We turned up 10 dreamy islands unknown to the average U.S. traveler.
By Jamie Moore
Madeline Island
Courtesy of Madeline Islands CVB
Looking for the perfect place to get away from it all? We searched
the world and turned up 10 dreamy islands unknown to the average U.S.
traveler. These little patches of unspoiled paradise, from the Great
Lakes to the South China Sea, are relatively affordable and easy to get
to. And the idea of getting stranded on any one of them would be, well,
absolutely OK with us.
Location: Lake Superior, just off
Wisconsin
Size: 14 miles long by three miles wide
Population: 300 year-round; 2,500 in summer
Midwesterners need not go far for a secluded island paradise. Part of
Wisconsin's Apostle Islands archipelago, Madeline has many trappings of
a tropical oasis—sandy beaches, sailing charters, sea caves,
cliff-jumping, and even stand-up paddleboarding. No wonder the
population swells in summer. Visit in winter and you can make first
tracks on a dogsled or see ice caves.
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Kayak to sea caves, historical lighthouses, and a century-old shipwreck
with Adventure Vacations or Living Adventure. Raise a glass to live
music at the quirky Tom's Burned Down Cafe. Don't miss locally caught
trout on The Pub Restaurant & Wine Bar's beachfront patio.
Getting here
Board the Madeline Island Car Ferry (25 minutes) at Bayfield. You can
also walk onto the ferry and rent a bike or moped from the island's
Motion to Go. In winter (mid-January through February), arrive by
air-propelled wind sled or drive the ice road.
Tangier Island
Courtesy of Virginia Tourism Corporation Virginia
Tangier Island
Location: U.S. Atlantic Coast, just off
Virginia
Size: Three miles long by one mile wide
Population: 727
This little island 12 miles off of northern Virginia is one of the
last isolated fishing villages left on the Chesapeake Bay. Out here it's
a completely different world. Locals speak in a thick accent that
sounds like a cross between Elizabethan English and the Old South. They
drive golf carts on the virtually carless island. And the salty Tangier
watermen still carry on the centuries-old tradition of harvesting crabs
in the bay.
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During a waterman tour, a Tangier captain teaches you how to pull crab
pots. Try the incredible crab bisque and crab cakes made by wives of
watermen at Fisherman's Corner Restaurant. Rent a free kayak at the
Tangier History Museum and Interpretive Cultural Center and follow the
island's water trails.
Getting here
Three seasonal ferries (one to one-and-a-half hours) and two year-round
ferries (45 minutes) link the island with mainland Virginia and
Maryland. There's also a small Tangier Island Airport.
Location: Eastern Caribbean,
Bahamas Out Islands
Size: Less than two square miles
Population: 80
A tiny link in the chain of Exuma Cays, this gem lies 250 miles off the coast of
Florida
in the Bahamas' famously clear turquoise waters. Many of the Exhumas
are private (Johnny Depp owns one) or ultraexclusive, but Staniel Cay is
an exception. Here, you can stay in a cottage on stilts over the ocean
for only $165 per night. Everything but the price seems top-shelf.
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Go for the all-inclusive package ($176 per person per night) at Staniel
Cay Yacht Club—the island's only lodging—and get a waterfront cottage,
all meals, and your own 13-foot Boston Whaler during your stay. Cruise
to a deserted beach or see the swimming pigs at Major Cay. Snorkel at
Thunderball Grotto, a hollowed-out island and the filming location for
James Bond's Thunderball.
Getting here
The yacht club arranges shared charter flights (two-and-a-half hours) from
Ft. Lauderdale on Watermakers Air starting at $200 per person one-way.
Fernando De Noronha
Courtesy of Ricardo P. Alves via Flickr Creative Commons Attribution
Fernando De Noronha
Location: Western Atlantic, 220 miles off
Brazil's coast
Size: Seven square miles
Population: 3,012
Peaks of a submerged mountain range rise up out of the sea to form
this beautiful Brazilian 21-island archipelago. The largest island is
the only one populated, but throngs of vacationers never clog its
perfect coves of white-sand beaches. The government restricts tourism to
420 visitors at a time. Yes, this is the kind of place you want to (and
can) be left to your own devices with a little motorbike: There's just
one traffic light.
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Two major ocean currents meet here, making it one of the world's best
places to see a diverse range of marine life while snorkeling or scuba
diving. All visitors stay in small pousadas whose owners take a personal
interest in guests—a bit like having your own valet.
Getting here
Fly from
Natal (70 minutes) or
Recife (100 minutes), two Brazilian cities accessed by direct flights from major U.S. airports. Save with a Brazil air pass.
Isle Of Mull
Courtesy of Wilderness Scotland
Isle Of Mull
Location: Eastern Atlantic, off Scotland's west coast
Size: 338 square miles
Population: 2,667
Mighty seaside cliffs. Rugged mountain ridges. Moorland peninsulas.
It's a picture-perfect Scottish scene in the Inner Hebrides islands.
Filled with abundant wildlife and dramatic scenery, Mull is one of
Scotland's best places for seeing whales (April through September) and
for spotting the white-tailed eagle, the U.K.'s largest bird of prey.
Hike the coastal and glen trails or the more challenging peaks with
views of neighboring islands Iona and Staffa.
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Wilderness Scotland has hike-and-stay packages with the Tiroran House
Hotel that include breakfast and dinner for less than $200 per person
per night. In the colorful port of Tobermory, dig into fish-and-chips or
the fresh scallops (a Prince Charles favorite) at the Fisherman's Pier
Fish & Chip Van. Wash it down with a visit to Tobermory's malt
whisky distillery.
Getting here
On the mainland, take a CalMac car ferry from Oban to Craignure (40
minutes), from Kilchoan to Tobermory (35 minutes), or from Lochaline to
Fishnish (15 minutes).
