Can you recommend secret islands to go to?

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What are the best island vacations out there?

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Marcel Von Wrede 4 years 16 Answers 794 views 0

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  1. Secret Islands: Aitutaki, Cook Islands
    In our fast-paced, high-tech world, true escape has increasingly become a luxury. Places where you can really get away from the cares of the everyday may be hard to find, but fortunately they’re still out there, waiting for you. Here are our favorite secluded islands for an escape with your beloved, your family or even just yourself. We promise not to tell anyone you’re there.

    If you have an image in your mind of the classic remote, achingly beautiful Polynesian paradise, Aitutaki is your vision incarnate. (Too bad Lt. William Bligh didn’t decide to stay here when the HMS Bounty visited on April 11, 1789; his crew mutinied 17 days later.) The triangle-shaped atoll is edged with palm-dotted islands, many of them uninhabited. The coral-studded lagoon is filled with warm, calm water, perfect for a leisurely outrigger canoe ride.

  2. Secret Islands: Vabbinfaru Island, Maldives
    Private and totally romantic, Vabbinfaru Island is just big enough to accommodate the Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, a luxury resort where you’ll find no one other than your fellow hotel residents. There’s a wealth of activities next to and in the water, and as in the rest of the Maldives, the diving opportunities here are legendary. And despite Vabbinfaru Island’s remote location, it’s only a half-hour speedboat ride from the nation’s capital.

  3. Secret Islands: Saba, Netherlands Antilles
    Saba is truly a secret: This tiny island’s tourism industry is relatively new, and it sees only about 25,000 tourists a year. Sometimes called “The Unspoiled Queen,” Saba is known especially for ecotourism and for excellent scuba diving at the Saba Marine Park. And though it’s easy to feel like you’ve stepped back in time on Saba, it’s replete with modern amenities (such as island-wide Wi-Fi), so you can stay only as hidden as you want to.

  4. Secret Islands: Petit St. Vincent, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
    With a high level of service and a general lack of televisions, phones and other means of communication with the outside world, this private island may be the ultimate place to get away from it all. The Petit St. Vincent Resort consists of fewer than two dozen cottages, so if you want total privacy, you’ll find it. Should you venture out, you’ll encounter soft, rolling hills that tumble down to the two miles of white-sand beaches that ring the island.

  5. Islands of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
    A tropical archipelago off the eastern coast of Brazil, these islands feature spectacular scenery, vibrant wildlife and marine life, and clear water that’s great for scuba diving and snorkeling year-round. The Sancho, Porcos and Leão beaches are regularly listed among Brazil’s best, but they’re not crowded: Only 460 visitors are allowed here at a time. Fernando de Noronha’s biggest must-see may be the sunset, which many people say is unrivaled.

  6. Porto Santo, Portugal
    This island, part of the Madeira archipelago and once called home by Christopher Columbus, almost seems one long beach. Certainly the five-mile beach is the biggest attraction, and its sands are said to have healing properties. But Porto Santo — isolated in the North Atlantic, closer to Morocco than to the Portuguese mainland — is a great getaway for even the non-beachgoer, with forests, grasslands and rocky ledges rounding out its natural beauty. For slightly more urbane pursuits, the town of Vila Beleira has been welcoming visitors since its founding in 1419.

  7. Orcas Island, Wash.
    Tucked away in the northwest corner of the lower 48 states, Orcas Island is green, serene and blessedly quiet. There’s nary a stoplight to be found here, and the island is known for its stunning natural beauty and its dedication to the arts. While Orcas Island wasn’t actually named for the black-and-white killer whales that like to hang out nearby, you’re not unlikely to see one — the orcas have been known to swim up close even to boats keeping their distance.

  8. Île d’Oleron, France
    Just off France’s Atlantic coast, Île d’Oleron is a place to relish the outdoors. The temperate island features 25 beaches, almost 70 miles of bike trails and plenty of opportunities for sailing, hiking and horseback riding. And since this is France, it’s a given that the gastronomic possibilities are excellent; be sure to sample the wine — produced here for more than 1,700 years — and the locally harvested oysters.

  9. Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
    One town, miles of powdery beaches and a perfect climate: That’s little Providenciales. The temperatures are usually in the 70s and 80s, making the weather comfortable almost any time. Providenciales is also home to the world’s third-largest coral reef, which nearly surrounds the island — in fact, the island is actually just a higher elevation of the coral. Though the island is small, the celebrity-watching opportunities are excellent — stars such as Madonna, Paul McCartney and Bruce Willis have at times considered Providenciales secret enough even for them.

  10. Block Island, R.I.
    The Nature Conservancy has called Block Island one of the “last great places” in the Western Hemisphere, and it’s hard to argue with that designation. Located 13 miles off the Rhode Island coast, Block Island sports plenty of undeveloped natural areas, and about 20 percent of the island has been set aside for preservation. Block Island is easy to get around by foot power; amble through the quaint town New Shoreham and to the island’s two historic lighthouses.

  11. Hiiumaa, Estonia
    Hiiumaa is a Baltic Sea jewel studded with lighthouses and a population that lives close to nature. The most exotic way to travel here is the winter ice road from the Estonian mainland, but Hiiumaa is a delight in all seasons, with more sun and less rain than the rest of the country. Sleepy villages are scattered across Hiiumaa; the interior is deeply forested, but the outer rim features sandy beaches good for swimming, sunbathing or sailing.

  12. Huahine, French Polynesia
    Fewer tourists come here than to nearby Bora Bora and Tahiti, but Huahine packs a wealth of the Polynesian tropics into its 29 square miles. Huahine actually consists of two islands, separated by only a few hundred yards of water, and connected by a sand spit at low tide. Here you’ll find clear turquoise waters, lush foliage, a slow-paced attitude toward life and an abundance of white sandy beaches just begging you to sunbathe.

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  13. Mljet, Croatia
    According to island legend, this lovely island in the Adriatic Sea is where Odysseus was kept for seven years as the nymph Calypso’s love slave. Myth or not, visitors can visit the cave where Odysseus supposedly took shelter on his way home from the Trojan War; these days, it’s a popular spot for locals and tourists alike. Almost three-quarters of the island is forest land, and limestone and dolomite formations give Mljet a haunting beauty.

  14. Pamalican, Philippines
    The history and culture of tropical Pamalican, a small private island set in the middle of a coral reef, are strongly tied to its native fauna. The surrounding waters are frequented by whales, dolphins, turtles and manta rays, and visitors can get acquainted with local sea creatures throughout the year. Pamalican’s Amanpulo resort is considered one of the world’s best, and its secluded villas come with buggies to help guests explore the island fully.

  15. Sylt, Germany
    Think you can’t get Louis Vuitton on a secluded island? Think again. The island of Sylt is where Germany’s upper crust goes on vacation, and the shopping is built to match — think Cartier, Bulgari and Hermès. Yet Sylt holds tightly to its rural, wilder past as well: Thatched cottages abound here, and sand dunes, cliffs, sheep and fields filled with grass and heather preside over the surf-pounded landscape. While you’re here, try the fish burgers, considered a local take-out specialty.

  16. Andaman Islands, India
    Coconut palms, jungle and beaches are abundant on these isolated islands, which are situated between Burma and Indonesia, across the Bay of Bengal from the Indian mainland. Their culture is unique and isolated; its indigenous people may have lived here for up to 60,000 years, and non-Indians need a permit to visit. The approval is worth getting — the beaches, diving and coral reefs are spectacular, the atmosphere is laid-back and fresh seafood is abundant.

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