Winning tip
Pakachi Beach hotel, Zanzibar
I had the most relaxing holiday of my life here: funky bar, great people, fantastic food. Steve has some ingenious environmental projects, including filling plastic bottles with sand or earth for use as bricks.
+255 77 362 1086, pakachi.com, doubles from £38
Jamie Love
Freedom beach, Koh Tao, Thailand
The days of a hut on an undiscovered Thai beach for a few pounds may be over, but bargains can still be had. The basic bungalow with fan, net, towels, hot water and bottled water was fairly “rustic”, but it was amazing to sit on your veranda and watch the sun rise. You are a little cut off from the nearest shops and massage facilities.
+66 77 456 192 taatoh.com, doubles from £42, two-night minimum
becki212
Mustapha’s Place, Bwejuu, Zanzibar
A slice of paradise in picture-perfect south-east Zanzibar. The laid-back place is presided over by local character Mustapha himself. His pweza (octopus in lime, coconut and star anise) is the flavour of the island in a bowl. They will pick you up from the airport, or you can get the bus from Stonetown to Bwejuu, walk along the beach and ask for Mustapha’s.
+255 7720 994 22, mustaphasplace.com, doubles $30
ID788147
Bedarra Beach Inn, Fiji
Fiji’s Coral Coast is a beautiful piece of tropical paradise: crystal clear waters, exotic vegetation, inspiring sunsets and lush vegetation. And a great place to chill out is the Bedarra Beach Inn, right next to the reef. Snorkelling, swimming and superb dining are on your doorstep.
+679 650 0476, bedarrafiji.com, doubles £40
gallarate
Robinson’s Place, Zanzibar
This eco-resort on the east coast of the island is run by the colourful Eddie Rasta, who serves a delicious fruit breakfast. The guest room was on stilts and open on three sides; in the morning monkeys played on the roof as the sun came up, and you looked straight over the treetops to the Ocean.
+255 777 413 479, robinsonsplace.net
, doubles from $40
nbritton
Kandy Cottage, Kandy, Sri Lanka
The cottage is nestled into the back of a wildlife preserve, so there are monkeys on the roof in the morning and birdsong everywhere. It’s secluded from the sounds of the city but you can still walk into town for dinner. On arrival you are greeted with tea and free Wi-Fi. At £20 a night for single travellers it’s the best value heaven I’ve ever been to. It makes a perfect base to explore some of the cultural sites in Sri Lanka and you’ll even be given a packed lunch.
+94 77 220 3040, kandycottage.com, doubles from £22
Aislingfbarry
Aremango guesthouse, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Aremango Guesthouse sits by the beautiful Muri lagoon on Rarotonga. The rooms are spotless and simple, with gorgeous Polynesian touches. The large communal kitchen is well kitted out. The patios have hammocks, gas barbecue and large dinning tables and are surrounded by passion fruit, banana and papaya trees. You can snorkel in the lagoon among schools of tropical fish, borrow a kayak or simply laze in the sun.
+682 24 362, aremango.co.ck, doubles £34
Kathryn Waite
El Alquimista, Zipolite, Mexico
Squeezed between craggy rock formations and the pounding Pacific is the idyllic beach town of Zipolite. Town isn’t even the right word for the scattering of restaurants and hotels along a blissfully quiet shore. Getting there means a very bumpy six-hour minibus ride from Oaxaca City. El Alquimista is a charming inn with a great restaurant and bar that only improve as the sun sets and the beach is lit by nothing more than a few torches and the stars.
+52 44 958 587 8961, el-alquimista.com, cabanas for two £37
pockymarked
Balenta Bungalows, Gili Meno, Indonesia
We stumbled upon Balenta Bungalows one morning. The gardens were impeccably tidy and the walkways framed with magenta flowers. Our bungalow was impossibly clean and breakfast was freshly made pancakes with lime and honey served on the beach. Faye, who runs Balenta with his family, organised a fishing trip for us with his uncle on a catamaran and our catch, barbecued by Faye, fed us for lunch and dinner.
Desa Gili Indah, +62 859 3702 0316, bungalow for two £20
Jenny Skinner
Coco Villa, Mahebourg, Mauritius
Rue Swami Shivananda, +230 631 2346, doubles from £28
Chris Paton
