Paradise found: 6 idyllic islands to seek out now

What is it about islands that make a vacation feel like a true getaway? Detached from the rest of the world, islands are places where people sometimes do things a bit differently. They can be transformative escapes that promise relaxation, romance and, of course, miles of beautiful coastline. Whether you want to kayak through mangroves in Key Largo, take a Chilean culinary tour across Chiloé, or immerse yourself in history on the palm-dotted Spanish island of Mallorca, our island picks will fit any fantasy.

Dominating an archipelago of more than 100 islands and islets, Langkawi is known for classy beachfront resorts like The Datai Langkawi, incredible Malaysian cuisine, jungle adventures, and bargain homeware shopping. Langkawi has been duty-free since 1987, and people travel from across Southeast Asia to buy kitchenware and supplies there. The shopping aspect adds an extra thrill to a pretty perfect Malaysian island holiday, where days lazing by the pool or on the beach can be earned by embarking on adventures in the rainforested interior. For families, the island’s SkyCab cable car and SkyBridge suspension bridge deliver on excitement and lifelong memories.

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Seeking a more chilled-out Caribbean vibe than Cancun? Plan your Mexico getaway for car-free Isla Holbox (pronounced “hol-bosh”), located on the northern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. The town features sandy streets, picturesque Caribbean buildings, and beaches so perfect it’s impossible to take a bad photo. The island’s greenish waters get their unique hues from the mingling of ocean currents, a sight best viewed from a mellow beach resort like eco-minded Las Nubes de Holbox. Intersperse days on the sand with sampling the reggae-playing beach bars, yoga studios, and fish taco shacks.

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For European travelers, Mallorca—one of the Balearic Islands—has long been a top destination, a multifaceted paradise with everything from awe-inspiring mountain scenery and hiking to beach resorts for all budgets. Discover it for yourself, starting in Palma, where a pink-hued Gothic cathedral towers over a glitzy marina dotted with superyachts. There are elegant mansion hotels like Can Cera in Palma’s old town, while neighboring Santa Catalina is the city’s most vibrant quarter, where old fishermen’s houses have been converted into restaurants, interior design stores, independent galleries and cocktail bars. Beyond Palma, there’s the dreamy hillside town of Deià, the pretty horseshoe bay of Port de Sóller, the port of Pollensa, and the low-key historic town of Santanyí.

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Just a short flight from Santiago, Chiloé is an amazing add-on to a classic Patagonia itinerary. It’s famed for its Indigenous seafaring culture, colorful stilted palafito fishermen’s cottages, 16 UNESCO-protected, baroque-style Jesuit and Franciscan churches… and for being the kitchen garden of Chile. Stay at culture-oriented luxury lodge Tierra Chiloé for excellent excursions, including a culinary tour of this agriculturally rich island, reportedly home to 400 native varieties of potato alone—a detail noted by Charles Darwin when he visited aboard the HMS Beagle in 1834.

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While all the Florida Keys share a deliciously laid-back vibe and commitment to pleasure-seeking, each has its own distinct flavor. About 90 minutes’ drive from Miami, Key Largo, the biggest island in the Upper Keys, is particularly perfect for adventure lovers, with spectacular scuba diving and snorkeling at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park—America’s first ever underwater park and the country’s only living coral reef, a protected 70-square-mile tract brimming with marine life, plus wetland and beaches. Kayak the shores of Blackwater Sound, scanning the swamps for birds and crocodiles, and bike or hike the nature trails of Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park.

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For decades, Dominica’s craggy volcanic coastline and still-developing infrastructure deterred the big chain resorts that popularized fellow Caribbean islands like Jamaica, Aruba, and the country it’s most often confused with, the Dominican Republic. Modern-day Dominica is richer for it, as one of the world’s best island destinations for eco-minded explorers: Adventures include guided treks to bubbling geothermal lakes, canyoning excursions through gushing gorges, and rafting trips through Indian River’s mangrove swamps. Plus, there’s the promise of more affordable accommodations, such as independently owned Rosalie Bay Eco Resort, alongside stylish splurges like Secret Bay, making Dominica one of the best tropical vacation spots.

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