The best islands to visit in November

Maui is #1. November weather scores 9.8: an 82°F (28°C) average high, an 80°F (27°C) sea and 1.3 inches of rain, with no storm deduction. Beaches and things to do both score 9, and whale season starts, with boats leaving from Maalaea while Lahaina's harbor is rebuilt. The weak factor is price: the cheapest 3-star-plus room in Kihei was $296 for January 13, 2027, and November sits before that peak. Kahului adds a seasonal Minneapolis nonstop from November 9, 2026, for 18 US airports in all.

Oahu is #2, with the same 9.8 weather score as Maui: an 81°F (27°C) high, an 80°F (27°C) sea and 0.9 inches of rain. November is one of its three best months in our data. It has the most flights in Hawaii, nonstop from 28 US airports, and the cheapest rooms, from $139 in Waikiki in January. The North Shore turns into a surf coast for the winter, so swim at Waikiki, Ala Moana or Kailua instead. It ranks below Maui because its beaches score 8 and its crowd score is 3.9.

The Big Island is #3. November weather on the Kona side scores 9.5: an 81°F (27°C) high, an 80°F (27°C) sea and 2.7 inches of rain. Things to do scores 9, with Kilauea's lava episodes at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park ($30 per car for seven days) and the manta night snorkel off Kona. Its crowd score, 9.1, is far better than Maui's. Hotels are the cost: $261 a night in Kailua-Kona for January 13, 2027. Check the Kau district roads, flooded twice by the 2026 hurricanes.

Curaçao is #4 and the best Caribbean pick in November. The air is 86°F (30°C) and the sea 85°F (29°C), but this is the short rainy season, with 4.3 inches in our data, so the weather score falls to 8.6. Its storm deduction is half the usual Caribbean one, because it lies south of the main hurricane track. Value is its strength: $62 rooms in Willemstad on both our dates, and nonstops from six US airports. Rent a car for the coves and file the free Dicard before you land.

Exuma is #5. Its beaches score 9, from Tropic of Cancer Beach to the Stocking Island sandbars, and access scores 9.7, with nonstops from Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami and Fort Lauderdale. November weather scores 8.7: an 81°F (27°C) high, an 81°F (27°C) sea and 3.0 inches of rain, with a small storm deduction at the end of the season. Things to do scores 6, because the boat day to the swimming pigs is the main event. Rooms are the catch: $256 a night near George Town on January 13, 2027.

Jamaica is #6. November weather scores 8.2: an 84°F (29°C) high, an 85°F (30°C) sea and 4.1 inches of rain. It has 24 US nonstop airports and $53 rooms in Montego Bay, so access and value both score at the top. It gives up 0.4 points for its conditional verdict while Hurricane Melissa's damage is repaired. November brings reopenings: Sandals South Coast is due back on November 18, 2026, and two Montego Bay Sandals on December 18. Check your hotel on the Tourist Board's list.

Zanzibar is #7. November is hot, an 86°F (30°C) high and an 83°F (29°C) sea, and it is the heart of the short rains, with 4.5 inches in our data. For 2026 the Tanzania Meteorological Authority expects those rains to run above average and into January 2027, so plan boat days with slack. Value scores 10, with $36 rooms in Nungwi in January, and things to do 8. A US citizen pays a $100 visa and $44 insurance on arrival.

Mauritius is #8. Our data put November among its three best months: a 79°F (26°C) high, a 79°F (26°C) sea and 4.7 inches of rain at the airport, with the cyclone months still ahead. Its own page says September to November gives dry weather outside the cyclone months. Beaches and things to do both score 8, from the Trou aux Biches lagoon to Le Morne and Black River Gorges. Value scores 9.4, with $60 rooms in Grand Baie. Access scores 2: there is no US nonstop, so connect via Dubai or Paris.

Bali is #9. November is the start of the wet west monsoon, with 5.5 inches of rain in our data, an 85°F (30°C) high and an 85°F (30°C) sea, so its weather score drops to 8.3. The rest of its scores carry it: things to do 9.5 and value 10, with Seminyak 4-star rooms from $22. Temples, Ubud and cooking classes still work in the rain. Expect more plastic on west-coast beaches as the monsoon winds turn onshore. Entry costs a $28 visa and the $8 levy.

Fiji is #10, the lowest November weather score that still qualifies: 7.0. The cyclone season starts in November, and our data show 8.5 inches of rain, an 86°F (30°C) high and an 84°F (29°C) sea. The Fiji Meteorological Service forecasts 11 to 15 cyclones across its region in 2026/27 against an average of about seven, with two to three expected near Fiji. Value and crowds both score 10, and Fiji Airways flies nonstop from LAX, SFO and Honolulu. Buy insurance with a storm clause.