Island-hop the Mamanuca Islands

Laid-back pair of jungle islands with clear water and cheap beachfront snorkelling.

Three tiny car-free islands off Lombok — turtles, reef bars and no traffic at all.

Wake over a turquoise lagoon with steps down into the reef — the Maldives invented the overwater villa.

Indian Ocean islands and sandbars.

Palm-fringed national-park island reached by catamaran, with a starfish-filled natural pool on the way.

Granite-boulder islands in the Andaman Sea with some of Thailand’s clearest water and best coral.

Bangka boat trips between limestone lagoons, hidden beaches and the Big and Small Lagoon of Bacuit Bay.

Coral islands and old Swahili towns.