The best islands in the world

Puerto Rico wins on balance rather than on any single score. Things to do is 9, weather 9.0, access 8.9 and value 7.4, and its weakest factor, crowds, is still 6.8. San Juan has nonstops from 41 US airports, and the cheapest 3-star room there was $120 with tax on January 13, 2027 and $114 on July 14. You get Old San Juan, El Yunque, bioluminescent bays and Flamenco Beach on Culebra in one trip. The catch: you need a car, and August to October is peak hurricane risk.

Curaçao has the best weather score in the ranking, tied with Aruba at 9.8, because it is dry and sits south of the main hurricane track. It is also cheap: $62 a night in Willemstad on both dates we priced. What holds it back is crowds, at 4.6. The beaches are small coves rather than long strands, so rent a car and move between them. You need a passport and the free online Dicard, and there are nonstops from 6 US airports.

On raw numbers Jamaica would be #1: value 10.0 with a $53 Montego Bay room on both dates, access 9.7 with 24 US nonstops, and crowds 8.3. It drops to 8.3 because its own page is conditional. Hurricane Melissa hit western Jamaica in October 2025, and the Tourist Board lists seven large Montego Bay resorts as reopening only in 2027. Base yourself in Negril or Ocho Rios and check your hotel on that list before you book. The US advisory is Level 2.

Martinique is the most distinct culture in the Eastern Caribbean: French-Creole food, rum distilleries and Mount Pelée, a volcano you can hike. Weather 9.4 and things to do 8.5 carry it. Access is 7.8 because the only US nonstop is American from Miami. A 3-star room in Les Trois-Îlets was $102 in January and $82 in July. Expect to drive and to use some French; prices are in euros.

Crete is the top European island here, with beaches at 9 and things to do at 9.5: Knossos, Chania's harbor, the pink sand at Elafonisi and mountain villages. Value is strong at 8.6, with a Chania room at $59 in January and $112 in July. Access sinks it to #5: 3.6, because there is no US nonstop, so you connect through Athens. It is 162 miles (260 km) end to end, so pick a base. Samaria Gorge is closed until further notice.

Maui scores 9 for beaches and 9 for things to do, with a 9.7 for weather, the best mix in Hawaii. Haleakala costs $30 a car, and there are nonstops from 18 US airports. Price is the problem: value 4.3, with Kihei at $296 a night in January and $216 in July, and Hawaii's state lodging tax rose to 11% on January 1, 2026 under the green fee. Lahaina's Front Street reopened on August 1, 2026, but treat the town as a construction zone, not a sight.

Barbados is a complete, low-effort island: calm swimming on the west and south coasts, a UNESCO-listed capital, buses that work and nonstops from 8 US airports. It scores 9.5 for weather and 8.5 for beaches. Crowds, at 4.8, keep it out of the top five. A south-coast room was $140 in January and $92 in July. The east coast is for looking at, not swimming. Hikers will get more from St. Lucia.

Antigua's calm leeward bays earn a 9 for beaches and the weather a 9.5. Things to do, at 7, is the limit: Nelson's Dockyard and a Barbuda day trip, then the beach again. There are nonstops from 5 US airports. A St. John's town room was $99 in January, but beach hotels started near $222. Pick it for a beach week in the sun; pick St. Martin if you want nightlife and day trips.

Fiji is the only South Pacific island in the top 30. Value and crowds both score 10: a 3-star room in Nadi was $31 in January and $39 in July. Access is 4.1, as Fiji Airways flies nonstop from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu but Los Angeles is 5,526 miles (8,893 km) away. Mainland beaches near Nadi are average, so stay on a Mamanuca island. Its weather service forecasts an above-average 2026-27 cyclone season, so think twice about January and February.

Oahu has the most flights in Hawaii, from 28 US airports, and the cheapest decent rooms: $139 a night in Waikiki in January and $169 in July. Weather is 9.7 and things to do 9, with Pearl Harbor free to visit. Crowds sink it: 3.9, because more visitors stay on Oahu than on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island combined. It is the island for a first Hawaii trip without a car, not for quiet coves.

