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April is a crossover month. The Caribbean is still dry, Hawaii has some of its sunniest weather, and Bali's dry season begins. But Thailand gets wetter as the southwest monsoon approaches, and Zanzibar's long rains begin.
Jamaica leads for the third month running, on cheap rooms and flights rather than weather alone. Ten islands score a perfect 10 for April weather, all of them in the Caribbean, so the region cap does a lot of work on this list.
Score = 55% this month's weather + 45% the island's other five factors. How we score
| # | Island | Score | High °F | Sea °F | Rain (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamaica | 9.1 | 84 | 83 | 2.1 |
| 2 | Curaçao | 9.1 | 86 | 81 | 1.1 |
| 3 | Martinique | 9.1 | 85 | 82 | 1.9 |
| 4 | Maui | 8.9 | 81 | 78 | 2.1 |
| 5 | Oahu | 8.6 | 80 | 78 | 2.0 |
| 6 | Palawan | 8.5 | 86 | 87 | 4.0 |
| 7 | Bali | 8.1 | 85 | 85 | 4.3 |
| 8 | Key West | 7.9 | 78 | 79 | 1.6 |
| 9 | Koh Samui | 7.8 | 88 | 89 | 4.2 |
| 10 | Phuket | 7.6 | 89 | 87 | 5.0 |
1Jamaica's April weather scores 9.9: highs of 84°F (29°C), an 83°F (28°C) sea and 2.1 inches (54 mm) of rain. It ranks first on its other scores, with a $53 room in Montego Bay on both dates we priced and nonstops from 24 US airports. Its verdict is conditional after Hurricane Melissa, as seven large Montego Bay resorts reopen only in 2027. Book Negril or Ocho Rios, or check the Tourist Board's reopening list first.
2Curaçao scores a perfect 10 for April weather: highs of 86°F (30°C), an 81°F (27°C) sea and only 1.1 inches of rain. It is the no-caveats choice, with a $62 room in Willemstad on both dates we priced and nonstops from 6 US airports. It ranks behind Jamaica on crowds and flights. The beaches are coves along the west coast, so rent a car and snorkel from shore.
3Martinique scores a 10 for April weather, with highs of 85°F (30°C), an 82°F (28°C) sea and 1.9 inches of rain, a good month to hike Mount Pelée. A room in Les Trois-Îlets was $102 on January 13 and $82 on July 14, 2027. It ties Curaçao on score; its single US nonstop, American from Miami, keeps its access score well below Jamaica's. Expect French, euros and a rental car.
4Maui's April weather scores 9.8: highs of 81°F (27°C), a 78°F (25°C) sea and 2.1 inches of rain. It has the best beaches and things to do on this list, a 9 for each, and needs no passport. Price keeps it at #4: $296 in Kihei on January 13 and $216 on July 14, 2027. Whale season is ending. Haleakala costs $30 a car, and Lahaina is still a construction zone.
5Oahu's April weather scores 9.5: highs of 80°F (26°C), a 78°F (25°C) sea and 2.0 inches of rain. It is the cheapest way into Hawaii, with nonstops from 28 US airports and Waikiki at $139 on January 13 and $169 on July 14, 2027. Crowds are the trade-off. You can skip the rental car and visit Pearl Harbor for free.
6Palawan's April weather scores 9.1: highs of 86°F (30°C), an 87°F (30°C) sea and 4.0 inches of rain, the last strong month before its June-to-November rainy season. An El Nido room was $40 on January 13 and $44 on July 14, 2027. Lagoon tours and Coron's wrecks are the reason to go. Getting there is the catch: no US nonstops, then a domestic flight and 5 to 7 hours by road.
7Bali's dry season begins in April, and the month scores 8.9 for weather: highs of 85°F (29°C), an 85°F (30°C) sea and 4.3 inches of rain. It has more to do than any other island here, from Ubud's temples and rice terraces to volcano hikes and diving. A 4-star Seminyak room was $22 on January 13 and $30 on July 14, 2027. No US nonstops, and you pay an $8 levy and a $28 visa on arrival.
