Escape to the World’s Breathtaking Islands.

Islands offer a specific kind of escape — the sense of being genuinely apart from everywhere else. These are among the most striking.

Santorini, Greece

Whitewashed villages on a volcanic caldera, with sunset views over the Aegean that shaped the island’s reputation as one of the world’s most photographed places.

Bora Bora, French Polynesia

A single extinct volcano surrounded by a turquoise lagoon and coral reef — the original template for the overwater bungalow resort.

Seychelles

Granite boulders framing white-sand beaches give Seychelles a look unlike almost anywhere else, alongside some of the Indian Ocean’s least-crowded coastline.

Palawan, Philippines

Limestone karsts, hidden lagoons, and some of Southeast Asia’s clearest water, best explored by island-hopping boat tours out of El Nido or Coron.

What makes an island “breathtaking”

The islands that stand out combine dramatic geology — volcanic cliffs, limestone karsts, granite boulders — with water clarity. Flat, ordinary coastline rarely makes this kind of list, no matter how nice the sand is.