Just four miles northwest of Malta lies Gozo, popularly known as the “Island of Calypso,” a reference to the mythical island where Odysseus was held captive by the nymph for seven years. The land is dotted with windmills and ancient temples devoted to Ggantija, a fertility goddess; the beaches are red sand with reefs and caves.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
The most famous island in French Polynesia, Bora Bora boasts lush botanical gardens in perennial bloom, white-sand beaches, crystal blue water, and, unlike many tropical isles, no threat from monsoons and cyclones.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
Burano, a group of four small islands a few miles from Venice, is home to a school for lace-making and an 18th-century bell tower, tilted like Pisa, due to the unstable land. The town is made up of brightly colored houses linked by a maze of bridges, walkways, and canals.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
Not only is Capri a lovely Mediterranean island, it’s also famous for its wine—and has been for almost 2,000 years. In 38 A.D., Emperor Tiberius decided to make Capri his summer home, called Villa Jovis, which you can still visit.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
It was a cruel punishment to exile Corsica-born Napoleon to Elba and Saint Helena. Who would ever want to leave this beauty? The island’s cliffs descend into the Lavezzi Islands Marine Reserve, an emerald-green stretch of the Mediterranean replete with red coral and lobsters. Back on shore, the local seafood, crepes, pommes frites, and absinthe are just a few of the gustatory delights.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
Fiji includes more than 300 islands, only about a third of which are permanently inhabited. The rocky, volcanic islands of the north are especially deserted, compared to the sunnier, coral-circled Yasawa Islands to the west. These northern islands are where Italian novelist Umberto Eco went into seclusion to write his novel
The Island of the Day Before, and are home to writers and playwrights such as Joseph Veramu, Jo Nacola, and Marjorie Crocombe.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
Off the shore of Venezuela's legendarily pirate-infested Caribbean island of La Tortuga lies Tortuguilla, a small, flat, uninhabited island. There’s no easy way to get to Tortuguilla—you either have to hitch a ride on one of the fishing boats that go there during the day or pay someone to fly you there.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
Lying in the Adriatic, Brioni is one of the most popular vacation spots in Croatia. The island is now a national park, but it was once under the dominion of Venice before being sold to a Viennese steel magnate, who built art-noveaux bath houses on the island. After World War II, the island became the vacation spot for Yugoslavian President Josip Broz Tito.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
Even the pop-culture mythology of the Bermuda Triangle couldn’t stem the popularity of this island getaway. Colonized by England in 1609 and built up by workers on their way to Virginia to work in the tobacco industry, the island’s architecture features a mix of Old World style and local tastes, using local limestone and cedar. In addition to its contribution to fashion (Bermuda shorts), Bermuda is a tax-free haven for business.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
This beautiful Hindu island in Indonesia is home to a friendly, gentle culture along with its famous natural beauty. It’s also where Barack Obama went to write his memoir
Dreams From My Father after graduating from Harvard Law.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
These enchanting Scandinavian islands have some of the most dramatic landscapes in Europe, with jagged mountains rising steeply from the ocean to 4,000 feet. Despite its northern locale, warm currents from the Gulf Stream keep the weather mild, making it Norway’s own banana belt, home to fishermen and a hub for artists.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
Like the wine it’s named for, this Portuguese island haven is unique and well-loved. The volcanic soil grows rich, fortified grapes and the island has managed to remain unspoiled, partly because much of it is a UNESCO Heritage Site and national park. Quaint cottages, farms, and tiny villages dot dramatic landscapes of plunging cliffs, steep mountains and lush forests.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
The Maldives are actually an archipelago of 1,200 islands, although only 200 of them are inhabited—90 are private resorts. It is the smallest Asian country and, at an average of five feet above sea level, it is also the lowest country on the planet. But the friendly residents and breathtaking views make it one of the most desirable vacation spots in the world.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
This butterfly-shaped paradise is Thailand’s island superstar. It’s where Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie
The Beach was filmed. Phi Phi Don has no roads, Phi Phi Leh is uninhabited, and some of the islands are not much more than a big rock, but the place is, as the film would suggest, famous for the beaches and verdant jungles.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
Pink granite rocks frame immaculate beaches in this pristine paradise in the Indian Ocean. An archipelago of 112 islands, Seychelles is a nature sanctuary, with two UNESCO World Heritage Sites to help preserve the many rare and endangered species of wildlife, including birds, dolphins, whales and Esmeralda, the oldest, heaviest living tortoise in the world (600 pounds and 200 years old).
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
This vibrant, lively island is known as the most fun of the Caribbean destinations, with a cosmopolitan mix of French, Dutch and Creole cultures. The island’s two halves—the quieter French half for relaxing and the bustling, chaotic Dutch side for fun and shopping— give visitors variety on vacation.
Islands: 100 Ultimate Escapes
