you ate and what you left behind. Then he’ll move the remaining dishes back to the front window. You only pay for what you ate. Believe me when I say that Padang kitchen is one of the most delicious cuisines in the world and my absolute favourite in Indonesia!

Padang Kitchen is the best cuisine in the world. You’re served several different dishes on small plates. Only what you eat has to be paid.

Of course I would only want to stay there during the dry season (yes, I’m picky when it comes to rain & snow haha). I know what it can look like if it rains for days … during our visit to Thailand in 2011, we left the tropical island of Koh Kood after four straight days of thunderstorms. Rain & beach is definitely not fun!

Anyway, back to my wanderlust fantasy of the day: Tropical beach paradise … all you need for this fantasy to come true is the time to stay and the money to get there :)

Just off the coast of Sumatra lie thousands of beautiful (pretty much uninhabited) islands. We’ve been here many times before (first time when I was just 9 years old). Why? Well, check out the photos below; they pretty much speak for themselves anyway…

Caution: Wanderlust danger!

Sumatra offers many islands for which “Beach Paradise” is the only right wording.

Cubadak island is one of the beach paradise island off the West coast of Sumatra.

Island hopping by boat is just one of the things you can do in West Sumatra.

Beach paradises can be found all over Indonesia. And Sumnatra is definitely a great place for a real beach holiday.

Double rainbows are nothing out of the ordinary in West Sumatra.

Also the beaches on the mainland of Sumatra are not to be underestimated. Here you can see fishermen pulling in the catch of the day at Bungus beach.

We’ve seen many many amazing beaches during our years of travelling but Sumatra’s coast (plus the Mentawai Islands) truly is one of the best places for a beach adventure.

The islands off the coast of West Sumatra are often hit with meter-high waves.

Walking along the beautiful beaches in Sumatra can is something well-worth to remember.

…on which you can play “Robinson Crusoe”.

Walking around the island is no problem…all you need is time.