St. Martin

The smallest island in the world ever to have been partitioned between two different nations, St. Martin/St. Maarten has been shared by the French and the Dutch in a spirit of neighborly cooperation and mutual friendship for almost 350 years.

The border is almost imperceptible. and people cross back and forth without ever realizing they are entering a new country. There are four boundries, Belle Vue / Cole Bay, French Quarter / Dutch Quarter, Low Lands / Copecoy and Oyster Pond, testifying to centuries of peaceful cohabitation and the treaty that made the arrangement possible.

All the same, each side has managed to retain much of the distinctiveness of its own national culture. The French tend to emphasize comfort and elegance. The beaches are secluded, the luxury resorts provide lavish accommodations, and the restaurants offer the finest dining experiences anywhere in the Caribbean. The latest French fashions can be found in many of the shops, and the smell of fresh croissants and pastries mixes everywhere with the spicy aromas of West Indian cooking. Small cafés and charming bistros add a decidedly Gaelic and cosmopolitan flair to the place. On the whole the atmosphere remains very relaxed.

On the other hand, St. Maarten with its busy cruise port and bustling commercial district, has long been an active center for trade and tourism. More developed and at the same time more informal, it is very Dutch in flavor and still has strong ties with fellow compatriots in the other Netherlands Antilles. Between the two different cultures in St. Martin and St. Maarten, vacationers will be able to find just about every kind of activity they might want for a perfect holiday in the sun.

Located midway through the chain of islands in the Caribbean, just as the Antilles begin to curve to the south, St. Martin is sunny and warm year-round, averaging 82 degrees Fahrenheit in summer and just 2 degrees cooler in winter. The island is buffeted by cooling trade winds that keep things temperate all year long. Average annual rainfall comes to about 45 inches, most of which occurs around late summer and early fall.

Canary island

The Canary Islands, the seven islands in the Atlantic Ocean, of Spain are extremely well-liked. The Canary Islands were named after the large canines (Canes) found living around the islands. Situated away the northwestern coast of Africa, the Canary Islands is one of probably the most well-liked tourist destinations on the planet, particularly with Europeans. The Canary Islands are Spain's biggest archipelago. The archipelago is situated just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west with the Morocco and the Western Sahara. 

The islands are also a paradise for lovers of nature and water sports activities enthusiasts. The Canaries are house to some fascinating indigenous animal and vegetation and also the nearby waters provide some of the world's richest hunting grounds for deep-sea fishermen. Shark, tuna and marlin are all to be discovered in abundance right here. Most tourists choose to hunt for any glimpse of the bottle-nosed dolphins and pilot whales which you can often see across the islands.

Climate conditions right here are considered ideal, and also the beaches - some of the best within the world. This paradisiacal group of islands, enjoying a wonderful climate, having a continuous gentle temperature via all the year, and splendid beaches of good sand, consists of seven bigger islands (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro) and a few more compact ones. Surprisingly, the landscape of each island is radically various towards the other people. 

The islands' unique population, commonly known as Guanches, is tall and of white pores and skin. The extremely greatest of the traditional cuisine of Canary Islands, which combines traditional Spanish recipes with African and Latin-American influences

Phi Phi island

The Phi Phi islands are some of the loveliest in Southeast Asia. Just a 45-minute speedboat jaunt and a 90-minute ferryboat ride from Phuket, these picture postcard islands offer the ultimate tropical getaway.

Classic beaches, stunning rock formations, and vivid turquoise waters teeming with colourful marine life - it's paradise perfected.

There are two islands, Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh. The larger and inhabited, Phi Phi Don attracts hundreds of visitors to stay on its lovely shores.

Belitung island

Belitung is an Island in South East Asia, a part of Nation archipelago. Belitung is ruled by Indonesia since 1950 and became a district of South Sumatra province. On November 21st, 2000, Belitung and Bangka Island has been approved to become the 31st province of Indonesia separated from South Sumatra. This new province is called ‘Kepulauan Bangka Belitung’ province. This Island is placed at 107o 35' - 108o 18' Latitude and 2o 30' - 3o 15' Longitude.

The length of the diameter from East to West is about 79 km and North to South about 77 km. The total land is 480.060 hectares with 189 small islands surround Belitung. Some of them are quite big with a couple of villages. They are Mendanau Island, Seliu Island, Nadu Island and Batu Dinding Island. Most of Belitung population is come of Melayu ethnic and most of them are Moslem. There are some other ethnics likes Chinese, Javanese, Balinese and some people from Sumatra like Palembang, Minang and Batak. Belitung regency consists of 9 districts and 69 villages. The capital of Belitung is Tanjungpandan, which stay at North West of this Island. The other large towns are Manggar, Gantung, Kelapa Kampit and Sijuk. The main resources, which also become the main product of Belitung Island, are tin mining, kaolin, quartz sands, and granite rock. The plantation are mainly palm oil, pepper, coconut, coffee, natural rubber, and vegetable.

