[kahfei]

Have you consider Penang island, it is not really isolated or exotic, but we have beautiful beaches here, and when you need a dose of civilization, it is just within 30 minutes driving distance, there are quite a few big companies here like Dell, Intel, Motolora. Standard of living is cheap. The island been ranked by Yahoo! Travel as one of the "10 Islands to Explore Before You Die". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penang

Hope I didn't sound too much like a salesman already.

[deepGem]

Penang is definitely a good option. Though I haven't been there heard a ton of good things and it's just a stone's throw from the mainland. +1. Accommodation and food is relatively inexpensive in Malaysia.

[kahfei]

Thanks for the +1. And I haven't mentioned the great food in Penang, Penang Laksa ranked 7th in the 50 most delicious foods in the world...http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/eat/worlds-50-most-delicio....

[dualogy]

Also famous for housing the Hacker Monthly magazine headquarters :)

[walterheck]

Penang is an option for sure.