Staying on Nusa Penida changes the island. You see the viewpoints at first light and golden hour, and you spend the hot middle of the day by a pool rather than in a car. Where you stay decides how easy that is.

Most places to stay are here, around Toya Pakeh, Ped and Crystal Bay. They are close to the main harbours, to Kelingking and Broken Beach, and to most of the island's restaurants. Crystal Bay has the sunsets. If you want to walk out for dinner, this is the side to choose.

The east is quieter and more remote, with a small number of cliff-top villas above Atuh and Diamond Beach, facing the sunrise. The views are superb and the evenings very quiet. You will eat where you stay, and the west coast is about an hour away by car.

Nusa Penida has only a handful of truly high-end places to stay, and they fill early in July, August and over Christmas. The island's infrastructure is still catching up with its fame: power and water can be interrupted, and some villas sit at the end of rough tracks.

Before we recommend anywhere, we check the things listings leave out: a backup generator, reliable hot water, the state of the access road, how far it is from the harbour, and whether the staff can cook a good breakfast at five for a sunrise start.

Nusa Lembongan, 15 minutes away by boat, has more choice at the top end, more restaurants and beach clubs, and gentler roads. When the best villas on Nusa Penida are full, it is often the better base, and a private boat puts you on Nusa Penida's coast in minutes.

Most guests spend the first night in Bali if they land in the afternoon, and the last night near the airport. The Bukit peninsula around Uluwatu is 30 to 45 minutes from the airport and has some of Bali's best villas.

Every one of our journeys comes with Boutique or Signature stays chosen for you. If nothing on Nusa Penida suits your dates, we will tell you before you pay.