Palau Royal Resort

The Palau Royal Resort brings Japanese hotel-keeping standards to Malakal Island on the edge of Koror, and the combination suits Palau well: crisp housekeeping, punctual boats and a quiet efficiency that frames the archipelago's wilder pleasures. The white resort buildings curve along a harbour frontage with their own marina and small beach, looking across the water to the mushroom-shaped Rock Islands that begin practically at the breakwater.

Rooms are the freshest in Koror—light, contemporary and balconied, most with harbour or garden views, with Japanese touches from the soaking tubs to the yukata robes. The pool complex with its swim-up bar, a well-kept spa and tennis courts give the resort more polish than anything else this side of the lagoon, and the on-site dive and tour desk feeds guests seamlessly onto Rock Islands, Jellyfish Lake and dive-site boats each morning.

Dining spans a Japanese restaurant with lagoon-fresh sashimi, an international terrace room and poolside grills. Downtown Koror's restaurants and shops are five minutes away—closer than from the beachfront flagship across the water—which makes the Royal the connoisseur's pick for combining resort comfort, town convenience and hard days out in the islands.