Ireland or Iceland? Malta or Mallorca? Here’s our A-to-Z guide to the world’s most exciting islands – some that you’ll recognise, a few curve balls, and the occasional shamelessly biased personal recommendation from travel writer, Ewan McDonald.
Aitutaki
“The world’s most beautiful lagoon” with 15 motu spread across turquoise seas, the Cooks’ second most visited destination. It’s a first or second honeymoon haven: languid days working on a suntan under a coconut palm, relaxing with a massage; kayaking to a private, white sandy beach or cruising to the motu’s scuba/snorkelling spots. Families love it, too.
Bali
Kiwis love the Indonesian island for its colour, culture, cuisine and cost - extraordinary value for money, in accommodation, shopping at street markets, spa treatments, meditation and wellness retreats. Cafe and restaurant culture embraces Western food as well as Indonesian specialities and the island is rich with Hindu deities and stories celebrated at ornate temples and gates.
Cuba
The Caribbean’s largest island seems lost somewhere in the 1950s. The old American cars, Havana’s exquisite colonial architecture, the music and cigars are set against political isolation, which means modern tourism has largely bypassed this place. Enjoy throbbing music and dance, mysterious caves and bright boulevards, sweltering fields and cool forests, palm-fringed beaches and shocking blue seas – and welcoming locals.
Douglas, Isle of Man*
One for our petrolhead readers, the apparently serene island in the Irish Sea is home to the hair-raising (and often fatal) Isle of Man TT motorcycle races, held here for well over a century. Douglas is its tiny, sleepy capital; the craggy coastline is dotted with medieval forts, towers and castles; inland are valleys, forests and a single mountain for tramping, mountain biking and climbing. *Yes, it should be under M, but you find an island beginning with D.
Espiritu Santo
Vanuatu’s largest island harbours incredible diving and snorkelling, some of the world’s finest beaches and unique culture. Famous for its blue swimming holes, there’s much more - Champagne Beach’s seaside markets and food stalls, kayaking kilometres along hidden rivers, diving World War II shipwrecks and coral reefs. Everywhere, appreciate the blend of Melanesian and Polynesian life overlaid with relics of France’s colonial era.
French Polynesia
More than Tahiti, 118 islands and atolls crowned with tropical vegetation and volcanic peaks. Tahiti and capital Pape’ete are ground zero for nightlife, markets and high-end resorts; Moorea is the surfing, swimming and underwater mecca; Bora Bora is dramatic, beaches and volcanoes never far from its overwater bungalows. Taha’a is harder to get to, largely undeveloped – but you won’t have to share it with too many others.
Greece’s islands
Rather than “the Greek Islands” because you can’t cram 6000 islands, 200 inhabited, in six differing groups, into one suitcase – or one trip. Each has its own character, from the Cylades’ white-and-blue houses to the lonians’ lush meadows and Dodecanese castles… then there’s Crete. Pick some favourites in one group and save others for next time.
Read more: How to plan the Greek island holiday that suits you best
Hawaii
Top-of-mind US destination for most Kiwi holidaymakers. It’s the beaches, epic surf, easy-going atmosphere and jaw-dropping natural beauty. Throw in rip-roaring cuisine influenced by Asian, Polynesian, European and Stars’n Stripes flavours; mall, outlet and flea-market shopping; historic sites like Pearl Harbor and movie sites like Jurassic Park – and the warm welcome and safe, secure vibe.
Iceland
The island of two faces. In natural Iceland, rivers run through deserts and molten lava erupts from ice, winter nights are endless and the sun never sets in summer. That’s the land of fiords, waterfalls, black-sand beaches, geysers and hot pools and volcanoes; whales and dolphins and puffins. Then there’s party Iceland; Reykjavík wakes after midnight then bar-hops and raves until sunrise. Or later.
Jamaica
Comes with its own soundtrack: Marley’s reggae, Belafonte’s calypso, ska, dub, toasting. Its own palate: jerk, spices, coffee, rum. Pirates of the Caribbean, Ian Fleming Airport. Locals will go out of their way to show you Marley’s studio and museum, favourite markets and watering holes, the best restaurants for jerk and bars for rum. After those, insanely beautiful beaches, waterfalls, swimming holes, tropical plants and wildlife.
Korčula
Sidestep Disneyland-ish Dubrovnik and ferry to Korčula. Not as well-known, likewise not as crowded as other Croatian islands, it boasts a stunning old city, hidden beaches, olive groves, unique cuisine and produce, and traditions like Moreška sword dances. As locals will happily initiate visitors, Korčula is THE wine island, with varieties you can’t find elsewhere.
Lanzarote
You can’t get further from Spain’s rave-plagued islands – Ibiza, Mallorca, Tenerife – than this Canaries’ jewel, a Unesco Geopark since 2015. Its former reputation as a package-tour destination is gone; independent travellers bask in the extraordinary landscape of 300 volcanic cones, eerie lava fields, palm-filled valleys and beaches (some pleasantly hard to get to). Excellent tramping, surfing, diving, cycling – and wine.
Malta
Smack in the middle of the Med is one of Europe’s warmest, sunniest places. Malta, the ‘big island’, is more built-up and boasts more attractions; smaller Gozo has a more relaxed, natural feel. With only 500,000 locals and excellent public transport, you won’t have too much trouble finding a place on the sand or languid walking/biking trail. Head into villages for a taste of history and sensational seafood.
Niue
Once under the radar, one of the planet’s least-touristed places, but word’s getting out. Don’t panic, it hasn’t reached Venice levels yet, and Niue remains one of the best “soft adventure” destinations. Bike or hike around the island, refresh at a clifftop cafe or swimming in a water hole. Snorkellers and ocean divers love the clear water; deep-sea fishing is fabulous; and don’t pass up the chance for a night-time hunt for land crab, a local delicacy.
