The world's 15 best island holidays: Find the perfect one for you

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The world's 15 best island holidays: Find the perfect one for you

By Brian Johnston
Bora Bora and Moorea might be more famous, but French Polynesian island Huahine is flamboyantly beautiful and yet scarcely visited.

Bora Bora and Moorea might be more famous, but French Polynesian island Huahine is flamboyantly beautiful and yet scarcely visited.Credit: Shutterstock

Like the irrepressible twang of ukuleles in the Pacific, it's hard to get away from the stereotypes when thinking of islands. They fall mango-ripe from the pages of travel brochures, juicy with images of sunlight and surfing, hip-swaying girls and bare-chested boys, pina coladas and lurid sunsets. Their ultimate symbol is the tropical beach, where white sand squeaks, blue lagoons ripple and palm trees are splashed against outrageous sunsets.

Who hasn't been seduced? Islands are a place of escape, of sun-kissed sand and simplicity, removed from the travails of our busy urban lives, maybe even from conventional morality. They offer pirate adventure, and castaway dreams, and perhaps the hope of Shirley Valentine-style renewal. We fantasise about resigning our jobs, and spending the rest of our life on a beach, living off crabmeat, pickling ourselves in rum and shacking up with an island beauty like a character in a Somerset Maugham story.

Yet islands are much more than this, of course. Their strategic locations and opportunities for trade have made them hotpots of curiosities and cuisines, stirred together over centuries. Their isolation has created distinctive cultures and creatures found nowhere else. The best islands are never monocultures, but are rich mixes of outside influences and hybrid inventions.

One Foot Island, in the Cook Islands, where coconut trees form a ragged fringe above pristine beaches and swirling blue waters.

One Foot Island, in the Cook Islands, where coconut trees form a ragged fringe above pristine beaches and swirling blue waters.Credit: Shutterstock

Islands are seldom simple and, beyond the obvious stereotypes, that's what makes these mini-destinations such rich pickings for the inquisitive traveller.

And so, in the spirit of the famous festival at Cannes and its hallowed Palme D'or (Golden Palm) for best film, we would like to present Traveller's similarly illustrious Golden Palms. Ours are awarded to the best islands and beaches in the world, across a range of categories, from fantasy to action, history to (swimming) costumes.

THE ISLAND ... FOR SHOWING OFF

THE NOMINEES

British Virgin Islands; Bora Bora, French Polynesia; Palmalican, Philippines; Capri, Italy.

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AND THE WINNER IS ...

Credit: Alamy

Hvar, Croatia's answer to Saint-Tropez. Arrive in your yacht, sporting a tan, nautical-themed designer duds and Ferragamo sunglasses. Haunt the galleries and fancy craft shops in back streets before repairing for an Aperol Spritz as you lounge on Moroccan cushions at a quayside bar.

WHY GO

More hours of sunshine than anywhere else in Croatia, a mountainous island draped in vineyards and lavender fields, and outstanding swimming and sailing. Hvar town is a Renaissance gem with a stunning main piazza, streets flag-stoned in marble and the occasional ancient monastery.

DON'T MISS

Views from the fortress atop the town, from which you can peer down onto marble piazzas filled with beautiful people nibbling on swordfish and Instagramming their perfect lives. See tzhvar.hr

See also: 28 great reasons why you should visit Croatia

THE ISLAND ... FOR THE LAIDBACK

THE NOMINEES

Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia; La Digue, Seychelles; Out Islands, Bahamas; Samoa.

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, which makes main island Rarotonga feel like the big smoke. The only crowd consists of scuttling hermit crabs on the beach. Cast off your shoes, stick a hibiscus flower behind your ear and hope to stay forever, sitting on a verandah drinking from a coconut shell.

WHY GO

Aitutaki has quite simply the world's best lagoon, a vast, shimmering, peacock-hued astonishment fringed by white sandbanks and barely marked by a single building. There is blissfully nothing to do except swimming, snorkelling, sailing and dreaming of calling your boss with the news you'll never be back.

DON'T MISS

One Foot Island, the lagoon's quintessential corner, where coconut trees form a ragged fringe above pristine beaches and swirling blue waters. See cookislands.travel

See also: The word paradise really applies to this patch of the Cook Islands

THE ISLAND ... FOR EXILES

THE NOMINEES

Sado Island, Japan; Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile; Devils' Island, French Guyana; St Helena.

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Credit: SHUTTERSTOCK

Elba, the Italian island where Napoleon went into exile before escaping in 1815 for his "Hundred Days" restoration that ended at Waterloo. He had a nice time living in two mansions with a Polish mistress and his party-loving sister Pauline. For an island in the Mediterranean (and in Tuscany) it flies under the radar.

WHY GO

Elba's mini-mountains provide abundant plunging vistas of cliffs, olive groves and sparkling sea. Main town Portoferraio has Renaissance harbour fortifications and hilly old streets topped by Napoleon's holiday home. Why would you want to flee?

DON'T MISS

The hair-raising journey up Monte Capanne in a cage-like contraption suspended on wires. From the summit, you can brood on the entirety of Napoleon's shrunken empire. See visitelba.com

THE ISLAND ... FOR ADVENTURE

THE NOMINEES

Wrangel Island, Russia; Greenland; South Island, New Zealand; Azores, Portugal.

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Credit: Shutterstock

Sumatra in Indonesia, our very under-explored neighbour. The world's sixth-largest island challenges with muddy rivers, swamps, a backbone of active volcanoes, dense rainforest and the humidity of the equator. Travel the legendary Trans-Sumatran Highway for added boasting rights.

