Island Holidays: 6 unconventional holidays

For a traditional stone cottage experience in the Outer Hebrides, stay at the Gearrannan Black House Village on the Isle of Lewis. Photo / Getty Images

If you’re after an island holiday that leans away from the traditional white sand and teal water, there are plenty of alternatives to keep things interesting, writes Anna Sarjeant.

Layer up and brace for the Outer Hebrides

Don’t go packing your beachwear just because we mentioned the “I” word. Situated off the west coast of Scotland, the Outer Hebrides remain as wild as their former Viking occupants. Catch the ferry from Ullapool on the mainland and you’ll soon be in the clutches of thrashing Atlantic waves, your journey culminating two and a half hours later in a chain of rugged, untouched isles and a canvas of... well, idyllic white sand beaches.

Not quite the gnarly Nordic battleground you might expect, although there’s plenty of moorland and mountain, too. The island’s wildlife, unthreatened and unperturbed, includes a plucky number of red deer and you won’t need binoculars to spy soaring white-tailed eagles.

For a traditional stone cottage experience, complete with thatched roofs and an ocean wind whistling at your door, book a stay at the Gearrannan Black House Village on the Isle of Lewis.

The Outer Hebrides offer a chain of rugged, untouched isles and a canvas of white sand beaches. Photo / Getty Images

Follow in Napoleon’s last steps at Saint Helena

Saint Helena is a small droplet of land in the South Atlantic Ocean: 1930km from the southwest coast of Africa and 2896km from Brazil, so no need to worry about overbearing neighbours. You might know it as the lush green “no man’s land” that Napoleon was exiled to in 1815 and remained at until his death in 1821.

How he must have scorned his enemies while scribbling his memoirs; enduring a lush, tropical landscape and plentiful sunshine. These days, with a new-since-2017 airport and direct flights from South Africa, you don’t need to be banished to discover Saint Helena’s many virtues.

Perfect diving conditions exist year-round, whale sharks frequent the waters between November and March and a guided tour detailing the Napoleon years visits both Longwood House, where he lived and died, and Sane Valley, where his tomb lay until 1840. In a destination mostly untouched by tourism, you’ll share all these splendours with very few others.

Longwood House in Saint Helena, where Napoleon both lived and died. Photo / 123rf

Experience the best of France and Britain in Guernsey and Jersey

We’re coupling these two Channel Islands together because there are only 43km between them. Both are British dependencies, albeit a hair’s breadth from the French coastline. Condor ferry service connects Jersey, Guernsey, the UK and France, with journeys taking between 1-3 hours.

Jersey is the larger island, offering a hybrid of French and English culture, from the Jersey War Tunnels to historic castles and restaurants with a distinctly French fare. Visit from March to early August and the island’s seabird trails will likely include puffins. In Guernsey, St Peter Port is a charming tangle of cobbled lanes and the island’s numerous beaches enjoy France’s sunnier climate.

Visit La Vallette Bathing Pools for safe saltwater swimming – an institution since 1865 – and Hauteville House in St Helier: the home of author Victor Hugo, the visionary behind Les Miserables.

Jersey offers a hybrid of French and English culture and cuisine. Photo / Getty Images

Live like a local... witch, in Siquijor Island, Philippines

This easily accessible island in the Philippines is often overshadowed by the likes of Palawan and Borocay, but catching the ferry from Cebu City takes just over 4.5 hours, depositing passengers on a picture-perfect island with plenty of affordable beach resorts and significantly less tourism.

It’s shrouded in legends of witchcraft and black magic; visitors can stick a cautionary toe in the cauldron and buy a voodoo doll, or go the full hog and seek out mananambals (traditional healers) and their local potions. Simply ask at your hotel or failing that, a tricycle driver, where to find them. If island sorcery doesn’t appeal, the waterfalls, top-notch snorkelling and 102km of shoreline – complete with obligatory ice-white sand – surely will.

Cambugahay Falls is a nature-made playground of tiered waterfalls and jumping ropes, while Salagdoong Beach is a local favourite, frequented for its impossibly blue water, cliff rocks for bombing off and onsite pergola cafe.

Cambugahay Falls in the Philippines is a nature-made playground of tiered waterfalls and jumping ropes. Photo / Getty Images

Sign up to be a Doc Island host on Great Barrier Island

Keep your eyes across the DOC volunteer webpage for the next bout of camp hosts needed for Great Barrier Island, notably over the peak summer season between December and January. In exchange for running the campground (welcoming new guests, collecting site fees, daily cleaning and the like), participants have the whole of Aotea at their disposal.

From bush walks to beach swims, after the morning intake and duties, volunteers are permitted to spend the majority of the day at leisure, before returning at 2pm and staying onsite for the remainder of the day. Bearing in mind that most DOC campsites are situated in some seriously idyllic pockets of the island; minutes from the sand and with native wildlife for company, it’ll be no hardship to hang out with the resident tūī and man your post.

Volunteer for DOC on Great Barrier Island and have the whole of Aotea at their disposal. Photo / 123rf

Live like Royalty in Anglesey

Situated off the west coast of North Wales, the Isle of Anglesey remains as wild as its former occupants: Druids, Romans and Vikings. But with sublime golden beaches, it’s also attracted the likes of Prince William and Kate.

The couple lived here between 2011 and 2013 when Wills was stationed as an RAF search and rescue pilot. Accessed from the mainland via Menai Suspension Bridge, it’s just a five-minute drive to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. A village worth seeing its train station sign alone.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is a village on the isle of Anglesey in North Wales. Photo / 123rf

Further on, the pretty town of Beaumaris boasts its own explorable castle built in the 13th century. Step inside and discover a labyrinth of towers and turrets. Should you wish to stay in your own fortress, Château Rhianfa is a Grade II listed castle on the banks of the Menai Strait. It’s also a four-star hotel with 27 daringly different rooms.

Stay's at Anglesey's Château Rhianfa, a Grade II listed castle on the banks of the Menai Strait. Photo / 123rf

Dive to the Sunken City of Baia, Italy

Allow us a little artistic licence if you will, for this is not an island as such. An ancient Roman city that once formed part of the Bay of Naples, Baia was effectively abandoned and later, when the water levels rose, submerged completely.

Once the stomping ground for the likes of Nero and Julius Caesar, Baia was originally sought for its medicinal volcanic springs; the rich and elite lining its streets with a string of grandiose spas and even grander Roman villas.

Much of that remains today, albeit eroded by time and seawater. Visitors with access to an oxygen tank can take a dive below and visit the Underwater Archaeological Park; one of only a few in the world. Failing that, snorkels and glass-bottom boat tours provide a lens into this remarkably well-preserved metropolis. Can we get away with calling it an island? Defined as “a piece of land surrounded by water”, we don’t think we’ve deviated too far off the mark.