You’re dreaming at…

BAWAH RESERVE

Indonesia - Islands

If Indiana Jones travelled with linen robes and a Leica, he’d stay here

𓇼

WILDLY PLACED: In the Anambas Archipelago, halfway between Borneo and mainland Malaysia - only accessible by private seaplane via Singapore & Batam.

EDITORIAL VIBE: Wild-luxe Robinson Crusoe meets Bond girl on sabbatical. Timbered overwater villas, jungle bungalows, white linen dinners, and cinematic topography that looks straight out of a Miyazaki dream.

CORE PILLARS: Regenerative luxury, oceanic restoration, barefoot refinement, cinematic scale.

MUSE MOOD: She hikes at sunrise, swims with reef sharks at noon, sips tamarind negronis at dusk, and writes poetry under the stars.

BEST TIME TO GO: March to October for calm seas and peak reef visibility.

THE LOOK: Natural teak, copper fittings, glass-bottom floors, batik linens, and island-crafted ceramics.

WHO’S IT FOR: Eco romantics, aesthetic escapists, conservationists with couture taste.

INDULGENCE SPECTRUM: From USD$1,980 per couple per night, inclusive of seaplane transfer, daily excursions, meals, spa treatments, and barefoot euphoria.

Welcome to the edge of the map. Bawah Reserve is remote in the most cinematic way - dramatic peaks, turquoise lagoons, and coral-fringed shores. If Indiana Jones travelled with linen robes and a Leica, he’d stay here.

With six islands, three lagoons, and 13 beaches to call your own, it offers the rarest of luxuries: unfiltered stillness. There are no jet skis, no clubs, no artificial sound - only a deep, symphonic hush where the ocean hums and the jungle breathes. Here, time doesn’t just pass - it expands, stretches, and lingers like sea mist clinging to sun-warmed teak.

You’ll hike ancient jungle ridgelines to sweeping ocean views, where birds of paradise flash through the canopy and vines curl like calligraphy in the breeze. Paddleboard into hushed sea caves, where silence and shadow are your only companions. Snorkel over coral cathedrals teeming with marine life - parrotfish, blacktip reef sharks, and fan corals that sway like slow breath. Every step invites awe. Every pause becomes ceremony.

Afterward, collapse into an open-air hammock, lulled by birdsong and the hypnotic rhythm of waves against shore. Read until the pages blur into dreams. Or soak in a stone bath with hibiscus petals scattered like quiet offerings.

Every villa - whether stilted above the water, nestled in jungle, or fringed by beach - feels like something straight out of a Wes Anderson expedition scene or a high-fashion treasure hunt. Picture a Bond lair redesigned by an eco-conscious art director: all bamboo-beamed geometry, raw textures, and open-air reverie. These aren't rooms, they're cinematic hideouts where every detail, from canopy-draped beds to hand-carved basins, feels plucked from a lost explorer’s field journal and styled for the cover of a global design mag. They don’t just blend into the landscape - they whisper stories through it.

There’s a rhythm to the island that slows your own: morning snorkel safaris guided by marine biologists, coconut oil scrubs beneath banyan trees, sunset yoga under skies painted in coral and flame. Dinners unfold on the jetty as bioluminescent light dances below, stars glimmering above. Nothing is rushed. Everything is intentional. Every step, every design choice, every spoonful of garden-grown nourishment is a reverent, quiet ode to place, purpose, and planetary care.

BAWAH’S BEATING HEART

This is where Nat Geo grit meets It-Girl cool. Built from bamboo, driftwood, and recycled copper, it’s less resort, more regenerative story. Coral restoration, permaculture, and local education are part of its daily rhythm - proof that copper bathtubs and coral nurseries can belong in the same sentence.

The SLOJOURN spark

FIRST. The Tented Beach Suites – Everyone talks about the overwater bungalows, but it’s the rustic-chic explorer energy of these beachfront tents that left us speechless. Vintage expedition vibes meet barefoot luxury - think canvas, teak, and a salt-kissed breeze.

SECOND. Hiking over the island – Bawah’s topography feels mythic. A guided trek through jungle ridgelines, ending in a private beach picnic, is as close to cinematic adventure as it gets. Remote, primal, unforgettable.

THIRD. Arriving via seaplane – You don’t just travel to Bawah - you arrive like a lost explorer rediscovering paradise. From the air, the lagoons shimmer like emeralds. From the cabin window, time starts to blur.

