BEST SECRET ISLAND ON EARTH

India: Lakshadweep Islands

Beachgoers seeking a simple paradise in India will find it in Lakshadweep, a chain of coral atolls where tourism is carefully limited by government decree. Take a 75-minute flight from the mainland city of Kochi to Agatti, an oar-shaped isle surrounded by shallow turquoise lagoons. Agatti Island Beach Resort (doubles from $200) serves as a base for travelers who want to spend time in the village and on coconut farms. Ferry to Bangaram Island Beach Resort (doubles from $409) and practice yoga amid the palms.

T+L Tip: Take an evening boat excursion to tiny Tinnakara Island, 45 minutes from Bangaram, where phosphorescent plankton bathe the shore in a bluish glow.

Best Secret Islands on Earth 2010

Philippines: Siargao Island

Great Value Siargao, a teardrop-shaped, 169-square-mile getaway an hour’s flight from Cebu, was discovered by surfers for its right-breaking wave known as Cloud 9. But surf shacks are giving way to hotels. The eight Javanese-inspired villas at Pansukian Tropical Resort (doubles from $174) are located on the island’s southernmost tip. Kalinaw Resort (doubles from $152) has five cottages on Cloud 9 beach. Surfing is still a draw, and most resorts arrange lessons; or rent mountain bikes from Island Bike and pedal through rice patties.

T+L Tip: Visit Pansukian’s shell museum to see the hotel owners’ collectio. 

Mauritius: Ile des Deux Cocos

If you’re headed to the far reaches of the Indian Ocean, bypass such popular destinations as Grand Baie and Port Louis in favor of Ile des Deux Cocos, a 12-acre isle covered in filaos and palm trees. The only place to stay is Petite Folie (doubles from $2,869), a Moorish-style two-bedroom villa built a century ago by British governor Hesketh Bell. Play castaway on deserted beaches, go for a ride in the crewed speedboat, ask the 24-hour butler for a poolside lobster lunch or tandoori chicken and grilled marlin served in the marble dining room. Be sure to make time for a soak in the hot tub.

T+L Tip: Arrange in advance with a staffer for a trio of musicians to perform a traditional serenade during dinner.

California: East Brother Island

On this one-acre islet, East Brother Light Station (doubles from $315), a restored Victorian lighthouse that once guided ships from the San Pablo Strait to the San Francisco stockyards, has been transformed into an all-inclusive five-room inn—it’s the only place to stay on the island. After arriving via a 10-minute motorboat ride from Point San Pablo, guests are welcomed with a flute of Domaine Chandon champagne. Climb to the third-story platform, which looks out over Mount Tamalpais State Park. In the morning, innkeepers Ed and Anne Witts (both experts on harbor lore) serve a hearty breakfast: pain au chocolat, herbed eggs, and fresh-roasted coffee.

T+L Tip: Ask for either the West Brother room (with a four-poster bed and views of Marin County) or Two Sisters, for a private fireplace.

Oregon: Sauvie Island

Maine: Little Cranberry Island

Florida: Pigeon Key, Seabird Key, and East Sister Rock

For the ultimate dropout Keys experience, board the ferry to a cluster of unassuming islands off Marathon, including Pigeon Key, a three-acre green that housed the railroad builders who constructed the Seven Mile Bridge to Key West in 1912. Today it’s a charming museum complex surrounded by grassy fields and shady palm trees. Take refuge on a nearby private island. The 10-acre Seabird Key ($5,595 a week for four) is set up with a canoe, bikes, and a sailboat. Nearby, East Sister Rock ($5,000 a week) has a three-bedroom house with a wraparound veranda and a small dock.

T+L Tip: In Marathon, lunch at the Keys Fisheries Market & Marina (lunch for two $31). Regulars order stone crab claws and Key lime 

British Columbia: Langara Island

On 8,000-acre Langara, the northernmost spot in the Haida Gwaii—formerly Queen Charlotte—archipelago (reachable via a two-hour flight from Vancouver), sea lions crowd rocky inlets, ravens soar over moss-covered cedars, and orcas and humpback whales migrate within the Pacific. Get close to the wildlife with the West Coast Fishing Club (four days from $5,570 per person, all-inclusive), an outfitter that arranges four-day guided tours with stays in a hilltop timber lodge. The best dinner option is the hotel’s cliff-top Solarium, where chef Ryan Stone cooks with a decidedly Pacific Northwest flair; prawns with anise-liqueur espuma are a specialty.

T+L Tip: For a lesson in Canadian history, visit the Haida Indian cultural center—with dugout canoes and burial caves on display—on 

All eyes were on Vancouver this winter, but the cold kept visitors from opting for the two-hour ferry ride south to British Columbia’s Southern Gulf Islands. On North and South Pender—actually two islets united by a one-lane bridge—temperate rain forest abuts a scalloped coastline that was once the stomping ground of rumrunners during Prohibition. For panoramas of the rocky shore and snowcapped mountains, reserve one of the three rooms at Sahhali Luxury Oceanfront Bed & Breakfast (Update: this property has since closed), set atop a 400-foot bluff. On the less populated south island, there’s Poet’s Cove Resort & Spa (doubles from $290), a 46-guest-room resort with en suite soaking tubs and fireplaces and a 110-slip marina.

