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Escapes

Tropical Islands

Sun-warmed archipelagos where the only schedule is the tide.

The Escape

There is a category of island that exists mainly in the imagination until you stand on one: lagoons in colours that seem faintly implausible, mountains rising sheer from the water, an unhurried life carrying on quite apart from the resorts along the shore. Our tropical islands sit further afield than most beach escapes, and reward the extra distance with a stillness that is harder to find closer to home. Some are classic honeymoon territory, others suit families or a longer, slower sabbatical from routine. All of them ask you to arrive without an agenda. We handle the route, the pacing and the stays, so the only real decision left is how little you want to do.

Bora Bora
01 Bora Bora

The lagoon at the end of the world

Bora Bora is built around its lagoon, a vast, shallow expanse in shades of turquoise that shift through the day, ringed by an outer reef and a single dramatic mountain at its centre. Days pass mostly on or in the water, snorkelling among reef sharks and rays, paddling out at dawn when the lagoon is glass-still, an afternoon spent doing very little at all. Overwater bungalows are the island's signature stay, each with direct lagoon access and a sense of total remove. It is a considerable journey, which is precisely why it still feels untouched.

Good to knowBest May to October. Treat the journey as two travelling days each way, via Tahiti; the remoteness is the point.

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Fiji
02 Fiji

Three hundred islands of welcome

Fiji has a warmth to it that goes beyond climate, an easy, welcoming culture layered over more than three hundred islands of reef, rainforest and quiet beach. Days might mean a village visit and kava ceremony, world-class diving on the Rainbow Reef, or simply an island with no more than a handful of other guests on it. It suits both an active trip and a genuinely restful one, often within the same stay. Accommodation ranges from private island resorts reached by seaplane to smaller lodges with a distinctly Fijian sense of hospitality.

Good to knowBest May to October, reached via the Asia-Pacific hubs. Cyclone season runs November to April.

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Tahiti
03 Tahiti

Black sand, green peaks

Tahiti is often treated as a gateway to French Polynesia's smaller islands, but it holds its own: black volcanic beaches, dramatic interior peaks, and a French-Polynesian culture that feels distinct from its neighbours. It works well as the opening or closing chapter of a wider island-hopping trip, a day or two to settle in before or after Bora Bora or Moorea. Days lean towards hiking the interior valleys, surfing at Teahupo'o for the adventurous, or simply easing into the pace of the islands.

Good to knowBest May to October, about a day's travel via Los Angeles or Auckland. The wet season brings humidity from November to April.

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Barbados
04 Barbados

Caribbean polish, island soul

Barbados carries itself with a polish distinct from its Caribbean neighbours: pink and white sand beaches on the calm west coast, rougher Atlantic surf to the east, and a social life built around rum shacks, cricket and genuinely good food. Days might mix beach time with a catamaran trip along the coast, a round of golf, or an evening at one of the island's lively fish fries. It suits travellers who want a beach holiday with a livelier social pulse, staying in beachfront villas on the west coast or plantation-style properties inland.

Good to knowBest December to April, with easy connections via London. Sitting further east, Barbados is often spared the worst of hurricane season.

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Mauritius
05 Mauritius

The Indian Ocean, fully grown

Mauritius pairs a classic Indian Ocean beach with a landscape more varied than most: volcanic peaks, tea plantations and a genuinely multicultural culture reflected in its food. Days might combine time on the lagoon-calm west coast beaches with a hike up Le Morne, a round of golf, or an excursion into the interior. Watersports are excellent, thanks to the reef that rings much of the island and keeps the shallows calm. Stays lean towards beachfront resorts with extensive grounds, alongside more intimate boutique properties on the quieter south coast.

Good to knowBest May to December, with direct flights from most world hubs. Cyclone risk runs January to March.

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Thailand
06 Thailand

Limestone bays and longtail boats

Thailand's islands split into two quite different characters. The Andaman side, Phuket, Krabi and Phi Phi, offers dramatic limestone karsts rising from the sea and a more developed feel. The Gulf side, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, is generally calmer and better suited to diving and a slower pace. Days everywhere mix beach time with longtail boat trips, excellent food from beachfront kitchens, and the option of temples or a spa day inland. Stays range from polished beachfront resorts to boutique hideaways tucked into quieter bays.

Good to knowThe two coasts run on opposite monsoons: the Andaman suits November to March, the Gulf December to September. Choosing the island matters as much as the month.

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St Barts
07 St Barts

Discretion dressed in Caribbean light

Mornings begin unhurried, coffee on a terrace above Gustavia's harbour where sailboats and superyachts share the same quiet water. St Barts trades scale for detail: no billboards, no high-rises, just red-roofed villas tucked into hillsides and beaches that stay close to empty even in season. Days drift between Colombier's cliff-top hush and Saline's bare dunes, lunch at a driftwood-shack bistro plated like fine dining. Villas favour privacy over spectacle, with pools set behind hedges and staff who anticipate rather than announce.

Good to knowBest December to April, when trade winds cool the dry season. August to October brings hurricane risk, and many villas and restaurants close entirely.

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Palawan, Philippines
08 Palawan, Philippines

Where the sea turns to glass

Palawan moves at the pace of tide and light. Limestone karsts rise straight out of jade lagoons, water so clear that boats seem to float on air rather than sea. Days unfold around El Nido's hidden coves and Coron's wreck-strewn reefs, reached by outrigger banca rather than road, since here the sea is the only route that matters. Resorts sit lightly on their islands, thatched and open-sided, built to frame the view rather than compete with it. Evenings are barefoot and quiet: grilled catch, a single lantern, water against the hull.

Good to knowDry season runs November to May, calmest and clearest December to April. Some island resorts close or run limited service during the June to October rains.

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True remoteness cannot be imitated. It has to be reached.

A small lush island ringed by turquoise water
A half-underwater view of a tropical lagoon
Wooden boats moored in a palm-fringed lagoon
Overwater bungalows from above
A kayak on a glass-clear lagoon
Palms silhouetted at island sunset

Good to know

These islands are a long way from anywhere. Is the journey worth it?

For most travellers, yes, precisely because the distance keeps them quieter than more accessible islands. We plan the journey deliberately, building in a stopover or an extra night where it helps, so arrival feels considered rather than gruelling. Mauritius and Thailand involve far shorter journeys for most travellers, if flight time matters more than remoteness.

Are Bora Bora, Fiji and Tahiti suitable for young children?

They can be, though the long journey is worth weighing against a child's age and temperament. Fiji tends to suit families particularly well, with a genuinely warm welcome for children and calm lagoon beaches. Mauritius and Thailand are gentler options for a family trip when flight time is a bigger concern than remoteness.

How far in advance should this kind of trip be planned?

Several months ahead is sensible, particularly for overwater bungalows and smaller island resorts, which hold limited rooms and fill early in peak season. It also gives us time to sequence a multi-island route properly, since inter-island flights run on limited schedules that need building around, not fighting against.

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From the Journal

The overwater villa, chosen well

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