Pulau Ubin
Courtesy of Singapore Tourism Board
Location: South China Sea, off
Singapore
Size: Four square miles
Population: 100
One of the last rural holdouts in Singapore, Pulau Ubin ("Granite
Island") near Changi Point is a freeze-frame of Malay kampong village
life in the 1960s. Thatched-roof homes sit among forested rolling hills
and abandoned granite quarries. Fishermen live on kelongs, old wooden
fishing houses built on stilts over the water. It's a soul-soothing
escape from the highly urbanized buzz on the nearby mainland.
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Experience village life, thick forests, and the occasional monkey or
wild pig from the seat of a rented bicycle or on a walking tour. The
island is known for its great seafood restaurants, and the steamed crab
is divine. See interesting low-tide marine life at Chek Jawa or hit the
sandy beach at East Coast Park. For a kampong-style stay, ride to
Celestial Resort. Rooms start at less than $100 per night.
Getting here
At the Changi Point Ferry Terminal near Changi Village, take the
10-minute bumboat ride that departs once there are 12 passengers.
Koh Yao Yai
Courtesy of Koh Yao Yai Village Resort
Koh Yao Yai
Location: Andaman Sea's Phang-Nga Bay, off western
Thailand
Size: Approximately 38 square miles
Population: Approximately 8,000 (estimates vary)
One of 44 islands between Phuket and Krabi, Koh Yao Yai ("Big Long
Island") is the largest but not the most developed. Here, where mass
tourism hasn't taken hold, locals earn a modest living by fishing, rice
farming, and working the rubber plantation. You can stretch out on
footprint-free sand and really feel like you're staking out an
undiscovered place. Since your dollar goes further in Thailand than most
destinations, the island is quite affordable.
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See local life on a bike ride. Or rent a long-tail boat and go
island-hopping to Khai Nok and Khai Nai for great snorkeling. Elixir
Resort and Koh Yao Yai Village run various types of tours and have
private thatched-roof bungalows furnished in old Thai style.
Getting here
Fly into Phuket International Airport. Nearby ferries (60 minutes) and
public speedboats (30 minutes) operate from piers in Phuket. Multiday
Journeys Within tours start in Phuket, stopping in Koh Yao Yai and
Krabi.
Kosrae
Courtesy of Katrina Adams
Kosrae
Location: South Pacific in
Micronesia
Size: 42 square miles
Population: 6,616
With waters tinted the purest shades of blue and mountains covered in
every hue of green, Kosrae is a speck in the vast sea between Hawaii
and Guam. This lush spot just north of the equator enchants with cloud
forests, mangroves, waterfalls, and soft, sandy beaches. On Kosrae
locals still follow traditions of carving and canoe-building. Look out
to sea and you'll likely find fishermen and women working from a canoe
or locals practicing for annual canoe races.
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Dive or snorkel among some of the world's last remaining pristine fringe
reefs, a sunken pirate ship, a wooden whaler, and planes from WWII.
Explore haunting 13th-century ruins, or paddle an outrigger canoe
through mangroves. At Kosrae Village eco-lodge and dive resort, you can
sleep in a private cottage on a sandy beach for $119 to $169 per night.
Getting here
Continental (which is merging with United) flies to Kosrae. The airline
is part of the Star Alliance, which sells a Micronesia Airpass with
great savings if you want to visit multiple islands.
Ile de Re
Courtesy of Thinkstock/iStockphoto
Ile de Re
Location: Atlantic Ocean, just off
France
Size: 33 square miles
Population: 20,000 year-round; 130,000 in summer
Off France's west coast, this charming vacation haven is connected to
La Rochelle by a two-mile bridge. You'd think a place this accessible
to Europe's population would be jammed with commercialism. Instead, the
majority of Île de Ré is protected. Vineyards, forests, dunes, and salt
marshes, where fleur de sel is still gathered using traditional methods,
are all part of nature reserves. Although the population spikes in
summer, there's still a quiet simplicity soaked up in the understated
style you'd expect from the French on holiday.
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Absolutely flat terrain and more than 60 miles of well-used bike paths
have prevented an automobile invasion on this popular island. Rent a
bicycle and cruise to natural, unannounced beaches and across pungent
salt marshes. Stop and buy a basket of oysters from an oyster farmer, or
explore one of 10 villages.
Getting there
Catch a TGV high-speed train from
Paris (three hours) to
La Rochelle and connect with a bus or taxi to the island.
Salt Spring Island
Courtesy of Salt Spring Island
Salt Spring Island
Location: North Pacific, off
British Columbia
Size: 70.5 square miles
Population: 10,500
This easygoing island, tucked between the B.C. mainland and Vancouver
Island, is the quintessential snapshot of West Coast life. Its
residents—free-spirited artists and musicians, retired millionaires, and
organic farmers—have abandoned the fast track to build lives rich in
community and natural beauty. Get a glimpse on an artisan studio tour,
which takes you to a lavender farm, a cheese shop, a jewelry maker, and
more.
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Wander down to the Ganges dock for fresh crab ($10). Explore coastal
tidepools at Ruckle Park or swim at Vesuvius Beach. Pick up local
produce at the Saturday Market and take it to Salt Spring Vineyards for a
picnic with your wine tasting. Splurge on a stay at the Hastings House
or find excellent value at Salt Spring Inn (less than $100 per night),
which overlooks the main village and harbor.
Getting here
Harbour Air and Salt Spring Air seaplanes fly to the island (30 minutes) from downtown
Vancouver.
Salt Spring Air also flies from Vancouver International Airport. B.C.
Ferries connects from the Vancouver area (one-and-a-half to three
hours).
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