Many travelers rely on islands to get away from it all and unplug with their toes in the sand. But beachfront relaxation is far from the only way to experience spots like Dominica, Sardinia, and the Raa Atoll in the Maldives. Increasingly, island destinations are leaning into what makes them unique, with immersive cultural experiences that introduce visitors to island life and sustainable ecotourism options that will keep these paradises pristine for future generations of travelers. From new eco-minded hotels and volunteer opportunities to low-impact excursions, these are the best ways to experience 10 of the world’s most beautiful islands.
Raa Atoll, Maldives
The Raa Atoll of the Maldives—45 minutes north of Malé by seaplane—is an ideal base for marine life aficionados, who come here in droves to snorkel and dive in its crystal-clear waters. Comprising 88 islands scattered across the Indian Ocean, the archipelago is home to bioluminescent waters at Vaadhoo Island, manta rays with 10- to 12-foot wingspans that congregate at Hanifaru Bay, and nearby reefs that are recovering well from a severe coral bleaching event in 2016.
Where to stay: Alila Kothaifaru Maldives
- Book now: alilahotels.com
Opened in 2022, Alila Kothaifaru Maldives has 80 beachfront and overwater villas on the western edge of the atoll. The resort offers several ways to experience the region’s culture and biodiversity, including coconut-centric mixology classes and ocean excursions to observe dolphins and sea turtles. The resort converts paper products and vegetable waste into fertilizer and reduces its energy consumption through solar power.
The jungle-covered island of Dominica is filled with magical spots like the Emerald Pool.
Photo by haspil/Shutterstock
Dominica
With green mountains, active volcanoes, black-sand beaches, waterfalls, and hot springs, the true luxury of Dominica is its natural wonders. Thanks in part to its remoteness, the 290-square-mile, English- and Dominican Creole–speaking Caribbean island remains off the beaten track. It’s a paradise for hikers, with Morne Trois Pitons National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site featuring close to 300 miles of trails. The warm, tranquil waters make Dominica ideal for sea kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding at all experience levels, and in 2023, this stretch of the Caribbean got even cooler for wildlife watchers: Dominica announced that it would be creating the world’s first sperm whale reserve, which protects these endangered giants by banning commercial fishing and large ships in a 300-square-mile section of the sea.
Where to stay: Coulibri Ridge
Book now: coulibriridge.com
Coulibri Ridge opened in 2022 as a fully off-grid eco-resort on 285 acres near Soufrière, and it quickly earned a spot on our best new hotels of the year list. The 14 suites were built with recyclable aluminum ceilings, recycled teak wood, and rocks sourced on site. Coulibri Ridge is powered by sun, wind, and rain, and the restaurant grows much of its produce from on-property gardens.
Benguerra Island, off the coast of Mozambique, is known for its white-sand beaches and abundant marine life, including dugongs, marlins, and dolphins.
Photo by Michelle Heimerman
Benguerra Island, Mozambique
Benguerra Island, part of Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago, is located within a national marine reserve in the turquoise Indian Ocean. A quick plane ride from Maputo or Johannesburg, the island is a playground for ocean enthusiasts in search of flamingos, dugongs, manta rays, dolphins, and humpback whales, who breed and nurse in the Mozambique Channel from July to October. Visitors can tour the nonprofit Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies (BCSS), a solar-powered ocean observatory with a majority Benguerran team. Ongoing projects involve monitoring migrating humpback whales, testing water acidification levels, and tagging pelagic fish.
Where to stay: Kisawa Sanctuary
Book now: kisawasanctuary.com
One of Afar’s best new hotels in 2022, Kisawa Sanctuary is a collection of thatched-roof bungalows built sustainably using 3-D printing technology. (The textured walls are made of sand mixed with seawater to create eco-conscious mortar.) When not relaxing on the dune-lined beaches, guests can snorkel through the reefs, kayak among mangroves, or learn ancestral fishing techniques.
Traditional Sumbanese houses are known for their distinctly high central peak.
