The World’s 10 Best Islands
Discover the best of the world, from unforgettable stays and local flavours to inspiring experiences and so much more. Explore our growing collection of guides and find your next favourite.
Bora Bora
Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Bora Bora’s outline is unmistakably volcanic, with Mount Otemanu rising above a lagoon enclosed by reef and small, palm-covered islets. Part of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, it is a destination shaped as much by the water around the main island as by the land itself. The changing blues of the lagoon provide the setting for boat journeys, quiet beach time and stays on the surrounding motu. Matira Beach offers an accessible introduction to the shoreline, while guided lagoon trips open up coral gardens and sheltered places to snorkel. Kayaking and paddleboarding bring a slower perspective, with the mountain remaining a constant point of reference. Accommodation ranges from guesthouses on the main island to resorts with overwater bungalows, so the choice of base has a real effect on how a visit unfolds. Beyond the lagoon, village life, ancient marae and local crafts connect a stay with Polynesian culture. Meals might include poisson cru, prepared with fish, lime and coconut milk. Boat transfers are part of daily life for visitors staying on a motu, making it useful to plan time on the main island as well as at the resort.
Santorini
Santorini, Greece
Santorini is shaped by the meeting of volcanic rock and the Aegean Sea. Whitewashed settlements follow the rim of its caldera, with steep cliffs dropping towards the water and neighbouring volcanic islets. Fira and Oia offer the familiar views, but the island’s character also emerges in smaller villages, agricultural land and beaches coloured by its geological history. A stay can move between caldera terraces, coastal walks and time beside black or red volcanic sand. The position of a hotel matters: a room facing the caldera offers a different experience from a base near the island’s more open eastern shoreline. Exploring beyond the main viewpoints brings changes in pace and a closer look at the architecture of villages set among the slopes. Food and wine provide another route into the landscape. The island’s dry conditions support distinctive crops, including vines, tomatoes and yellow split peas, which appear in local cooking. Tomato fritters, aubergine dishes and Santorini wines give meals a strong sense of place. Allowing time for a village lunch or a visit to a producer adds substance to a journey that might otherwise revolve around the view alone.
Bali
Bali, Indonesia
Bali combines a varied coastline with an interior of rice-growing landscapes, volcanic slopes and towns where artistic traditions remain part of daily life. Denpasar provides an urban introduction, while the southern beaches and the countryside around Ubud offer quite different settings for a stay. Temples, offerings and ceremonial activity give the island a cultural rhythm that extends beyond its visitor districts. On the coast, Kuta’s surf and Sanur’s gentler shoreline appeal to different styles of holiday. Inland, Ubud brings galleries, craft markets and traditional dance into reach, with terraced rice fields around the wider area. Sea temples such as Tanah Lot and the mountain setting of Besakih show the close relationship between sacred places and the landscape. Visits work well when they allow time for each area rather than treating the island as a single resort district. Balinese food adds another layer, from spice-rich ayam betutu to lawar, a mixture incorporating coconut and herbs. Markets provide an opportunity to encounter textiles, painting and woodcarving alongside everyday produce. Choosing a coastal base, an inland retreat or a combination of both helps shape a journey around the island’s considerable contrasts.
Mahé
Mahé, Seychelles
Mahé brings together the principal town life of Seychelles and the granite landscapes associated with the archipelago. Forested heights rise behind a coast of bays, beaches and rocky headlands, while Victoria adds markets, museums and religious buildings to the picture. The island works well as a destination in its own right, with enough variety to combine time by the sea with inland exploration. Beau Vallon, on the north-west coast, has a broad choice of accommodation and places to eat. Elsewhere, smaller coastal settlements and coves offer a different pace. The slopes of Morne Seychellois provide a contrast to the shoreline, with forest and elevated views making a journey into the interior feel distinct from a beach day. In Victoria, the clock tower, botanical gardens and cultural sites give context to the island’s role within Seychelles. Creole cooking reflects the meeting of African, European and Asian influences, with fish, spices and local produce central to many meals. Accommodation ranges from independent guesthouses and self-catering apartments to substantial coastal resorts. A base chosen with both beach conditions and planned excursions in mind makes it easier to appreciate Mahé’s varied character.
Maui
Maui, United States
Maui offers a changing Hawaiian landscape, from the high country around Haleakalā to rainforest roads and long stretches of coastal sand. Its regions have distinct personalities, making the choice of base an important part of a visit. Beach-focused stays can be balanced with time in small towns, agricultural country and places where the island’s volcanic origins are clearly visible. The southern and western shores include established resort areas and beaches such as Wailea, Mākena and Kāʻanapali. Inland, Makawao and Kula introduce Upcountry Maui, while Wailuku and the landscapes around ʻĪao Valley give Central Maui its own character. East Maui brings a greener setting along the road towards Hāna, with rainforest, lava formations and a rugged coastline that reward an unhurried approach. Walking, swimming, snorkelling and sailing provide different ways to experience the island, with conditions and access shaping the day’s plans. Allowing time for local food, small businesses and cultural encounters helps a stay extend beyond the resort. Maui is particularly suited to travellers who want both a comfortable coastal base and a varied itinerary, with enough space between outings to enjoy the setting rather than simply move through it.
