Five Asian Paradise Islands

Gin-clear water, pearl-white beaches, swaying palms: the idea of the paradise beach has a powerful grip on the imagination. Who is not a bit of a sucker for the dream of a retreat where lazy waves lap at a white stretch of sand edged by palm trees? The image, which graces a billion brochures, evokes a life of carefree leisure, uninterrupted by SMS messages, emails and Tweets.

When it comes to those stress-free paradise islands, the Caribbean springs to mind. But the eastern hemisphere has more than its share of contenders. So, come along on a languid powder-sand stroll across five of Asia's finest.

Five Asian paradise islands

1. Haikou

Called Coconut City, Haikou is the capital of the southern Chinese province Hainan. Thanks to its tropical climate, the island moves at a much slower pace than mainland China. Liable to dress in silk pyjamas, the locals move at a lope instead of a trot. Touts are thin on the ground. Better yet, unlike other parts of China, Haikou is free from smog. In fact, Haikou has the highest-rated air quality in the People’s Republic.

2. Langkawi

Langkawi Island hovers at the point where the Andaman Sea meets Malacca Straits. Strictly speaking, Langkawi is an archipelago that consists of between 99 and 104 islands, depending on the tide. The largest island, Pulau Langkawi, serves as the archipelago’s heart and the stage for picturesque paddy fields, jungle-clad hills and an alluring casuarina-fringed silk-sand beach called Pantai Cenang. Besides, Langkawi has some great tours, notably Irshad's rainforest tour [www.junglewalla.com], Ashraff Zimmerer’s canopy tour [http://www.langkawi.travel/] and a deliciously hedonistic mangrove swamp cruise in a gentleman's yacht called Stardust [www. langkawi-sailing.com]. Better yet, in a drastic break from Sharia law, Langkawi ranks as a duty-free zone – the beer comes incredibly cheap.

3. Koh Lanta

Long a magnet for adventurous backpackers, Thailand's Koh Lanta is inching upmarket. Fancy resorts are supplanting the island’s cheap-and-cheerful bungalow huddles. Despite creeping gentrification and the daily stream of tourists shuttled from Krabi by ferries and minivans, the mellow mood has yet to evaporate. Aside from its sleepy white beaches, Lanta boasts a marine park rich in coral that entices a spectrum of species.

4. Mauritius

If ever an island deserved the description, "much more than an island", it is Mauritius. Situated on the hazy ocean border between Asia and Africa, Mauritius oozes atmosphere mirrored by the names of its settings. The line-up includes Grand Bay, Pereybere beach, Tortoise Bay, Balaclava Ruins, Triolet village and the Labourdonnais Orchards. For romance, Mauritius scores as highly as any drooled-over Mediterranean idyll.

5. Cat Ba

Set on the edge of Vietnam's lovely Halong Bay, Cat Ba Island is vast. Cat Ba covers over 350 square kilometres, but offers a refreshingly calm change from those chaotic urban twins Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Aside from cobalt seas, limpid beaches and plentiful massage spas, Cat Ba has a national park studded with mangroves and freshwater lakes. Plus, Cat Ba serves as a launchpad for 'blackwater' kayak jaunts into cave complexes. What’s more, unlike other paradise islands, Cat Ba has a cultural angle. On 1 April 1951, warrior-statesman Ho Chi Minh visited the Island, which yearly marks the event with a festival. A monument to Uncle Ho stands on Mountain No 1, the hillock opposite Cat Ba town’s pier.