8April is Key West's best month on our data: highs of 78°F (26°C), a 79°F (26°C) sea and 1.6 inches of rain, a 9.6 weather score. It ranks #8 because its verdict is conditional and its beaches score 4: come for Old Town, Mallory Square sunsets and the Dry Tortugas ferry ($260). No passport needed, and nonstops come from 24 US airports. A 3-star room was $314 in mid-January and $197 in July.
9Koh Samui's April weather scores 9.0, with highs of 88°F (31°C), an 89°F (32°C) sea and 4.2 inches of rain, more than in March. Its east-coast beaches stay calm, and a 4-star Chaweng room was $84 on January 13 and $58 on July 14, 2027. It ranks below Bali on things to do. No US nonstops: fly via Bangkok or Singapore. US citizens get 30 days visa-free.
10Phuket is the hottest island on this list in April: highs of 89°F (32°C), an 87°F (31°C) sea and 5.0 inches of rain, an 8.3 weather score. Rain rises toward the southwest monsoon, which runs roughly mid-May to mid-October. A 4-star Patong room was $76 on January 13 and $32 on July 14, 2027. No US nonstops, and Patong is crowded, so families should base at Kata or Karon.
In this guide
The score is 55% April weather and 45% our other island scores: beaches, things to do, access, value and crowds. April weather combines the daytime high, sea temperature, rain and sunshine from ten years of data at each island's airport. Islands must score at least 7 for April weather, and no region takes more than three places. The method is set out in how we score islands.
Curaçao and Martinique score a 10 for April weather and Jamaica a 9.9, so on weather alone it would be third. It wins on everything else: a $53 room in Montego Bay on both dates we priced, nonstops from 24 US airports, and a big island with room to spread out. That is enough to cover the 0.4 points it loses for its conditional verdict after Hurricane Melissa.
If you would rather not check a resort reopening list, take Curaçao. If you want Hawaii, Maui is the best it gets in April.
Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua and Grenada all score higher for April than our #5, Oahu. Aruba, Grand Cayman, Bonaire, Cozumel and Roatan score a perfect 10 for April weather too. The region cap keeps them off this list. St. Lucia is the pick for hiking the Pitons before the wetter months. Our Caribbean ranking for April has them all.
Bali enters its dry season, which runs best from April to October, and its April weather scores 8.9. Palawan is near the end of its December-to-May window. In Thailand, Koh Samui and Phuket both get about twice as much rain as in March. See the best Thai island in April for a closer comparison.
We priced hotels for Wednesday, January 13 and Wednesday, July 14, 2027, both with taxes in; we did not price April itself. Hawaii and Key West need no passport, only a REAL ID or other TSA-accepted ID. Bali charges an $8 levy and a $28 visa on arrival. For entry rules everywhere, see passport rules for US citizens.
Admission to both sites is included; meals, water shoes and tips are not. Pickup is free around Ocho Rios but costs extra from Montego Bay, about 90 minutes away.
Rating as shown on Viator
It is short for the price and has no hotel pickup. A good option for non-swimmers who want to see the reef.
Rating as shown on Viator
Drinks and a fruit snack are included. Boarding is from Fort-de-France or Case-Pilote; check which when you book.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
The Caribbean, Hawaii, Bali, the Philippines and Thailand. On our data, April highs are 84°F (29°C) in Jamaica, 81°F on Maui, 85°F in Bali and 89°F on Phuket.
Yes, it is the last full dry-season month, and hurricane season does not start until June 1. Ten Caribbean islands score a perfect 10 for April weather on our data.
Yes. Maui's April weather scores 9.8 and Oahu's 9.5, with highs of 81°F and 80°F. Whale season, November through April, is ending.
It is the start of the good season. April's weather score is 8.9, with 4.3 inches of rain, falling further from May. Bali charges an $8 tourist levy and a $28 visa on arrival.
April is Key West's best weather month on our data, with a 9.6 score, highs of 78°F and 1.6 inches of rain. Come for the town and the Dry Tortugas, not the beaches, which are small.
Further reading