WHY GO

The scenery is gobsmacking, featuring cloud-wreathed volcanoes and emerald rainforest where orang-utans and elephants lurk. The matriarchal Minangkabau ethnic group provides a vibrant cultural life centred on Bukittinggi. Maninjau, a lakeside village in an ancient volcanic crater, is reached via 44 improbably scenic hairpin bends.

DON'T MISS

The Mentawai Islands off the west coast, one of the most consistently great surf destinations, powered by the south-east trade winds that blow in from the Indian Ocean. Every serious surfer dreams of hitting the waves here. See indonesia.travel

THE ISLAND ... FOR HEDONISM

THE NOMINEES

Mykonos, Greece; Pag, Croatia; Ilha de Santa Catarina, Brazil; Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand.

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Credit: Shutterstock

Ibiza, the Spanish jet-set getaway famed for its summer party scene, tolerance and bohemianism. Don't forget to pack your rapper bling for the nightclubs and your itsy-bitsy bikini for the suave beach clubs by day.

WHY GO

Party, party, party to the sounds of the world's best DJs in one of the world's clubbing capitals. Mind you, the island also has a World Heritage old town, masterpiece gothic cathedral, fine art museums, rugged coastline and picturesque inland draped in olive trees and whitewashed villages.

DON'T MISS

Superclub Amnesia, where you can cram in with 5000 other revellers and enjoy superb sound and lighting, banging beats, the odd explosion of confetti and (depending on the night) sequins, leather or feathers. See tourism.eivissa.es

THE ISLAND ... FOR WILD THINGS

THE NOMINEES

Molokai Island, USA; South Georgia Islands; Svalbard, Norway; Sub-Antarctic Islands, New Zealand.

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Credit: Shutterstock

Isla Espanola in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands. If you've ever fantasised about the mating dance of the blue-footed booby (and who hasn't) you'll be rewarded. You can also commune with marine iguanas, giant tortoises and sea lions.

WHY GO

One of the Galapagos' most southern islands, Isla Espanola isn't as frequented as some others, yet has spectacular bird life that includes an indigenous mockingbird, swallow-tailed gulls and spectacular waved albatrosses with long, bright-yellow bills. You can hike, kayak, snorkel and hit the beach at lovely Gardner Bay.

DON'T MISS

The walk – or rather scramble – over volcanic boulders at Punta Suarez, accompanied by lava lizards and red crabs, and watched by grumbling sea lions with bristling whiskers. See ecuador.travel

See also: The heavenly island which could unleash hell on Earth

THE ISLAND ... FOR COLD BEAUTY

THE NOMINEES

Prince Edward Island, Canada; Skelligs, Ireland; Nantucket, USA; Chiloe, Chile.

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Credit: Shutterstock

Skye, largest of the Scottish Hebrides islands. If you like your islands haunting, windswept and invigoratingly chilly then look no further. Skye's name is Old Norse for "cloud island" and, when the wind howls, waterfalls are blown back up cliffs. The tempestuous moods of the weather are dramatically beautiful and entirely suit the brooding landscape.

WHY GO

Valleys covered in purple heather and huddled sheep, great cliffs and jagged mountains provide a wild, haunting Highlands landscape. There are prehistoric sites, castles, a rich Gaelic history of rebellion and emigration, and magnificent walks in the Cuillin Hills.

DON'T MISS

The drive on the A855 around the Trotternish Peninsula beneath the jagged rock pinnacles of the Quiraing, where the landscape reaches its crescendo. See visitscotland.com

THE ISLAND ... FOR TROPICAL FANTASIES

THE NOMINEES

Biyadhoo, Maldives; Isla de Margarita, Venezuela; Palawan, Philippines; San Blas, Panama.

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Credit: Shutterstock

Huahine. Bora Bora and Moorea might be more famous, but this French Polynesian island is flamboyantly beautiful and yet scarcely visited. Troubles peel away and, by the time you get to your bungalow, the TV will seem like a strange artefact from an alien civilisation.

WHY GO

Everything moves to an island rhythm. There's barely a car, bridges are made of wooden planking and dusty dogs doze on verandahs. You can eat papayas straight from the tree, and mahi-mahi pulled fresh out of the ocean. Maroe Bay is magnificent, ringed by lush peaks and dotted with archaeological remains.

DON'T MISS

A boat excursion accompanied by ukulele-playing locals onto the island's fringing lagoon, filled with tropical fish and coral. See tahititourisme.com.au

THE ISLAND ... FOR HISTORY

THE NOMINEES

Malta; Zanzibar, Tanzania; Sicily, Italy; Shikoku, Japan.

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Credit: SHUTTERSTOCK

Cuba, a time-warp country only just catching up with the 21st century, with a rollicking history that runs from colonists and buccaneers through to communist revolutionaries. Its culture combines Spanish, American, African and Caribbean influences.

WHY GO

A wonderfully dishevelled atmosphere, fantastic colonial fortifications, handsome churches and lively, gossipy, music-filled street life in cities such as Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba. Former wealthy sugar-trading town Trinidad de Cuba is one of the Americas' best-preserved historical towns.

DON'T MISS

Isla de la Juventud, once a buccaneer base, and reputedly Robert Louis Stevenson's inspiration for Treasure Island. The string of gorgeous islets that runs eastwards includes Cayo Largo del Sur, home to flamingos, iguanas and turtles, and uninhabited Cayo Rico, a castaway's fantasy. See cubatravel.cu

THE ISLAND ... FOR THE HUNGRY

Sicily, Italy; Taiwan; Vancouver Island, Canada; Sri Lanka.

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Credit: Shutterstock

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