Photo by MawardiBahar/Shutterstock
Sumba, Indonesia
Bali may be Indonesia’s most famous holiday destination, but this island to the east is twice as big (about the size of Jamaica), equally alluring, and has a fraction of the tourists. Here, horses run free amid the savanna, rainforest, and waterfall-filled landscape while the steep thatched roofs of villages stretch skyward. A growing number of culturally sensitive, eco-conscious hotels are offering travelers exciting ways to seek solitude and adventure here with a lighter footprint. If you visit during February or March, you can witness Pasola, an ancient war ritual that involves riding horses decorated with bells and throwing blunted wooden spears at opponents.
Where to stay: Cap Karoso
Book now: capkaroso.com
Cap Karoso opened on the island’s west coast in 2023, with 47 studios and 20 villas, each featuring hand-carved wooden panels modeled after Sumba’s multicolored ikat patterns. During your visit, you can surf, snorkel in the lagoon, go fishing with local villagers, learn ikat weaving, or ride one of the island’s unique sandalwood ponies.
Cayos Cochinos is home to protected cays, coral reefs, and forests that are home to endemic pink boas.
Photo by Yair Valladares/Shutterstock
Cayos Cochinos, Honduras
Spanning 300,000 acres with about 250 Indigenous Garifuna residents, this group of islands 20 miles off the northern Honduran coast remains mostly off the tourist radar. The archipelago is home to fragile yet well-protected ecosystems, including two forested islands, 12 sand cays, and miles of seagrass beds. What you won’t find: commercial fishing, cars, and bikes. The archipelago is also the only place in the world with tree-dwelling pink boa constrictors. Modest tourism efforts are focused on connecting the small number of travelers and backpackers with scientists who specialize in reef restoration and sea turtle conservation programs, many in partnership with the Cayos Cochinos Foundation. Visits can involve lunches in local Garífuna fishing villages, tastings of the root-based spirit guifiti, and interactive Garífuna dance and hand-drumming performances.
Where to stay: Lower Long Key Hostel and Beach Club
Book now: stayatcayoscochinos.com
Lodging options in the archipelago range from the 13-room Vito’s Eco Diving Resort to rentable private islands. The newest option is perhaps also the most laid-back: The Lower Long Key Hostel and Beach Club comprises five rooms in the main lodge area, four glamping tents, a camping area, a restaurant, and a bar. When you’re not lounging in the seaside hammocks, you can join in a beach volleyball or soccer game next to the shore.
Cala Macarelleta is one of many secluded coves along the southern shore of Menorca.
Photo by Jacinto Marabel Romo/Shutterstock
Menorca, Spain
Far less visited compared to neighboring Ibiza and Mallorca, this member of the Balearic Islands is home to around 100,000 people and a vibe that skews more toward nature and wellness than all-night partying. At around 270 square miles, Menorca charms travelers with its sleepy villages (like Fornells and Binibeca), history (centuries-old lighthouses and archaeological sites), local wines, and under-the-radar beaches. It’s also the gateway to an even smaller island, the 10.5-acre Illa del Rei, where Hauser & Wirth run a gallery, sculpture garden, restaurant, and shop, much of it within restored sandstone buildings surrounded by olive groves.
Where to stay: Villa Le Blanc, a Gran Meliá Hotel
Book now: melia.com
In 2022, Meliá Hotels International opened the carbon-neutral Villa Le Blanc off Santo Tomás Beach with whitewashed walls, traditional terra-cotta tile floors, and Menorcan arches inspired by the local vernacular architecture. The property aims to reduce carbon emissions through such initiatives as bioclimatic design, photovoltaic solar panels, and recovered heat. Many of the ingredients at the on-site restaurants are sourced from island farms or fished from local waters.
K’gari, in Queensland, is home to its own unique subspecies of dingo.
Photo by Cynthia A Jackson/Shutterstock
K’gari, Australia
Travelers seeking off-the-grid adventure can find it on Queensland’s K’gari (pronounced GUR-ree), which is about a five-hour drive north of Brisbane. It was formerly known as Fraser Island before the Queensland government handed it back to the Butchulla community in 2022 and its Aboriginal name was restored. The world’s largest sand island—home to a dense rainforest—is a UNESCO World Heritage site and claims some 500 Indigenous archaeological sites, freshwater lakes, a 75-mile beach, and between July and November, a profusion of humpback whales nursing calves along the coast. On land, you might also run into unique wildlife, including a distinct subspecies of dingo.
