Formerly Nihiwatu, few luxuries are excluded from this celebrity-favoured resort, where you might bump into the Beckhams. Hefty price tag aside (we've listed the low-season rate), you can understand the draw to this stunning accommodation, where every detail is considered and there's a virgin beach crashing with surf that folds into turquoise barrels on Sumba's ruggedly beautiful coast.
What is excluded are non-guests. There are questionable, self-imposed restrictions on who can access the (public) ocean in front of the resort.
Amenities are myriad – it even has its own free-diving pro. Accommodation is limited to 30 units and there is a multi-day minimum stay. Guests are hauled around West Sumba in African safari vehicles; as one local said to us, 'I guess we are the zebras'.