Looking for the best tropical island for your next vacation? We’ve gathered our top 10 picks with some of the world’s most gorgeous beaches. These are the most beautiful tropical islands to visit and insider tips on where to stay on each island!
If you’re a budget-minded traveler looking to save money on your next tropical island vacation, we always check rates on AirBnb whenever possible. However, keep in mind that sometimes a hotel is the best choice for a particular destination. We give our suggestions of places to stay in each of the destinations below.
Table of Contents
10 Best Tropical Islands to Visit — And Where to Stay!
Bali – Indonesia
Bali will always hold a special place in my heart no matter how well known it becomes. Some of my favorite beaches are now changed forever as a result of the movie Eat Pray Love, but that won’t stop me from visiting again. It’s a destination where you will find welcoming locals, breathtaking beaches and, of course, epic surf.
This honeymoon escape sits right on the beach and it’s only $103 per night! If you create an account with our link, you can get an even bigger discount!
Read more: 10 Affordable Honeymoon Destinations for Every Budget & 15 Budget-Friendly Tropical Destinations
Maui – Hawaii
We have been to Maui three times and we’re going on our fourth visit in November. That’s how much we love it here. What is not to love? The hang loose island vibe is contagious and leaves you feeling recharged even after just a short visit. If you have time, make sure you venture all the way to the Seven Sacred Pools on the Road to Hana and don’t miss a stop at Red Sand Beach!
Our favorite hotel on Maui has some of the best snorkeling on the island and we ALWAYS see turtles here! We’ve found the best prices for the Sheraton Maui on Booking.com.
Read more: How to Travel to Maui on a Budget.
Bora Bora
Bora Bora is nicknamed “the romantic island” (it also made our list of the most romantic islands in the world) and from viewing photos of this tropical island, I can see why. With perfect white sand beaches, overwater bungalows and emerald-colored ocean water, it’s a true paradise.
If you want to experience the ultimate luxury, then you can’t beat staying at the Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa.
Read more: Moorea Travel Guide – Tips For Visiting Moorea, Tahiti on a Budget.
Fiji
Fiji is a must visit for many surfers, including us. Of course, Fiji is known for more than its perfectly peeling waves and warm water. Our friends visited during their honeymoon and said it was the perfect spot for a romantic getaway. The smaller islands with nothing to do but sip drinks by the gorgeous ocean were their favorite spots.
A trip to Fiji doesn’t have to break the bank. The Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa offers rooms for as low as $200/night and gets excellent reviews!
Read more: South Pacific Cruise Packing List (Must-Have Essentials!) & 17 Days in the South Pacific With Holland America
Aruba
Aruba is a small island — just 19.6 miles long — and boasts ideal temperatures year round, thanks to the constant trade winds (which helps with the humidity and limits the annoyance of mosquitoes). When travel to other islands in the Caribbean is dicey, Aruba is the optimal choice because it is located in the Netherland Antilles, outside of the hurricane belt.
I stayed for four glorious days at the Aruba Marriott in Palm Beach. See our full review here or book your stay now!
Read more: 10 Best Things to Do in Aruba
The Bahamas
Ever since I was a child, I have longed to visit the islands of the Bahamas. Nassau is one of the more well-known islands, but certainly not the only island to visit. With 30 inhabited islands, there are plenty of spots to choose from.
I stayed at EMBRACE Resort in the Exumas (use our promo code TRAVEL21 when booking at EMBRACE Resort to get 5% off!) which I absolutely loved! From this location, you can easily swim with the infamous pigs on Pig Beach too!
Read more: Staniel Cay Travel Guide – Exuma Cays, Bahamas
Turks and Caicos
Turks and Caicos consists of two groups of tropical islands in the West Indies. These islands are still under the radar for most travelers, but being situated just 90 minutes away from Miami, it’s only a hop, skip and a jump for United States East Coasters.
Villa Del Mar offers condos with a gorgeous pool for a reasonable price.
Read more: 10 Best Things to Do in Turks and Caicos & Tips For Planning An Unforgettable Honeymoon In Turks & Caicos
Maldive Islands
The Maldives is located in the Indian Ocean and is the smallest Asian country in both population and size. What this country lacks in size, it makes up for in beauty with some of the most gorgeous dive sites and beaches in the world. The government follows a “one island, one resort” policy and limits the height of the resorts to be equal or lesser than the tallest tree.
This hotel and spa is a great price for the Maldives and it gets glowing reviews.
Seychelles Islands
The Seychelles are a group of 115 tropical islands which lie in the enchanting Indian Ocean, just east of mainland Africa and northeast of the island of Madagascar. The climate here is always warm, with temperatures rarely dropping below 75 degrees or rising above 90 degrees – making it a perfect year-round destination.
Doubletree by Hilton Seychelles is in a stunning location and offers very reasonable nightly rates.
Fernando de Noronha – Brazil
Fernando de Noronha is a tropical island in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil. Noronha formed as a result of volcanic activity and initially the island was used as a prison for convicted Brazilians. The number of people allowed on the island at any one time is strictly limited to 420 people, so plan your trip early!
Love to Travel?
Want to know how to travel the world? I’ve put together a page full of useful travel resources with tips and tricks I’ve learned after consistently traveling for over ten years. Learn how I get paid to travel the world, how to find the best prices on flights and accommodation, my best travel tips, how to start a travel blog, and more.
Plan Your Tropical Island Vacation
After traveling consistently for over 10 years, we’ve come to trust and rely on a few websites to help us find the best deals on flights and accommodation.
Flights:
- Momondo is the first place we check when searching for cheap flights. It searches hundreds of sites for the best fare and includes both standard and budget airlines. The price calendar feature shows the cheapest days to fly in your preferred month of travel.