Where you dwell

LOVED UP COUPLES or LONE RANGERS
Tented Beach Suite

Choose between Beach Suites, Overwater Bungalows, Jungle Lodges, or the ultimate coup - an entire island takeover at Elang Private Residence. These aren’t just rooms -they’re set pieces in a high-style explorer’s journal. Think canopy-draped beds straight out of a 1970s National Geographic special, open-air bathrooms worthy of a Vogue shoot, and verandas with views that feel plucked from a dreamscape. You’re not just staying - you’re starring in your own off-grid adventure flick, cool-girl coded and wilderness wrapped.

Materials are hyper-local - bamboo beams, volcanic stone, reclaimed timber - designed with natural airflow and zero plastic in sight.

DON’T SLEEP ON THESE ROOMS (BUT DO SLEEP IN THEM)

GROUPS OF FRIENDS
Entire Island Buyout

LA FAMILIA
Two Bedroom Treehouse Lodge

The art of living

Mornings rise with jungle hikes and herbal infusions. Midday unfolds with guided snorkelling, reef dives, or reading in a stilted hammock. You’ll savour lunch from the permaculture garden, practice breathwork by the lagoon, and nap beneath whirring fans and woven shadows.

As dusk falls, the island glows: sundowners on the jetty, fireside storytelling, live music under stars. Nights end with coconut oil massages or night kayaking through bioluminescence.

The forever lens

WATER: Bawah Reserve has its own water bottling plant, eliminating the need for imported bottles. It harvests and filters rainwater for non-potable use and employs advanced UV filtration for drinking water. Reef-safe, biodegradable amenities are provided in every suite, and water-efficient fixtures are installed throughout the island.
WASTE: The island operates on a closed-loop waste system. Organic kitchen waste is composted onsite and used in the permaculture gardens, while recyclables are sorted and shipped off the island to verified waste processing centres. Every effort is made to eliminate landfill dependency, with zero single-use plastics and sustainable packaging used across the resort.
ARCHITECTURE: Every structure at Bawah was constructed without heavy machinery, preserving the integrity of the natural landscape. Buildings are made from certified bamboo, recycled teak, low-impact stone, and repurposed copper. Design favours minimal impact and passive cooling, allowing nature to do the work that air conditioners would otherwise consume.
ENERGY: Solar arrays power major sections of the island, reducing reliance on fossil fuels. LED lighting, electric buggies, and natural ventilation strategies ensure energy is used sparingly. Backup generators use biofuel blends, and future plans include expanded renewable storage capacity.** Solar-powered systems across the islands, electric buggies, and passive cooling in every structure.

The together lens

Bawah’s Anambas Foundation is the island’s quiet powerhouse - supporting marine conservation, reforestation, and education programmes across the archipelago. Think coral nurseries planted by local hands, school scholarships for island youth, and women-led farming initiatives supported by regenerative practices. Many of the staff you’ll meet were trained through these very programmes, weaving island stewardship into every guest experience. The resort partners with regional NGOs to fund reef monitoring, waste reduction campaigns, and permaculture gardens that feed both visitors and neighbouring villages. It’s a model for how travel can uplift, regenerate, and restore - without ever losing its soul.
This isn’t tourism that takes - it’s tourism that regenerates.

The take it with you

• The way the sky looks from your copper bathtub
• A reverence for reef ecosystems and jungle silence
• A woven bag from the island boutique, stitched with stories and local craft
• A recipe from the cooking class—perhaps a sambal or spiced coconut rice to bring the island home
• Your journal filled with salt-flecked sketches and slow thoughts scribbled beneath banyan trees
• The deep, cellular knowing that luxury can be low-impact and still feel legendary

WE SLOJOURNED HERE

“It felt like stepping into a living story - etched in teak, steeped in salt air, and carried on the rhythm of the ocean breeze. Each moment stirred something ancient, like wandering the margins of an old map. It awakened my inner Indiana Jones - if he wore linen, carried a vintage Leica, and favoured slow journaling under lantern light. This wasn’t a trip. It was a soul-forward expedition into nature, design, and the magic of stillness.”

The ways you can move

SLOJOURN is a members-only platform for the new vanguard of conscious travellers. That’s you.

In that vein, we support a multitude of ways to book your travel.

Book directly with SLOJOURN’S travel team (we just don’t book flights, friend).
Book via our preferred travel partners that we can connect you with.
Use this as your guide and DIY your way through the world (love that for you, just take note of the destinations that prohibit this such as Bhutan, Socotra… etc.)