WITH is diverse topography that includes tropical islands, tall mountains and teeming modern cities, Asia boasts some of the world's most exotic locations. For wealthy property buyers in search of unique purchases, those locations boast some of the world's most distinctive properties.

Take West Nalaut Island in the Philippines, for example. This uninhabited paradise in northern Palawan province features 800 meters of white sand beach, a tropical rain forest and abundant fresh water. It is near one of the world's best dive sites, surrounded by World War 11 shipwrecks and coral reefs, and it sits in the middle of a stunning archipelago surrounded by green islands and blue seas.

Best of all, says Chyenne Morrison of Elysian Fields Realty Services in Manila, the 60-hectare island is fully titled, which means it can be developed as the owner wishes. Most buyers choose to build either a resort or a private luxury villa, says Mr.Morrison. West Nalaut island is for sale $1 million, which buys a 50-year lease.

If West Nalaut is not suitable, Elysian Fields Realty has 125 more islands for sale, most of them near Palawan. Are islands a good investment? According to Mr. Morrison, some islands in the Caribbean are worth 30 times more now than they were sold for 10 years ago. The value of an island depends on many factors, including location, size, accessibility, climate, existing infrastructure, development potential and political stability. Elysian Fields is marketing its islands to buyers in Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore and Taiwan. Far from Palawan, but also counting on China's wealthy, is Commune by the Great Wall, an 8-squarekilometer site in the mountains, 40 minutes from Beijing, with views of China's Great Wall at Shuiguan.

In the first phase of Commune, Beijing-based developers SOHO China Ltd. Invited 12 Asian architecrs to design dream homes. The result was a collection of unique homes that was awarded a top prize in September last year at La Biennale di Venezia, an international architecture exhibition in Venice. Those 11 homes and one clubhouse are now a museum and hotel, which attract thousands of visitors each week.

Phase two will recreate the most livable designs from phase one, and offer them for sale to the public within a few months, for about $1 million each. One of the designs to be included in phase two is the remarkable Bamboo House, designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. These elegant, sparsely decorated rooms feature a Japanese esthetic, with walls, and some floors, made of bamboo. One of the most notable features is the meditation space: the dining room opens onto a granite bridge that crosses a shallow moat, leading to a bamboo meditation cave.

For buyers seeking a more conventional mansion, Asia's top location is the Peak district in Hong Kong. But would-be buyers must be quick: this summer's top new luxury offerings have already been sold. Four mansions at 3 Coombe Road, and five mansions at Kelleteria all sold within three months of reaching the market, at an average price tag of about $7.5 million.

Some Kellet View town houses are still for sale, for about $5.8 million each. These 4,200-square-foot mansions have the usual Peak extras, including separate dining and living rooms, gardens, terraces, balconies and swimming pools. And, of course, they have the view from the famous Peak, one of the world's top urban getaways.