Note: If you’re looking for our most recent recommendations, check out the 2023 list of our favorite islands in the world.
Discerning readers have ranked their favorite island oases in GoTravelDaily’s World’s Best Awards, and this year’s results prove that no destination is too remote when pristine, white-sand beaches and fauna await. For the third time in the World’s Best Awards two-decade history, the wild islands of the Galápagos secured the No. 1 spot. Despite being 600 miles west of South America, this primordial sanctuary continues to lure travelers with the promise of encounters with playful sea lions and flamboyant blue-footed boobies. With untamed Tasmania, the jagged mountain peaks of Moorea, and Australia’s vibrant Great Barrier Reef islands rounding out the list, this year’s selection is a clear departure from 2014, which reflected a certain national pride (Hawaiian islands filled four of the top 10 overall spots). Now, distant and unusual shores are back on travelers’ minds. Not that there’s anything wrong with fulfilling fantasies of coconut palms and luaus. And for that reason, Maui and Kauai are back again, marking 20 consecutive years on the Top 10 Overall list. Plot your next getaway to one of these incredible islands, where being encircled by water is only part of the appeal.
No. 10 Malta
Score: 86.897
History aficionados have long-loved this Mediterranean nation, evidence that you don’t need palm trees or daiquiris to be one of the world’s most tantalizing islands. Malta has been overrun by every major empire in the region, from the Phoenicians to the Byzantines, the British to the 1.5 million tourists who flock to the island’s colorful shores. Limestone cliffs are dotted with baroque churches, crumbling castle walls, and fortresses. The capital, Valletta, squeezes half a millennium of history into half a square mile, with forts and stairways that crest in unparalleled harbor views. With the debut of a new Renzo Piano-designed open-air theater, visitors can now marvel at the contrast of 21st and 16th-century architecture. Head to Gozo for a reprieve from Valletta’s frenetic energy—it’s here that Odysseus is rumored to have spent seven years after the Trojan War. Take one look at this handsome Bronze Age island, set between Sicily and the North African coast, and you won’t blame him.
No. 9 Great Barrier Reef Islands, Australia
Score: 87.31
A vast, 1,600-mile sweep of coral reef unfurls from the northeastern tip of Australia, teeming with more than 400 species of marine life spanning from great baleen whales to thorny urchins. Divers can be found year-round in this labyrinth of over 3,000 individual reefs, one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World and the largest living feature on Earth, made from billions of coral polyps. Of all the region’s castaway islands (approximately 900) it’s the Whitsundays, at the threshold of this coral paradise, that we love most, thanks in large part to the blinding-white strip of sand known as Whitehaven Beach. The spectacular biodiversity is reflected in the incredible mélange of resorts scattered amongst the Great Barrier Reef. While the enormous, 244-room Hayman Island boasts acres of marble flooring and a swimming pool seven times the Olympic standard, modest Qualia features 60 intimate bungalows outfitted with private terraces and kwila hardwood.
No. 8 Kauai, Hawaii
Score: 87.882
Kauai, the oldest Hawaiian Island, formed when lava bubbled up from the ocean floor 5 million years ago. To this day, it maintains a certain sense of dignity that is not uncommon amongst the community’s elders. For example, it’s defiantly more low-key than its glamorous sibling to the east, though no less dramatic. Can’t-miss sights include Pali Ke Kua, or Hideaways Beach, kept secret by towering black lava walls, as well as the Waimea Canyon and Na Pali Coast, both banded by scenic hiking trails and switchbacks. Development isn’t unheard of here; Kauai has its famed golf courses and high-profile resorts. However, nature still asserts itself in the form of the spiked Anahola Mountains and the bluffs above Hanalei Bay. From here, you get what may arguably be the most impressive vista in the state: clouds evaporating over a perfect crescent moon of beach.
No. 7 Maui, Hawaii
Score: 87.89
Hawaii’s golden child appeals to everyone from gilded Hollywood celebrities to barefooted surfers. It’s a veritable melting pot for the next generation, complete with buzzy cosmopolitan neighborhoods and ultra-chic resorts (enter the new Andaz Maui at Wailea with three infinity pools and an open-air lobby) as well as breathtaking natural sights to seduce visitors and natives alike. Begin your trip with the quintessential sunrise bike ride to the 10,023-foot volcanic crater of Haleakala or the white-knuckle scenic drive to Hana. Stop at Oheo Gulch, a string of waterfalls and ponds in Hana, for an obligatory dip.
