Skip to content
BEST ISLANDS GUIDE
27 islands, 7 years in the travel industry

Pick the right island, then plan it properly.

Honest, region-by-region island travel guides — Caribbean, Hawaii, and beyond — with real ferry times, real prices, and the bit nobody tells you, whether you're going for two weeks with the kids or four nights on your own.

Find your islandHow we research
Budget-friendlyWith kidsJust the two of youWorth the splurge
A person walking a dusty footpath that curves down toward a quiet turquoise bay, soft mid-morning light

Start with a region

Every guide written after a real visitAll regions →
A curved white sand beach in the Caribbean, palm trees framing clear turquoise water
CaribbeanDozens of islands, wildly different budgets — which one actually fits.2 guides
A traditional Hawaiian hale surrounded by palm trees on the Big Island's lava rock coastline, clear water nearby
HawaiiFour islands, four different trips — pick the right one first.5 guides
An elevated view of Charlotte Amalie harbor, St. Thomas, with anchored boats, hillside homes, and tropical flowers
US Virgin IslandsNo passport, US dollars, some of the best beaches in the Caribbean.3 guides
Santorini's famous blue-domed churches overlooking the volcanic caldera and the Aegean Sea below
Greek IslandsFerry-hop the Cyclades without wasting a day on the wrong island.1 guide
A horse-drawn carriage carrying visitors down Mackinac Island's Main Street, past shops and hanging flower baskets
USA IslandsNo passport needed — Mackinac's no cars, the San Juans' whales, and more.3 guides

Read first

Recently published and updated
A blue-footed booby mid-courtship dance, one foot raised high, on the Galápagos Islands
Galápagos IslandsBest Time to Visit the Galápagos Islands

The season question has a simple answer. The wildlife-timing question is the one most guides promise a "month by month calendar" for and then never actually deliver.

A family of four running and splashing through shallow waves on a Caribbean beach, resort palms behind them
Caribbean & BahamasBest Caribbean Islands for Families

Every "best Caribbean islands" list calls itself family-friendly. The real difference is which islands actually staff a kids club or nanny service, and which ones just have a nice pool.

Bleached, fallen driftwood trees on Jekyll Island’s Driftwood Beach, Georgia, at sunset
USA IslandsBest Islands in Georgia

Georgia's coast packs in six genuinely different islands — some you can just drive to, some need a ferry reservation months out, and one is famous for wild horses that have roamed it for 500 years.

Four ways in, none of them wrong

Tell us how you travel and we'll point you at the islands that suit it.

On a budgetFerries, guesthouses, market food
Two of youQuiet coves, long dinners
With familyShort transfers, shallow water
Going all outWhere the price is justified