Every few months somebody publishes a fresh ranking of the planet's finest islands, and every few months I read it and disagree with half of it. The ten below are not a league table so much as a working list of places I would happily burn a ferry ticket for, grouped by corner of the world so you can build a route.
Caribbean and the Atlantic
- Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. The most populated island of the group, and the easiest first stop. Miles of coral reef lie close enough to swim out to from the beach, so snorkelling needs no boat, and the diving is just as straightforward. Grace Bay carries the upscale resorts and the sand that people photograph, while the cliffs and fallen rock along Choke Sound Lagoon make a fine backdrop for paddling a kayak across flat turquoise water.
- Roatan, Bay Islands. I would give a full day to the reef here: it is unspoiled, close in and ideal for a first scuba course. Beyond the water, the island runs zip-lines, deep-sea fishing and a boat day out to the Cayos Cocinos archipelago, which the military protects. On land there are the Carambola Botanical Gardens, a stone factory carved out of rock, and horseback riding along the beach for anyone who prefers staying dry.
- Madeira, Portugal. Known for its cool, constant breezes, which is why the terraces stay green all year. Funchal, the capital, was founded in the fifteenth century and now reads as a stack of gardens, small religious shrines and oddities such as the regional history museum. I go for the walks between villages and come back for the fruit.
The Aegean
- Santorini, Cyclades. The postcard is accurate: houses cut straight into the rock, water an aggressive blue, white buildings topped with half-sphere domes in the colour of a stormy sky. What makes it work is the quiet you can still find. Walk out early onto the black sand, or through the lanes of a small village like Imerovigli, before the cruise crowds arrive, and the island settles into something genuinely calm.
Asia and the Pacific
- Tau Island, Surat Thani Province, Thailand. A palm-lined strip in the Gulf of Thailand, named for the sea turtles that gather along its shores. White sand sits against steep hills behind, and some of those hills can only be reached in a four-wheel drive, which is half the fun of the place.
- Maui, Hawaii. The choice for anyone who came for scenery rather than a pool. Inside Haleakala National Park you can walk through a bamboo forest and stand near a waterfall that is properly loud, and the coastline offers warm gold sand with surfing and snorkelling in the same afternoon.
- Bali, Indonesia. Soft white sand for the sunbathers, coral reefs and the remains of a Second World War wreck for divers, and behind the beaches, stone temples and bold monkeys living in dense jungle. Ubud is the cultural heart: traditional dance performances, handmade silver and batik workshops, and yoga sessions that fill up early. I split my time between the north coast and Ubud and skipped the south entirely.
- Bora Bora, Society Islands. The lagoons run turquoise, the sand stays white and the sunsets turn the colour of tangerines, which is why people come for anniversaries. You can snorkel alongside tropical fish either at the Coral Gardens or off Cape Tupitipiti Point, then climb the road toward the extinct Otemanu volcano for the view over the whole lagoon. The Lagunarium feeds sharks in front of an audience and lets you share the water with turtles.
Africa and the South Atlantic
- Mauritius. A small island, sixty-four kilometres long and forty-six wide, that people happily call a tropical paradise because there is genuinely a lot to do. Port Louis rebuilt its waterfront and still runs a bustling market. Most visitors head instead for the beaches: Mont Choisy for the curve of sand, Trou aux Biches when you want it quiet, and Flick-en-Flac when you want it lively, which is also where divers gather.
- Fernando de Noronha, Brazil. This archipelago holds UNESCO World Heritage status and an ecosystem too fragile for open tourism, so visitor numbers are capped and you need permission before you fly. Those who get in find gorgeous beaches and warm water full of dolphins and sea turtles, which has made the archipelago one of the most sought-after diving addresses on earth.
Pick two of these per trip rather than five. Islands reward slowness, and the ones I remember best are the ones where I stopped counting sights and started returning to the same beach twice.