The Hollywood Reporter (Weekly)
Where the Welcome Is Warm (If You Are, Too)
As some spots (like Hawaii) push back against overtourism, these Asian and Pacific island destinations remain go-tos for stunning seascapes and convivial hospitality
If The White Lotus has taught the world anything, it’s that visitors are not always universally beloved by locals — and sometimes for good reason. Take, for instance, Hawaii, where there’s an uproar from many residents who feel the islands have become overburdened with tourism and where the government is considering instituting a $50 annual fee to access its beaches. Still, some island groups, like the following spots, remain renowned as places where where travelers have kept a light footprint and people go out of their way to make appreciative guests feel welcome.
The Maldives
After he visited the 4-year-old Joali Maldives resort (from $2,040 a night) — which features overwater villas, a floating Japanese restaurant and a coral restoration program — Stanley Tucci wrote for London’s The Times: “As the seaplane descended over the topaz water, we were so affected by the utter beauty and serenity of the place that the long-haul weariness seemed to filter away.”
In the Maldives — located in the Indian Ocean, 600 miles southwest of Sri Lanka, and encompassing 26 atolls of coral sand and luminous aquamarine — it’s not uncommon to be greeted upon arrival by staff holding their right hands over their hearts. It’s also where most accommodations come with a personal butler or, in the case of Joali Maldives, a jadugar, aka “magician.”
Opened in 2021, sister property Joali Being (from $2,142) is a wellness-focused island retreat located 15 minutes away by boat on Bodufushi Island. It’s an idyllic haven for transformative resets via high-tech tools but also watsu water massage in a serene pool, Turkish hammam treatment, immersive sound healing and nourishing cuisine.
For her 40th birthday last year, actress Katie Lowes (Inventing Anna) visited Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort (from $750) with her entire family, taking cooking classes, going surfing and getting overwater massages. “There’s the feeling that it takes a village to raise a child,” she tells THR. “The staff were all coming up to my kids at the breakfast table, they were totally taken care of.”
Additional resorts beloved by Hollywood include the intimate Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas (from $1,600, including two meals), where John Legend and Chrissy Teigen got engaged and which boasts a subaquatic restaurant and overwater observatory; Amilla Fushi Maldives (from $1,045), where the Beckhams rang in the new year a few years ago in an eightbedroom villa; and Soneva Fushi (from $1,440), where Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas honeymooned in a beachfront villa and which recently debuted overwater villas featuring retractable roofs for stargazing from bed.
As Lowes says, “The Maldives really is its own distinct, special thing, and only people who I know who have been there get it. Once you’ve seen it, these little tiny white islands of coral that are barely above the ocean and have these incredible resorts on them, it’s hard to compare [to anywhere else]. It feels so rare.”
Fiji
In this nation of 333 islands, one can’t go anywhere without hearing “Bula!” which means life and is a heartfelt, enthusiastic greeting that makes “hi” seem almost rude.
In May, Jaclyn Sienna India, CEO of ultra-luxury travel concierge Sienna Charles, scouted Fiji for a major actor client and found Navotua, a village where she (and later the actor and her family) stayed and experienced kava ceremonies, traditional welcoming rituals. The client “wanted to really understand the culture,” says Sienna India. “They lived with these local tribes for four days in huts on the beach, wearing grass skirts and walking around barefoot.” Of the $75 a night home-stay, she adds, “It wasn’t luxury, but you couldn’t have paid more for a more remote, incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Afterward, her client flew via helicopter to the private island Wakaya Club & Spa, where they rented the whole island ($2,500 to $11,000 a night and $330,750 for a week buyout). “It was a high-low
kind of thing that was exactly what they were looking for in terms of immersion,” says Sienna India. Wakaya’s property features 10 waterfront cottages and one immense residence, plus farm-totable fare with produce from two organic farms.
The intimate Al Gorefrequented eco-resort Turtle Island (from $2,800 a night with a five-night minimum) took the pandemic as an opportunity to further regenerate the 500-acre private island into a self-sustaining ecosystem that raises and grows its own food, all in an effort to benefit the local people, the environment and the Fijian heritage. Dinners are communal, and the resort boasts a 70 percent guest return rate.
