Islands are the purest form of travel. A finite place, surrounded by water, with its own weather, food and rhythm. The ten below are the islands I would send a friend to without hesitation, ranked by the total experience, and each comes with the hotel that does it best. Some are for honeymoons, some for diving, some for doing gloriously little. All of them earn the airfare.
Which Island Matches Your Travel Style?
Answer 4 questions and get the island from the ranking that fits you best.
1. Bora Bora, French Polynesia
The archetype. Mount Otemanu rising from a lagoon in impossible shades of blue, ringed by a barrier reef and dotted with overwater bungalows. Snorkeling with reef sharks and rays in the shallows, sunset cruises across glass-flat water, dinners with your feet nearly in the lagoon. Where to stay: Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, on its own motu with overwater bungalows facing the mountain.
2. The Maldives
A thousand islands scattered across the Indian Ocean, and the most purely relaxing destination on earth. Seaplane transfer, overwater or beach villa, house reef steps from your deck. Diving and snorkeling are superb, but the Maldives’ real product is the absence of decisions. Full take: is the Maldives worth the hype. Where to stay: Soneva Fushi in the Baa Atoll, the barefoot-luxury pioneer. See our JOALI Maldives overwater villa review.
3. Santorini, Greece
The caldera is one of the great natural theaters in travel: whitewashed villages clinging to cliffs above a drowned volcanic crater, blue domes, sunsets that draw applause in Oia. Beyond the views: the ancient Minoan city of Akrotiri, volcanic beaches, assyrtiko wines. Go in May or late September. Where to stay: Katikies Hotel in Oia, carved into the caldera cliff.
4. Hamilton Island, Australia
The gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsundays. Day trips to Whitehaven Beach’s silica sands, sailing among the islands, snorkeling the outer reef. Where to stay: qualia, the resort that reset Australia’s luxury benchmark.
5. Maui, Hawaii
The most complete island in the Pacific: world-class beaches, Haleakala at sunrise, the Road to Hana, upcountry farms, a grown-up food scene. Works for honeymooners, families and adventurers simultaneously. Where to stay: Montage Kapalua Bay, above one of Maui’s best snorkeling bays.
6. The Seychelles
115 islands, the most geologically distinctive beach destination on earth thanks to giant granite boulders framing beaches like Anse Source d’Argent. Jungle hiking, the Vallee de Mai’s coco de mer palms, giant tortoises, diving that rivals anywhere. Where to stay: North Island, the private-island pioneer.
7. The British Virgin Islands
The sailor’s Caribbean: 40-plus islands and cays, the Baths on Virgin Gorda, the beach bars of Jost Van Dyke, quiet anchorages of Anegada. Where to stay: Rosewood Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda.
8. The Cook Islands
The South Pacific as it used to be. Rarotonga and Aitutaki offer the lagoon-and-palm equation at a fraction of French Polynesia’s prices and crowds. Aitutaki’s lagoon is one of the great unsung seascapes in travel. Where to stay: Pacific Resort Rarotonga on Muri Beach.
9. The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
The only island destination on this list where the wildlife is the entire point: giant tortoises, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, animals with no fear of humans. Visit by small expedition ship or licensed day boats, naturalist guides mandatory. Pair with our Antarctica cruise guide for the other great expedition trip. Where to stay: Pikaia Lodge on Santa Cruz.
10. The Azores, Portugal
Europe’s adventure archipelago: nine volcanic islands with crater lakes, hot springs, whale watching, superb hiking. Sao Miguel packs in the Sete Cidades crater lakes, the Furnas geothermal valley, and Europe’s only tea plantations. Where to stay: Terra Nostra Garden Hotel in Furnas.
How to Pick Your Island
Choose by the trip you want, not the ranking. Honeymoon: Bora Bora or the Maldives. Diving: the Maldives or the Galapagos, for entirely different reasons. Culture plus beach: Santorini or the Seychelles. Adventure: the Azores or the Galapagos. Sailing: the BVI. Value in the South Pacific: the Cook Islands. The best island in the world is the one that matches the traveler, and this list has one for every kind.