If seen from its tourism sector, Belitung is an island with beautiful beaches, the unique landscape with its purely white sand, and the crystal clear seawater. Belitung is also popular with its granite boulder white stones beach in Tanjung Tinggi, Tanjung Kelayang, Tanjung Binga dan Lengkuas Island. This beautiful nature is also accompanied by hundreds of small islands, which add the beautiful tourism area in Belitung Island. Belitung Island is one of the best and unique beaches own in Indonesia.

Berhala Island

Berhala Island (Pulau Berhala in Malay) is a small forested island situated in Sandakan Bay in the state of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo.

The island is approximately 5 ha. in size and has prominent cliffs at its northern end. Many birds of prey can be seen on and around Berhala, including Brahminy Kites, Serpent Eagles and Sea Eagles.

The island has a lighthouse at its highest point.

In the period prior to World War II, the island was used as a quarantine station for labourers coming from China and the Philippines, and was also home to a leper colony. During the war, civilian internees, including Agnes Newton Keith and her husband Harry Keith were held in the quarantine station which served as a makeshift internment camp, before being transferred to Batu Lintang camp in Kuching, Sarawak. After the civilians left, POWs were interned in the camp. A daring escape took place from Berhala Island in June 1943, when several POWs who were due to be transferred to Sandakan POW camp managed to escape to Tawi-Tawi in the Philippines.

Plans are currently in development to promote Berhala Island as a tourist attraction.

Siloso Beach

Siloso Beach Resort is opening its doors for honeymooners and lovers to create the mood for true romance. As the resort sits just at the heart of Singapore's hippest beach - Siloso Beach in Sentosa. Etched around a natural and rugged foliage, confronted with a large spring water feature, a stream for leisure swimming and waterfall for play and relaxation. The soothing sounds of the cascading water add a new dimension to the acoustics as guest rest under the balmy shades of the beautiful flora, fully ensconced in the flourishing environment for a quiet respite.

Every guest room is designed with a bay-window looking out to the white sandy beaches of Sentosa and the western sea of Singapore.
Somewhere within, twelve exclusive villas sit on the slope, with trees incorporated as part of the buildings' interiors.

Redang Island

Redang Island, locally known as Pulau Redang or just "Redang" is one of the largest islands off the east coast of Malaysia. It is one of nine islands, which form a marine park, and which offer snorkeling and diving opportunities. Access is from Merang or Kuala Terengganu on boats operated by the resorts; there is also a small airport with services operated by Berjaya Air from Singapore (Seletar Airport) and Kuala Lumpur (Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport).

The island is also an important conservation site for sea turtles. Previously, the indiscriminate economic exploitation of turtle eggs had caused fewer turtles returning to nest on the island. This has led the Terengganu state government to set up the Koperasi Setiajaya Pulau Redang in 1989, a cooperative aiming to develop and manage socio-economic programmes that could improve the livelihood of Pulau Redang locals without endangering its natural resources.^{[citation needed]}

The waters around Pulau Redang also contain two historic shipwrecks: HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse. The ships were sunk here at the start of World War II, setting the stage for the Japanese occupation of Malaya.

The Pulau Redang archipelago comprises Pulau Redang, Pulau Lima, Pulau Paku Besar, Pulau Paku Kecil, Pulau Kerengga Kecil, Pulau Kerengga Besar, Pulau Ekor Tebu, Pulau Ling and Pulau Pinang. Pulau Redang is the biggest of all the islands in the Marine Park, measuring about 7 km long and 6 km wide. Its highest peak is Bukit Besar at 359 metres above sea level. The boundary of the Pulau Redang Marine Park is established by a line linking all points 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) from the shores of Pulau Redang, Pulau Lima, Pulau Ekor Tebu and Pulau Pinang. The other nearby islands ofPulau Perhentian Besar, Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Pulau Lang Tengah, Pulau Kapas and Pulau Susu Dara are also gazetted and protected as Marine Parks. Today, only the bigger islands like Redang, Lang Tengah, Perhentian and Kapas have resort facilities for visitors. The management of Marine Parks primarily involves protection of the sensitive marine and terrestrial ecosystems by controlling the impact from human activities. These include waste & pollution management and conservation of coral reefs and terrestrial habitats.