No. 6 Moorea, French Polynesia
Score: 87.904
This heart-shaped island levitating on the South Seas has convinced even the most selective travelers that there is such a thing as paradise on Earth, thanks to impossibly blue lagoons and rugged, rainforest-blanketed mountains. The less-trafficked sister island of Bora Bora offers coconut-strewn beaches and an intoxicating aroma of vanilla, grapefruit, and Tahitian gardenia, as well as thatched bungalows at luxe properties such as the InterContinental and views of Tahiti, only 11 miles away, at The Sofitel Moorea la Ora Beach Resort. Friendly Tahitians are full of local lore. It’s believed that the beaches along Cook and Opunohu Bays were formed by the tail of a giant yellow lizard, and that—perhaps more believably—James Michener’s novel, Tales of the South Pacific, was inspired by this otherworldly land.
No. 5 Santorini, Greece
Score: 87.93
Everything is brighter on Santorini, where blanched-white houses and blue-domed churches erupt down the sides of an ancient caldera. Highlights include the black sands of Perissa Beach, the richly preserved, prehistoric Akrotíri settlement, best known as the “Minoan Pompeii,” and the postcard-worthy sunsets over Oia, the cliff-top village that is one of the most photographed spots in the world. A stay at Perivolas, an adults-only resort housed in 300-year-old cave-carved dwellings, offers a selection of honey and herb-scented Apivita toiletries and an infinity pool that seems to pour into the Aegean Sea.
No. 4 Tasmania, Australia
Score: 88.32
Readers raved about this Australian state, calling it a little-known treasure that’s unmatched by any other island destination. Its diverse and stunning landscape is nearly hallucinatory: rolling dunes covered in psychedelic banksia wildflowers, granite formations that erupt from the beaches, and the wonder of the tessellated pavement at Eaglehawk Neck. Trek through the 600,000 acres of pristine coastal wilderness and look out for hyena-like Tasmanian devils, wallabies, and the duckbill platypus. Despite its remote location, Tasmania boasts a freestyle culinary scene, thanks to local ingredients like handpicked sea lettuce, local game such as opossum, and organic Tasmanian wine. Best of all? The air is as clean as it is in Antarctica, making it the ideal place to take a breather.
No. 3 Maldives
Score: 88.533
The world’s lowest-lying nation has no land more than six feet above sea level, meaning a trip to the Maldives is truly about communing with the warm, ebbing tides. Many hotels are built directly over the sparkling azure waters, and the best take full advantage of this otherworldly real estate. Coral nurseries, underwater nightclubs, and feasts enjoyed on floating pontoons are just a few of the luxury trappings travelers might experience here. Snorkeling and scuba diving appeal to both romance-seeking couples and adventurous families. Feeling fatigued? Unwind on any one of the white-sand beaches or sandbars scattered throughout the reefs and atolls.
No. 2 Bali, Indonesia
Score: 88.978
Of all the tropical islands that comprise Indonesia (17,508 to be exact), the mystical island of Bali outshines them all. With its rice paddies, ornate Hindu temples, and rocky headlands, it’s the country’s crown jewel. Head to Sanur to watch the sun bleed over the horizon in the mornings, or to Besakih, the holiest and most mystical temple at the slopes of Mount Agung. The island’s dreamscapes may be worthy of the silver screen, but the island is making cultural relevance a prominent part of any journey. Take a cooking class (think duck curry and black-rice porridge with papaya soup), peruse contemporary Balinese art, and participate in a traditional blessing ceremony for complete immersion in Indonesia’s heritage.
No. 1 Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Score: 90.815
This wildlife-filled archipelago, hundreds of miles off Ecuador’s shores, has long tempted thrill-seekers and photography enthusiasts with its pods of sea lions, flightless cormorants, the world’s only seafaring lizards, and short-feathered penguins that dart casually across the equator. Volcanic landscapes and beaches relatively untouched by tourism are best seen by sea. Cruise ships, such as Silversea’s 100-passenger Silver Galápagos, pair travelers with naturalists for a truly educational experience. Luxury in this isolated ecosystem took an evolutionary leap with the debut of Pikaia Lodge, a carbon-neutral, five-star resort with its own giant tortoise reserve, which allows you to explore the islands at your own pace—with the help of a private yacht, of course.