St. Lucia is ranked on its scenery. The Pitons, rainforest and a drive-in volcano give it 8.5 for things to do, and rooms in Rodney Bay were $81 in January and $99 in July. Its beaches score only 6.5, the lowest in the top fifteen: coves of darker sand rather than long white strands. US jets land at Hewanorra in the far south, 41 miles (66 km) from Rodney Bay. Couples and hikers should go; beach-first families should pick Barbados.

Grenada scores 9.6 for weather and 8.1 for value, with rooms in the southwest at $96 in January and $100 in July. Grand Anse is a top-tier beach, and rainforest waterfalls, cocoa estates and an underwater sculpture park fill the other days. Flights are the limit: nonstops from 4 US airports. Hurricane Beryl hit its sister island Carriacou in July 2024, where rebuilding continues; the main island is open.

Sicily is the only island on the site with a 10 for things to do: Palermo, Monreale, Agrigento, Siracusa and Etna. Crowds score 8.6 because it is huge. Beaches at 7 and access at 4.9 hold it at #13. Delta flies JFK to Catania, with a pause from early January to the end of February, and United adds Newark to Catania from May 28, 2027. A Taormina room was $116 in January and $140 in July. Rent a car.

St. Thomas is the easiest no-passport Caribbean island to reach, with access at 8.8 and nonstops from 16 US airports. Rooms in Charlotte Amalie were $93 with tax on both dates, value 8.3. It has no crowd score, because the published visitor figure covers more than the island, so its total is averaged over five factors. Things to do, at 6.5, and cruise days in town are the catch. Spirit's shutdown on May 2, 2026 ended its Fort Lauderdale and Orlando flights.

Exuma is the closest island in the ranking, 1,186 miles (1,909 km) from JFK, and access scores 9.7 even with only 4 US nonstops. Its sandbars and shallow water earn a 9 for beaches. Things to do is 6 and value 4.6: a George Town room was $256 in January and $225 in July. Budget for a rental car and at least one boat day to the cays and the swimming pigs. It suits couples; families who want activities should choose Nassau.

The Big Island scores 9 for things to do: Kilauea has erupted in episodes since December 23, 2024, and the national park costs $30 a car. Crowds score 9.1 on an island larger than all the others combined. Beaches at 7 and value at 4.2 hold it back, with Kona rooms at $261 in January and $269 in July. Hurricane Lala in August 2026 was the first direct hurricane impact since 1871, and floods hit the Kau district. Teens love it; beach-first travelers should pick Maui.

Zanzibar's weather scores 9.5 and its value 10: a Nungwi room was $36 in January and $41 in July. Stone Town and spice farms add culture most beach islands lack. Access is 2.1, among the lowest in the ranking, as there is no US nonstop and you connect via Doha, Dubai or Istanbul. Each visitor pays a $100 Tanzania visa and $44 for mandatory Zanzibar insurance. Skip April and May, the long rains.

Aruba is the low-effort beach pick: weather 9.8, beaches 9, and nonstops from 17 US airports. Two numbers sink it to #18. Crowds score 2.1 on a small, busy island, and value is 5.5, with rooms near Eagle and Palm Beach at $203 in January and $173 in July. Every visitor pays a $20 fee with the online ED card. Families with young kids should still take it seriously; anyone wanting hikes or bargains should look at Curaçao.

St. Martin has nonstops from 13 US airports, good beaches (8), Grand Case restaurants and ferries to Anguilla and St. Barts, so access and things to do both score well. A Simpson Bay room was $134 in January and $111 in July. Crowds pull it down to #19: 1.3, the lowest in the top 30, because the Dutch side handles about 1.6 million cruise passengers a year. Avoid town on cruise days.

Mallorca scores 9 for things to do: Palma, the Serra de Tramuntana and family bays in the north. Value is 7.9, with a Palma room at $68 in January and $135 in July, plus a nightly island tax. Access is 5.4 thanks to United's seasonal Newark nonstop. Crowds, at 3.8, and a sea too cool for most swimmers from November to April keep it at #20. Go from June to September, but not for quiet beaches in August.