Orkney
My forebears have been here 500 years; they’re newcomers. The Unesco World Heritage islands, 15km off Scotland’s north coast, protect 4500-year-old standing stones; Skara Brae, a 5000-year-old village; a Stone Age burial chamber built from 30-tonne slabs, all incredibly preserved. Scapa Flow harbour sheltered Britain’s navy in both wars. Fiercely independent – sympathies tend to Scandinavia, not Scotland – their islands are wild, rugged and beautiful. Good whisky, too.
Philippines
Boracay and Palawan regularly top the World’s Best Beaches or Best Islands lists. Sadly, unregulated resorts, backpackers and eateries, soaring visitor numbers, Covid and irresponsible tourists have done their best to ruin many. Let’s be optimistic: go to this amazing nation for tradition, flamboyance, markets, maybe even karaoke; enjoy diving, wildlife, kayaking, maybe even swimming with dugongs – responsibly.
Quail Island
If you’re not from Canterbury, you’ve probably never heard of Ōtamahua Quail Island in Lyttelton Harbour. Ngāi Tahu harvested food but didn’t settle here; two Irish farming brothers did but that didn’t end well; it became a quarantine station for immigrants and leprosy sufferers – ditto; Robert Falcon Scott trained for his Antarctic expedition here and that didn’t end well either. Happy ending: it’s now a thriving DOC sanctuary with easy walking tracks and a restored cottage where you can stay overnight.
Robinson Crusoe Island
Yes, it really does exist. It’s 675km west of Chile, and the government changed its name in 1966 to attract tourists. In 1704 Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk asked to be left there when he feared his ship would sink (it did). He was rescued in 1709, becoming Daniel Defoe’s hero Crusoe. About 850 live on the remote rock, making a living from lobster fishing. Hundreds of tourists visit each year, mostly for scuba diving.
Singapore
Islands don’t have to be swaying palm trees and sandy beaches. Our next two stops, in Asia, are dazzling places where 21st-century tech and centuries-old heritages blend. Singapore is known for its Orchard Road strip, Marina Bay’s towers and gardens, its historic quarters, temples and cocktails at Raffles or Amoy St. Beyond the urban jungle you’ll find wild places like Sungei Buloh Wetlands, Chek Jawa Wetlands and Bukit Batok national park. There’s also that other S – Sentosa.
Taiwan
The little island that could. While transforming itself into one of the world’s richest countries in less than 50 years, Taiwan has preserved many traditions and developed its own culture of sensational food, festivals, exuberant temples and towering mountains, offshore islands and numerous hot-spring resorts (second only to Japan).
Ulva Island
It’s for the birds: this 269ha paradise is one of the best places in Aotearoa to meet our original neighbours. Designated a sanctuary in 1899 and declared rat-free in 1997, Ulva Island Te Wharawhara is a 15-minute boat ride from Rakiura Stewart Island. Walk beneath rimu, rātā, tōtara and miro; hear only the songs of weka, kiwi, kererū, kākā, kakariki and many more. Rare plants include a couple which grew in Gondwanaland before dinosaurs walked the earth.
Vietnam’s islands
Remember that old line, “Don’t leave home till you’ve seen the country”? Knowledgeable folk will say the real Vietnam isn’t the mainland – it’s the offshore and often off-grid islands. Notables are Lý Sơn with towering, rugged cliffs, turquoise waters and untouched wilderness; the fantasyland of Hòn Tre resort island in Nha Trang; Chàm Island for golden beaches, coral reefs, seafood and snorkelling; off-grid, low-fi Nam Du for getting away from it all. Caution: don’t go in monsoon season.
Whitsundays
Some travel experiences linger forever: helming a yacht, sails up, through the Whitsundays is one of mine. These 74 islands in the Great Barrier Reef, 55km off the Queensland coast, are more stunning than any place has a right to be. It’s all the cliches: turquoise waters, white sand, secluded beaches, amazing underwater life (fingers crossed it stays that way) and tiny outcrops with ancient Indigenous cave paintings. The swimming, snorkelling, diving and fishing ain’t bad, and nor is the high-end accommodation, ashore or on reef islands.
Xmas Island
With apparently no sense of irony, Tourism Australia says: “Christmas Island is not your typical tropical island paradise.” Overlooking less savoury features, the “Galapagos of the Indian Ocean” (2650km east of Perth, closer to Indonesia than the Aussie mainland) owns some of the planet’s most spectacular natural wonders. Watch 60 million red land crabs migrate from forests to the coast; dive 60 sites in clear, warm seas; swim with massive whale sharks; hike/4WD through jungles thrumming with exotic birdsong.
Yasawa
For many Kiwi holidaymakers, the jewel of Fiji - a chain of palm-fringed islands just a quick-cat trip from Nadi, with white-sand beaches, calm lagoons and laidback resorts. They remain remarkably undeveloped – no building rises higher than a coconut palm and it’s always possible to find a secluded stretch of beach. Most visitors spend their days sunbathing, snorkelling or diving, sailing or kayaking, perhaps raising the energy to climb a hill to see the sunset before a quiet night at the resort bar/restaurant. What else do you need in paradise?
Zanzibar
Yes, there’s a kind of magic about Freddie Mercury’s birthplace. Here, Africa, India and the Arab world have co-existed for centuries, rudely interrupted by Portuguese and British colonisers to traffic spices, ivory and slaves. Headliners: Stone Town, the historic heart built of coral stone; fragrant and colourful Darajani market; a spice tour through clove, mango, vanilla and cinnamon plantations; fishing, diving and water sports; rainforests of chattering monkeys.