From Apply Now,
Your Guide to Asia Travel.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Islands & beaches: Asia is covered with them. And from the sub-tropical coasts of Korea through the South China Sea and into the Indian Ocean the islands and beaches of Asia provide resorts, recreation and adventure in plenty.

But much of what Asia has to offer in its islands and sea coasts is unfamiliar to Western tourists.

Korea's Cheju Island is one of those hidden treasures. It is the honeymoon capital of Korea. The Hawaii of the Orient.

Cheju Island sits of about 40 miles off the south coast of Korea. It is a lush, semi-tropical island where people either make their living from the sea or from the possibility that someone like you will come and visit. Tourism is Cheju's largest industry. People visit the island with good reason. Cheju turns yellow with forsythia and other flowers each Spring. Pineapples, bananas, tangerines, and cherry blossoms are everywhere. You can play golf in the yellow flowers of Spring or hunt pheasant in the Fall while the maple leaves turn red. If you're looking for the vacation by the beach that you hadn't thought of yet, Cheju Island is probably it.

On the other side of Asia, on India's west coast, sits the state of Goa. Goa's beaches take up over fifty miles of coast line on the Arabian Sea. The area is warm, inviting, and near-tropical. And the rest of Goa - its culture, food, inland scenery, and cities - are all well worth a visit.

Without a doubt the most popular island-destination in Asia is Bali. While many places in Southeast Asia now claim to be "Paradise on Earth", Bali was the first to make that claim and it is in Bali that the claim is taken most seriously. But there is concern among the Balinese today that the island may soon be known not as paradise but as a Disneyland for tourists.

Many things make Bali a convenient destination. An international airport in its capital, Denpasar, is chief among them. It is possible to fly in and out of the relative safety of the developed, morally relaxed island without traveling through the politically uneasy Islamic crowds of Indonesia's main island of Java. The two-mile thread of ocean which separates the two islands may be one of Bali's greatest assets.

Bali is perhaps best known for places like Kuta Beach, where silver-tongued boys say nice, charming things to the older ladies in hopes of finding a ticket out of Indonesia and where almost anything is on sale cheap. But Bali is more than just sun, surf, and skin. Ubud is the cultural heart of the island -- and the arts have deep roots there...

The list of such locations in Asia is endless. Whether you're looking for your own little private stretch of sand, or a fishing village to hang out in for the day, or jet skis and wind surfing, Asia has a coast for you. Here's a short list of examples:

• Cebu, Philippines, where the annual Sinulog Festival is often compared to Mardi Gras.

• Palawan is often considered the last frontier of the Philippines. It is perhaps the least developed and most enchantingly rustic of the major islands in the Philippines. No urban sprawl here. No commercial atmosphere. No war zones. And Oh yes, the beaches easily rival the sand and surf of Boracay, Phuket, or Kuantan.

• Thailand's Phi Phi Islands -- about 29 miles (48 km) southeast from Phuket. The islands are rugged, with vertical cliffs rising from the sea and jagged shores which conceal protected mini-beaches. An few isolated pieces of tropical sand...

• Southern Vietnam has a number of good beach destinations, from Phu Quoc (the largest island in Vietnam) to China Beach.

• Phuket, in the Andaman Sea on Thailand's western coast. It is difficult to exaggerate the beauty of Phuket's beaches or the lushness of the island's setting.

• Kuantan, Malaysia, boast a number of pristine beaches on the South China Sea.

• Boracay - whoever coined the trite little line "life's a beach" probably had this place in mind. If you're looking for a good place to lay around a do nothing while the palm trees sway in the sun and someone periodically offers to refill you mai tai, Boracay is probably for you. About 4.5 miles long and in places only half a mile wide, the 32 powdery white beaches on this island draw thousands of visitors each year.

Asia's most charming island is not really known for its beaches (though it has some good ones). Penang, Malaysia, is a city of temples and history. Penang has a variety of religious structures, from churches and mosques dating back to the early 1800's to Hindu temples, Buddhist wats, and Chinese worship houses paying mixed homage to Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. And George Town, Penang's main city, is one of the most charming locations in Asia. The mix of life and history -- of Anglican Churches and Chinese Temples, of salt air and Indian curry -- makes a stay in the city extremely pleasant.

Sand, surf, adventure and more - Asia is the place for beach fun and island atmosphere.