The most romantic 'hidden gem' islands in Asia

Best for: Couples who like challenging hikes and some beach time. 

Not all Thai islands are built for just beach bumming, and Koh Chang is proudly one of them. Thailand’s second-largest island is all jungle-clad peaks tumbling into blue water, with waterfalls, hiking trails and beaches that honestly make it feel like Jurassic Park. 

Yes, it’s easy to spend all your time kayaking and paddleboarding off the calm sands of Kai Bae or chasing sunset views at Wai Chaek Beach along the quieter southern coast. But there’s much more to do on the island. Couples who are feeling ambitious can tackle the five-hour Mount Salakphet hike. Be warned, though, it’s a steep and sweaty hike that takes you 744m up–but you’ll be rewarded by stunning views. 

How to get there: Fly into Trat Airport, then take a 30 to 45-minute ferry from Ao Thammachat or Centre Point Pier to Koh Chang. Alternatively, buses and minibuses from Bangkok take around six hours, followed by a ferry crossing.

Best for: Couples who want barefoot luxury without the crowds. 

If your idea of romance involves arriving by boat and promptly forgetting the rest of the world exists, Ninh Van Bay delivers. Tucked away off the coast of Nha Trang, this secluded bay pairs pristine beaches with dramatic granite mountains, creating the kind of scenery that feels deliberately designed for honeymoons and milestone trips.

The headline stay here is Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, one of the brand’s earliest properties and still one of its most special. Accessible only by speedboat, the resort sits in a crescent-shaped bay where villas blend seamlessly into rock and jungle. Between swims and spa sessions, make time for a bowl of bún sứa, Nha Trang’s refreshing jellyfish noodle soup. It’s made of crunchy jellyfish, light broth, and soft white noodles, served with fresh veggies like bean sprouts, herbs, and scallions.

How to get there: From Nha Trang city, it’s about a 60-minute drive followed by a boat transfer, or opt for a direct speedboat ride that takes around 20 minutes.

Best for: Well-travelled, artsy couples.

When people talk about Japan’s art islands, Naoshima usually steals the spotlight. But we’re letting you in on a secret: Teshima is the one insiders quietly recommend. It has the same art-world credibility, just without the crowds or the sense you’re following a well-worn path.

Set in the Seto Inland Sea and reached via Naoshima, Teshima moves at its own pace. Its centrepiece is the Teshima Art Museum, a single, sculptural space by architect Ryue Nishizawa and artist Rei Naito. A thin concrete shell opens to the elements, where water droplets, light and sound become the artwork itself. 

Beyond the museum, installations are scattered across rice terraces and fishing villages, best explored by bike or on foot. It’s also part of the Setouchi Triennale, which is returning in 2028. 

How to get there: Start by getting to Naoshima. From Osaka or Kyoto, take a train to Okayama Station, then continue to Uno Station by train or bus. From there, hop on a ferry to Naoshima, arriving at either Miyanoura Harbour (west) or Honmura Harbour (east).

Once you’re on Naoshima, reaching Teshima is straightforward. Some ferries running between Takamatsu and Teshima make a stop at Honmura Port on Naoshima. The ferry ride takes about 20 minutes, making it an easy and scenic hop between islands.

Best for: Couples who bond over dive logs and early-morning boat briefings.

Often dubbed the jewel of the Java Sea, Bangka Island sits quietly off North Sulawesi, far from the crowds and very much in its own lane. The beaches here are blissfully empty and travellers mostly spend time underwater. And oh, there are also eco-resorts like Coral Eye Resort that keep things intimate.

Bangka is best known for its soft corals, which erupt into full technicolour at sites like Sahaung, Batu Mandi and Batu Pendeta when the current’s just right. Expect sloping reefs, pinnacles and drop-offs teeming with reef fish, plus the occasional thrill of reef sharks, barracuda, rays–and yes, even whale sharks if luck’s on your side. On land, you’ll find jungle hikes that rival Komodo’s, minus the crowds. 

How to get there: Fly from Jakarta or Singapore to Manado International Airport. Bangka Island is then just one hour by car or 20 minutes by boat.

Best for: Couples who like off-grid romance and shipwreck adventures 

The Mantanani Islands are a trio of tiny islands that sit just northwest of Kota Belud. It’s an hour’s drive from Kota Kinabalu, followed by a short speedboat ride–yet, it feels like a secret kept mostly among locals. Think crystal-clear water washing onto long stretches of white sand (2.5 kilometres, to be exact) with barely another footprint in sight.

Now the true magic lies underwater. There are now more than a dozen dive sites to explore, including World War II Japanese shipwrecks, with visibility that can stretch up to 40 metres on a good day. Expect turtles, rays, octopus, and dolphins cruising past on your lucky day. 

Out of the three islands, Pulau Mantanani Besar is the only one with accommodation, and it’s worth staying overnight at places like JSK Mantanani Island Resorts and the more budget-friendly GreenHouse Ecolodge. Once the day-trippers leave, the island becomes all yours, stars included.

How to get there: Fly into Kota Kinabalu. From there, it’s around three hours total, including a van transfer to Kota Belud and a speedboat to Pulau Mantanani Besar. Note that there’s only one daily speedboat, departing at 9.30am from Kampung Kuala Abai Jetty.

Best for: Couples who prefer ancient forests over beaches. 

Yakushima is what you pick when forests call out to your soul more than beaches do. This remote, near-perfectly round island off southern Kyushu feels ancient in the truest sense. Here, the rain never really stops, the moss glows an impossible green, and every hike feels faintly enchanted. There’s a reason this inspired Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke. 

One-fifth of Yakushima is protected as Japan’s first natural UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for its warm-temperate forests and staggering biodiversity. The island is blanketed in cedar woodland, home to the legendary yakusugi trees. These ancient cedars are over 1,000 years old, including the iconic Jōmon Sugi, believed to be the oldest cryptomeria japonica tree in the world. 

Wildlife sightings are part of the experience. Yakushima is home to the endemic Yaku deer and Yakushima macaques, which wander trails like they own the place, alongside rare mammals, forest birds and migratory species.

How to get there: Fly from Haneda Airport to Kagoshima Airport (2 hours), then change flights to Yakushima Airport (40 minutes). Once you’ve arrived, it’s most convenient to rent a car from a company near the airport to explore the island

Best for: Couples who appreciate wildlife at its rawest, from reef to rainforest. 

If the Philippines has a reputation for paradise, Balabac is where it quietly proves the point. Tucked away in the far south of Palawan, just north of Sabah, this cluster of remote islands delivers the kind of marine magic that’s getting harder to come by elsewhere. You’ll get to see glass-clear lagoons, reefs alive with colour, and palm-fringed sandbanks that feel blissfully untouched by mass tourism. 

Balabac is best known as a turtle stronghold, and swimming alongside these gentle creatures in their natural habitat is easily one of the most memorable experiences you can share as a couple. Island-hopping is the name of the game here: time your visit right and you’ll catch Starfish Sandbar at low tide, where dozens of starfish dot the soft white sand. On land, Balabac is an important birdwatching area that’s home to a variety of migratory and endemic birds such as the Grey Imperial Pigeon, Blue-headed Racket-tai, and the Philippine Eagle.

How to get there: Fly into Puerto Princesa, then travel onward by van to Buliluyan Port–the main jump-off point to Balabac. Most travellers arrange transfers through their tour operator, which makes the long overland journey far more seamless.