Palawan
Palawan, Philippines
Palawan is a long island in the western Philippines, with forested landscapes, limestone formations and a coastline that opens onto smaller islands and sheltered waters. Its appeal lies in the connection between land and sea: a journey can move from a wooded interior to a beach, a river or a bay framed by steep rock. The wider province includes additional island groups, so geography matters when planning a stay. In the north, El Nido provides access to the beaches and lagoons of Bacuit Bay. Boat trips, kayaking and snorkelling reveal the limestone coast from different perspectives, while mainland shores offer places to pause between excursions. Farther south, the Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park combines a navigable cave river with a protected landscape extending from the mountains to the sea. Palawan’s forests, mangroves and marine habitats support a wide variety of life, giving nature-focused visits particular depth. Choosing a smaller number of bases allows more time in each area, rather than spending a holiday continually in transit. Local guides can help explain the relationship between communities and the landscape, adding context to experiences that are often introduced through photographs of water and cliffs.
Mauritius
Mauritius, Mauritius
Mauritius combines reef-fringed lagoons with a mountainous interior, tea-growing country and towns shaped by several cultural traditions. The island lies in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, and its relatively compact geography allows a coastal stay to include inland journeys. Soft sand and clear water provide the familiar introduction, but forests, waterfalls and agricultural landscapes broaden the experience considerably. Black River Gorges National Park offers walking routes through wooded valleys and hills, with opportunities to learn about native plants and birds. On the south-west coast, Le Morne’s mountain forms a distinctive backdrop to the beach and carries an important cultural history. Port Louis adds a more urban perspective, with markets and street food providing a different way to encounter everyday Mauritian life. The island’s food reflects influences from India, China, Africa and Europe, from biryanis and noodles to pastries and Creole cooking. Accommodation ranges from independent places to stay to established beachfront resorts, many with access to lagoon activities. Combining time on the coast with a few carefully chosen excursions gives a fuller sense of Mauritius, whose character emerges through its communities and interior as much as through the shoreline.
Zanzibar (Unguja)
Zanzibar, Tanzania
Unguja, commonly called Zanzibar, combines Indian Ocean beaches with a historic trading town and an interior associated with spice cultivation. It is the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago, off mainland Tanzania. A stay here can bring together quite different experiences, from the lanes and waterfront of Stone Town to coastal villages and resort areas facing open sea or reef-protected shallows. Stone Town’s architecture reflects long connections between East Africa, Arabia, India and Europe. Carved doors, closely packed buildings and markets reward exploration on foot, while a knowledgeable guide can explain the histories behind them. Beyond the town, visits to spice-growing areas introduce the plants behind familiar flavours, and Jozani provides an opportunity to spend time in the island’s forest landscape. The northern beaches around Nungwi and Kendwa and the south-eastern coast around Jambiani offer different settings for seaside stays. Snorkelling, diving and boat excursions add a water-based dimension, with plans shaped by local conditions. Dividing time between Stone Town and the coast gives the island greater depth, placing beach days alongside an understanding of the communities, trade and food traditions that continue to shape Zanzibar.
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is a volcanic island in the eastern Caribbean, with forested mountains, cultivated valleys and a coastline that changes from sheltered bays to more exposed Atlantic shores. The Pitons near Soufrière provide its most recognisable profile, but the island’s appeal also lies in the variety of places between them and the livelier communities farther north. Choosing a base helps determine the rhythm of a stay. Around Soufrière, volcanic landscapes, botanical gardens and rainforest outings sit alongside beaches and opportunities to explore the coast by boat. Rodney Bay and Gros Islet offer another atmosphere, with a concentration of restaurants, marinas and evening activity. Inland roads reveal a greener landscape of hills and villages, making a journey across the island an experience to allow time for rather than simply a transfer. Creole food, music and cocoa-related experiences connect visitors with Saint Lucian culture. A holiday can combine a beach resort with guided walks, snorkelling or visits to local communities, without needing to fill every day. The island particularly rewards travellers who balance its celebrated scenery with the people and food that give each part of the coast its own character.
Providenciales
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Providenciales is the main visitor gateway to the Turks and Caicos Islands, with a coastline of pale sand, sheltered bays and clear water. Commonly called Provo, it combines an established choice of hotels, villas and restaurants with beaches that offer different moods around the island. Grace Bay provides the familiar setting, but a stay need not be confined to a single stretch of shore. Long Bay, Sapodilla Bay and Taylor Bay offer alternatives for coastal exploration, while Blue Hills brings another view of island life. Snorkelling at sites such as Smith’s Reef, boat excursions and time around the marinas add variety to beach days. The scale and spread of development make a planned approach to getting around useful, particularly for visitors who want to explore beyond the immediate area of their accommodation. Food is part of the experience, from resort dining to the island’s community fish-fry tradition. A wide choice of places to stay allows for a sociable hotel base or a more private villa holiday. Providenciales suits travellers who want a comfortable introduction to the archipelago, with opportunities to combine water activities, local meals and an unhurried appreciation of the coast.