Bali scores 9.5 for things to do, with temples, rice terraces, volcano hikes and diving, and 10 for value: a 4-star room in Seminyak was $22 in January and $30 in July. Access is 2, as there are no US nonstops. Beaches score 6.5: surfy, uneven and not the reason to go. Budget $8 for the tourist levy and $28 for the visa on arrival, and expect traffic. Go from April to October.

Palawan's El Nido lagoons and Coron wreck dives earn an 8.5 for beaches, and rooms in El Nido were $40 in January and $44 in July. It has no crowd score, because we could not find a published Palawan visitor figure. Access is 2.3: no US nonstops and no international flights to Puerto Princesa, then a drive of 5 to 7 hours. Weather is 7.6, with rain from June to November. Go from December to May.

Tortola is the base for sailing the British Virgin Islands, with day trips to Jost Van Dyke, Norman Island and Virgin Gorda behind its 8 for things to do. American Eagle flies nonstop from Miami, or you ferry over from St. Thomas. A Road Town room was $158 in January and $139 in July. Its own page is conditional, worth it for boaters, which costs 0.4 points. Beach-only travelers should pick Virgin Gorda or St. John.

St. John has some of the best beaches in the ranking, a 9, protected inside Virgin Islands National Park; Trunk Bay costs $5. It has no airport: fly to St. Thomas, then take the 15-minute ferry from Red Hook for $8.15. No passport needed. Value sinks it: 3.4, with the cheapest 3-star room at $382 in January and $263 in July. Things to do is 6. Budget travelers should stay on St. Thomas and visit for the day.

Grand Cayman has the best access score possible, 10, with nonstops from 20 US airports including Los Angeles. Seven Mile Beach is calm and easy for kids, and beaches score 8.5. The catch is cost: value 4.0, with the cheapest Seven Mile Beach room at $337 in January and $217 in July. Things to do, at 6.5, is mostly in the water. It suits families who want simple and safe, and can pay for it.

Naxos has the best sand in the Cyclades, with long, shallow beaches on the west coast that score 8.5, plus mountain villages inland. A Naxos Town room was $91 in January and $122 in July, value 7.8. Access, at 3.6, holds it back: fly to Athens, then on to Naxos or take a ferry of 3 to 5 hours. It is our first Cycladic pick for families. The summer meltemi wind can cancel ferries.

Anguilla scores 9.5 for beaches, the best in this ranking: Shoal Bay East, Meads Bay and Rendezvous Bay. It drops to #27 on things to do, at 5, and value, at 4.6: the cheapest room was $320 in January, falling to $159 in July. American Eagle flies nonstop from Miami, but most visitors take the $30 ferry from Marigot on St. Martin and pay a $28 departure tax. Go if the beach is the whole trip.

Rhodes is one of the best values in Europe here, at 9.6: a room near the Old Town was $36 in January and $96 in July. The walled medieval town and the acropolis at Lindos give it 8.5 for things to do, and the east coast has sandy, sheltered bays. Access is 3.5, with no US nonstop, and crowds score 4.7. It suits families and history lovers; pick Naxos for a smaller, quieter island.

Sardinia scores 9 for beaches, among the best in the Mediterranean: La Pelosa, Cala Goloritzé and Chia. Crowds score 8.7, and a Cagliari room was $73 in January and $112 in July. Its own page is conditional, worth it from June to September, which costs 0.4 points, and access is 4.2. Some famous beaches now cap visitors and charge up to $7.86. United starts Newark to Olbia on May 27, 2027.

Mauritius has more to do than any other Indian Ocean island, an 8, with lagoon beaches, Le Morne and Black River Gorges. Value is 9.4: a Grand Baie room was $60 in January and $79 in July. Two scores keep it at #30. Access is 2.0, with no US nonstop, so you connect via Dubai or Paris. Weather is 7.4, the lowest in the top 30, because cyclone season runs November to April. Go from May to November.