Accommodation:
- Booking.com offers savings on hotels, apartments, and villas in 80,000 destinations worldwide. You can browse hotel reviews and find the guaranteed best price on hotels for all budgets.
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Photo credits from top: Tahiti Tourisme, Bahamas Tourism, nattu, Courtney Nash, stefanedberg
What about Mauritius guys. Mauritius has something which these other Island doesnt have. It’s: Mauritius is a multicultural Island and besides there is also sandy beaches, flora and fauna, Mountains and gorgrs.
Except Aruba is a desert Island not a tropical island. Every palm tree you see in Aruba was planted there, not grew there. It is a wonderful island I enjoyed my Seven days there. Busy, lots of noise and night life. Safe and fun and the food was good.
I would never go to Aruba because of what happened to Natalie Holloway!! But island living is great, my wife and I live on the Big Island of Hawaii, and have for the last 25 years!! I would like to visit some of the other islands in this article, perhaps some day!!
Michael k ray first of all i came threw for stop off from veitnam as a very young worrior so long ago this goes deep into my heart as i remember the looking at the sun and how big it was i was blowned away i turned my head from right to left sooooo big as if i will never forget that momnet in my life i was only 19 years old oh how short life is on earth i feel so blessed to have seen that in my life time on earth it made me forget i was in veitnam in WAR i will never forget that momnet thank u Lord Jesus Christ as the saying goes,iam still here hope one day to see that again before i pass to the Most greatest Pardise iam surely Blessed man thank u God M.K.Ray
Christy — That’s not Bora Bora. That photo is of Rangiroa, a massive atoll in the Tuamotus.
Great site that I got to from CNN. We love many of the places you mention and are planning our fourth trip back to Fiji for my wife’s 60th birthday in May. My specialty is traveling to Africa where I went twice last year on Overland Adventures (one trip with my 12 year old grandson and the other to visit the Omo Valley Indigenous People of Ethiopia). I have traveled to over 70 countries visiting and living with Indigenous Tribes from Mongolia to The Amazon to Vanuatu to Thailand to Namibia to India. My wife and I were just talking about how we should do exactly what you have done with this site. Any advice? Thanks.
Hi. Sorry for the delayed reply! We wrote a step by step guide here: http://ordinarytraveler.com/articles/how-to-start-successful-travel-blog
Thank you for your response. We really appreciate it
Brad
Sent from my iPad
Been to Jamaica, Cabo, several beaches in Mexico (don’t feel it’s safe anymore) and Greece; including Crete, Santorini, Rhodes and mykonos. I have to say I am dying to go to Bora Bora and the Seychelles. Our Kid is now in college so it may finally be our time.
Yes, Bora Bora would be amazing! We still go to many places in Mexico and have always felt safe. Just stay away from the border towns!
Lovely places, indeed!
Portugal’s Madeira feels far more exotic than its climate really is… Worth checking out.
Portugal is high on our list!
Bora Bora! I want to visit that paradise.
Here, these all are very beautiful and best Island of the world. From those Fernando de Noronha in Brazil and Seychelles Islands is my favourite beach in the world that people must should visit.
If we can see the Beach in Bahamas its was very nice the water was very clean, my friend told nice making a fishing there. The fish was very big and you will enjoy for swimming. The sand of the beach nice to play to..The island was perfect for the family to may relax.
I visited the Seychelles islands for three weeks Mahe’s Beau vallon is very beautiful Anse lazio on Praslin breath taking he Paradise lost island was La digue’s Anse D source D Argent beach just like in the photogragh’s magnificen.t
I want to pick a favorite, but they all sound fantastic. The red sand beach seems very cool. And Bora Bora looks pretty sweet from above.
Beautiful islands, we would like to be there!! But you really should visit Menorca in Sp1ain. You’ll discover a relaxing and exotical place in the middle of Europe!! Greetings from Spain!!
This island life very pleasant..and I love these island places..Islands which you are shown are very beautiful.I hope that we will visit those islands soon….
The top Island pictures are so beautiful..I feel excited after seeing those places and I’m waiting for looking those places directly….thank you for the collection of such a great places..
I’ve only been to Maui… my mum has been to the Turks and Caicos and raved about it!
I have been to loads of other islands though… I love the island life. I find it very easy to get accustomed to the laid back nature of living on an island…
These places all look very beautiful… my wanderlust drools.
Hi Colleen. I agree, the island life is perfect for relaxing. Which islands have you been to? We are always interested in hearing about or seeing more of them!
If you visit my blog, it’s apparent that I love Easter Island. If you ever have the chance, you have to go.
Other islands I can recommend are the island of Møn in Denmark (though not tropical!)… its white cliffs are spectacular… see a few photos in this post: http://colleenbrynntravels.blogspot.ca/2011/07/mns-klint-cliffs-of-mn.html
Also, apparently Ilha Grande in Brasil is supposed to be wonderful. I had to miss that part of the country because a disastrous mudslide when I was there…
And in Canada, there are some great islands… Vancouver Island, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland… Don’t miss out on the non-tropical places!
On a day like today… this is a terrible tease lol
Sorry. I had a hard time writing it because it made me want to visit each place even more.
All I want to do now is take a tropical vacation… 🙂
All I EVER want to do is take a tropical vacation. 🙂
Watching the rain out our window right now – really inspired to get away somewhere like one of these!!
It’s not cold here yet, but I’m sure I’ll be right there with you in a few months.
Loved Cayo Coco! I didn’t want to leave the beach – even after I started looking like a lobster. 😉
Wow. I’m officially jealous. 🙂