Search results for

Escape the crowds and connect to the aloha spirit with award-winning UnCruise Adventures.

Island Beauty: Chanelle de Lau of Curaçao

Island-Hopping in the Caribbean Isn’t Just for the 1-Percent

The islands off the coast of Panamá—white-sand beaches, hammocks rocking between palm trees, clear emerald waves lapping the shore—are the stuff of vacation fantasies but, in truth, are dangerously close to your reality. Head offshore and take off your shoes. You’ve discovered the undiscovered.

It’s not quite Providenciales’s celebrated Grace Bay—the Atlantic surf rolls in with a little too much force for that—but North Beach, on remote, undeveloped Salt Cay, is one of the prettiest stretches of sand in all of the Turks and Caicos. Salt Cay also has the advantage over its more famous counterpart in that just about the only thing on it is the tiny Castaway, whose guests almost always have miles of pure white sand and turquoise ocean entirely to themselves. About a mile and a half from “town” lies a scattered settlement of fewer than 150 people who make up most of the island’s residents. Castaway, which consists of four suites in two beachfront cottages, offers a Crusoe-like experience, except with private dining and Wi-Fi. Each suite has a king bed, to which two more single beds can be added, a full kitchen, and a deck where in season it is possible to watch migrating whales parade by.

At Island Sole in Lahaina, the authentic, locally made gifts are designed to help shoppers “find their aloha.” Head here for shirts and flip-flops in tropical colors, home decor like jellyfish coasters and ukulele-shaped table clocks, and the shop’s signature longboard letters, which function as one-of-a-kind signs with customizable letters, icons, and characters attached to a wooden surfboard base. If you’re looking for some wall art, pay special attention to the palm-and-wave paintings on birchwood by Danielle Groff and the larger, laser-engraved maps of the Hawaiian Isles.

Occupying a modern tower next to Hong Kong Park and attached to the Pacific Place shopping center, Island Shangri-La is an earthly paradise on the edge of Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls in the lobby face a 140-year-old banyan tree; the outdoor swimming pool is set amid grass and trees as well as skyscrapers; and the Roof Garden on the 56th floor is enveloped in the misty greenery of Victoria Peak.

The hotel’s interiors are equally inspiring, with more than 900 works of art on display, including a 16-story silk landscape painting called Great Motherland of China cascading down the atrium. Accommodations combine Asian silks, floral wall paintings, and Chinese tea sets with European antiques and crystal chandeliers. In 2009, the Horizon Club Lounge became the highest executive lounge on Hong Kong Island, offering sweeping views of Victoria Harbour. Dark wood, black marble, jewel-tone leather, Austrian chandeliers, and qi pao-inspired staff uniforms create an elegant setting for complimentary breakfast, evening cocktails and canapés, or an afternoon work session.

Since 2010, Docastaway has sent travelers to deserted islands with no training, no company, and few supplies. And business is booming.

Guided rides are back on the California island, offering a unique way to explore and a dose of cowboy culture.

Five winners in Visit Sweden’s new global contest will receive yearlong usage rights to designated uninhabited islands—plus flights to experience the country’s wild landscapes up close.

Consider this your personal Fiji resort finder to help you pick the right accommodation to suit your travel interests and needs.

These under-the-radar islands are all about nature, serenity, and getting away from it all.

Whether heading to a floating restaurant or a tiny island outpost, traveling to these dining rooms is half the fun.

After a dip in the pool and a stroll on the beach, cast your line for tarpon, canoe in one of the most distinctive lakes on Earth, hit the links, shred on a mountain bike, or swim in emerald green and sapphire waters. Then, kick up your feet and take it easy with a relaxing stay at a participating Marriott Bonvoy hotel or resort.

Only 110 miles off the Florida coast, the Bahamas is one of the easiest Caribbean destinations to reach on a cruise. These are our top picks for sailings among this island paradise.