Now owned by Canyon Equity, the environmentally responsible, all-inclusive Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort (from $925) on Vanua Levu island was opened by film producer and ocean explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau in 1995. “Fijians are great protectors of their land and embrace their cultural heritage,” says Cousteau, adding that “Fijians are happy and healthy, and when I’m in Fiji, I am also.”
Okinawa
In the East China Sea, in the south of Japan, the Okinawa prefecture encompasses 160 islands with a surprisingly tropical climate.
Cobra Kai star Ralph Macchio filmed scenes for season three on the lush main island of Okinawa — the birthplace of karate and the site of one of World War II’s bloodiest battles — over a few days. He was struck by “the perfectly clear air and calm breeze when taking in the breathtaking panoramic views of the mountains and gorgeous coastlines.” During his short trip, “what remained consistent was the welcoming embrace from the people of the island.” Macchio stayed at Ryukyu Onsen Senagajima Hotel (from $150), known for its popular traditional hot spring bath, called onsen. He says visiting the “‘Land of Miyagi’ was almost a spiritual one for me.”
In 2020, Hoshinoya Okinawa (from $1,005) opened in Yomitan village with ocean panoramas and technicolor coral reefs out front. The 100 low-profile rooms and villas have indoor patios and a contemporary design that references hyperlocal cultural heritage, such as traditional Okinawa dye.
At 4-year-old Halekulani Okinawa (from $559), the most secluded accommodations are five sanctuary-like clifftop villas (from $2,374) with heated pools and natural hot spring baths.
The locally sourced restaurant, Shiroux, is led by two-Michelinstar chef Hiroyasu Kawate.
Taketomi is a charmingly lowkey island of just three villages (reached by ferry from Ishigaki Island) with a beach of starshaped coral sand, water buffalo cart tours and live music featuring a local banjo-like instrument called sanshin. And the isle’s Hoshinoya Taketomi (from $827) is a 48-villa upscale resort where a vibrant 94-year-old resident teaches guests mat weaving, one of several tizawa practices, aka handicraft in the local dialect.
French Polynesia, including Tahiti When it comes to the postcardperfect destination of French Polynesia, Sienna India recommends going “to the smaller islands, like Taha’a, where [Tahitian] vanilla is from.”
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher have done just that, staying at Le Taha’a Island Resort & Spa (from $895). Guests of the overwater suites and beach villas can swim with sharks, take helicopter or yacht trips and drift snorkel through a crystalline coral garden channel with rainbows of tropical fish. The resort has recently implemented a sustainability agenda that dramatically reduces plastic waste.
Island hopping is a popular pursuit amid French Polynesia’s 118 atolls and islands. The first time she visited the islands, Chelsea Handler (who stars in the new Netflix special Revolution)
chartered a yacht — “which I’m sure is very relatable,” she jokes. Together with nine friends, she went on a scuba diving trip to Rangiroa, Fakarava, Nuku Hiva and Tetiaroa, diving twice a day at different islands, often with white and blacktip reef sharks. “They would take us to cool places, like one where 4 o’clock is like rush hour and all the sharks pass,” she recalls. “The same thing for dolphins, where they all swam through this channel at a certain time of day. It was one adventure after another.”
Handler later returned to French Polynesia to see the World Surf League contest on the main island of Tahiti, afterward spending time at the Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora. “That was probably the best vacation of my life,” she tells THR. “It was the most magical place I’ve ever been,” full of “ridiculous” service and “easy breezy” experiences.
Among the most luxurious accommodations at the Four Seasons Bora Bora is the three-bedroom Beachfront Villa Estate (from $15,945), where guests have included Jimmy Kimmel, Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. At the nearby St. Regis Bora Bora Resort (from $931), Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban reportedly stayed at the 13,000-square-foot Royal Estate Villa ($18,000 per night).
Handler says the water around Bora Bora has “seven different colors going from light, light aquamarine to this deep, deep turquoise and then to navy blue. My girlfriend and I went snorkeling, albeit we were on edibles, but we didn’t come up for air for two and a half hours because it’s so beautiful.” She’s already plotting an occasion to return: “All I could think was, ‘I need everyone I love to be at this place and see this place and experience it.’ ”