Where to stay: Kingfisher Bay Resort
Book now: kingfisherbay.com
At this beachfront eco-resort, guest rooms have private decks that face the lakes, the bush, or the sea, and educational experiences focus on the island’s culture and biodiversity, including bush and canoe paddling excursions. In September 2024, the hotel unveiled Illumina, a new after-dark show with lights, lasers, and projections by artist Bruce Ramus.
Sardinia has many colorful villages like Castelsardo.
Photo by Delpixel/Shutterstock
Sardinia, Italy
This sun-soaked Mediterranean island, second in size to Sicily, is attractive not only to beachgoers but also to hikers, thanks to its mountainous landscape. History buffs will love the thousands of nuraghi—beehive-shaped Bronze Age ruins left behind by the Nuragic civilization, active here between 1900 and 730 B.C.E.—scattered across the island’s undulating landscape. In recent years, the island has been a hub for luxury resort development, especially around the tourist-thronged Costa Smeralda, but there are plenty of other ways to experience Sardinia in a more thoughtful way. Take, for instance, the women-owned adventure outfitter, Dolomite Mountains, which offers low-footprint, culture-focused itineraries that include hikes through rugged mountains, gorges, and karstic sinkholes, with stops at shepherds’ huts for spit-roasted meats and regional wines.
Where to stay: 7Pines Resort Sardinia
Book now: 7pines-sardinia.com
Opened in 2022 with 75 suites and rooms, this peaceful retreat is set among 37 acres of gardens, overlooking the marine-protected area surrounding the Maddalena islands. Guests can go winetasting, book a yacht excursion, or join in a cooking class to learn how to master local dishes like culurgiones (ravioli-like pasta stuffed with potato, mint, and pecorino cheese).
Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos is known for its white sand and ultra-clear waters.
Photo by Connect Images - Curated/Shutterstock
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
The third-largest island in Turks and Caicos, nicknamed Provo, is also the one most beloved by travelers. The archipelago is home to the world’s third-largest reef and miles upon miles of white-sand beaches, along with 35 national parks, nature reserves, and sanctuaries. On Provo, one of the coolest natural features is Chalk Sound National Park, a lagoon dotted with hundreds of pint-size limestone islands; many have sinkholes and caves. On land, you can walk among basking rock iguanas; on the sea, you can kayak or paddleboard over clear waters, teeming with lemon sharks and stingrays. A growing number of local companies offer more sustainable ways to experience Provo’s charms, including Big Blue Collective, which runs tours using quieter and more environmentally friendly four-stroke boat motors.
Where to stay: Rock House
Book now: rockhouse.gracebayresorts.com
Grace Bay Resorts opened Rock House in May 2022 as part of its growing portfolio, and the property’s eco-minded initiatives include recycled limestone walls in its 46 villas, collected gray water, and sustainable bamboo room keys.
While increasingly popular among visitors, Hvar still offers secluded beaches and less-touristed bike trails if you know where to look.
Photo by DaLiu/Shutterstock
Hvar, Croatia
Hvar isn’t exactly quiet—its harbor on the Adriatic Sea is a pulsing, yacht-thronged scene in the summer. But it’s easy to get away from the crowds and into the Dalmatian island’s quieter corners, including secret beaches and coves, seaside limestone caves where you can go winetasting, and more than 100 bike routes that cut through the hilly countryside. Hvar is home to a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Stari Grad Plain, a fertile agricultural area that grows grapes and olives and looks much as it did when the Greeks colonized the island in 384 B.C.E. The organization also recognized five “Intangible Cultural Heritage” practices or traditions worth celebrating and protecting: Hvar lace, klapa singing, the Mediterranean diet, dry stone walling, and Za Križen (“following the cross”), a night procession that takes place on Holy Thursday.
Where to stay: Beach Bay Hvar Hotel
Book now: suncanihvar.com/beach-bay
Opened in 2022, Beach Bay Hvar Hotel has 33 minimalist, sea-facing rooms with a soothing sandy palette. The resort was the country’s first hotel to sign UNESCO’s Sustainable Travel Pledge, and Beach Bay Hvar Hotel includes an internal solar power plant to harness the island’s 2,700-plus annual sunshine hours per year.
Additional reporting by Nicholas DeRenzo. This article was originally published in February 2023 and was updated on February 20, 2025.