T+L Tip: Join up-at-dawn locals at the Sunday farmers’ market for just-baked cinnamon buns and focaccia bread.

Quebec: Îles de la Madeleine

Great Value Were it not for the gusty winds that sweep along the beaches of Îles de la Madeleine, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 130 miles by plane from mainland Quebec, the dozen-island atoll may have remained isolated forever. But now a growing sailing and windsurfing community books far in advance for one of the 10 renovated rooms at the convent turned hotel Domaine du Vieux Couvent (doubles from $190, including breakfast). For an experience that’s even farther off the beaten path, take a 50-minute ferry ride to L’Île-d’Entrée, a favorite fishing spot.

T+L Tip: Adventure seekers should arrange an afternoon of windsurfing through Aerosport, the most experienced local outfitter.

France: Île d’Ouessant

Great Value Also known as “L’Île des Femmes” after the women who lived here while their fishermen husbands were at sea, this island is Europe’s westernmost outpost and one of the Continent’s most overlooked hideaways. Rent a bike or hop a shuttle to the town of Lampaul, where you’ll find crafts shops and crêpes, a specialty in Brittany. Ti Jan Ar C’hafé guesthouse (doubles from $107), half a mile inland, has eight spare rooms. Open the windows to hear the sounds of the Siberian birds that nest nearby each spring.

T+L Tip: Tour two of the island’s five lighthouses, all located near the port of Stiff, then return to France’s mainland on a ferry to Brest or Le Conquet.

Italy: Favignana

On this butterfly-shaped island five miles off Sicily’s western coast, the breeze is scented with jasmine, and locals still catch bluefin tuna with large nets and spears. The 46-room Hotel Tempo di Mare (doubles from $312), a tidy property with private balconies, overlooks nearby Levanzo Island. Trattoria Due Colonne (dinner for two $60) doubles as the town hall and serves caponata, a Sicilian staple of eggplant, olives, capers, and tomatoes.

T+L Tip: Stock up on picnic supplies including cured tuna bresaola at La Casa del Tonno, then head out to Cala Rossa, a secluded cove 

Greece: Alónnisos

Great Value Fourteen-mile-long Alónnisos, in Greece’s Northern Sporades, is the setting of one of the country’s two marine parks (established to protect the area’s biodiversity), which is home to the endangered Mediterranean monk seal. The island is awash with color: fields of ruby-red flowers, pale yellow cliffs, and green olive groves. There are also ancient villages, pebble beaches, and walking trails to explore. Five minutes by car from the harbor, the Atrium Hotel (doubles from $205) has 29 rooms recently updated with mosaic tiling and cheery curtains, chairs, and bedspreads. Dine at Tassia Taverna (dinner for two $123), in Steni-Vala, for chef-owner Tassia Dendrinou’s lobster spaghetti.

T+L Tip: Alónnisos is home to more than 25 churches, some dating back to the 16th century. Take a tour, available through the Alónnisos Walking Club (alonnisoswalks.co.uk).

Turkey: Bozcaada Island

With its Ottoman-Greek whitewashed houses clustered around the harbor and its lack of tourism, Bozcaada, one of Turkey’s two Aegean islands, is an insider’s secret. The other attraction? Its 2,000-year-old wine-making tradition, currently experiencing a renaissance. At theCorvus winery, former architect Resit Soley is producing the country’s most sought-after bottles. Where to stay? Try Kaikias (doubles from $156), with 22 rustic-chic rooms in the shadow of a Byzantine fortress. Don’t miss the red mullet and smoked octopus at the 110-year-old Lodos (dinner for two $30).

Mexico: Espíritu Santo

Great Value It’s not easy to find an undiscovered Mexican beach getaway, but a collection of islotes off Baja California Sur’s eastern shore remain pristine desert-island paradises. Instead of miles of resorts, you’ll find white-sand coasts and crimson peaks filled withUnesco-protected wildlife. The most inviting is Espíritu Santo, a volcanic speck with shallow inlets that lies 15 miles from La Paz. To get there, sign up for a one- to five-day cruise with the eco-minded Baja Expeditions (from $260 per person per night). There are no hotels

Galápagos, Ecuador: Isabela Island

Don’t tell the thousands of visitors that descend upon Santa Cruz each year, but rocky Isabela (known for its five active volcanic calderas) is the best place to see the giant tortoise and marine iguana. The sheer size of Isabela—it’s bigger than all the other Galápagos Islands combined—and its hard-to-traverse volcanes have contributed to the continued evolution of more than 2,546 species (for example, there are five types of endemic tortoise). Check out Isabela’s wildlife aboard Lindblad Expedition’s National Geographic Islander (800/397-3984; expeditions.com; 10-day cruise from $5,380 per person, double), a 48-guest, eco-friendly twin-hulled ship that navigates the island’s western coast.

The Bahamas: Eleuthera

Great Value Regulars rejoice in the fact that this 110-mile-long island, with its peaceful pink-sand beaches, has played second fiddle to its smaller celebrity-filled neighbor, Harbour Island, for decades. On the island’s northern end, all 26 rooms at Cove Eleuthera (doubles from $205) open onto expansive porches; to the south, the 32-room Pineapple Fields (doubles from $160) has a restaurant and lounge called Tippy’s (it’s one of the best in the Bahamas). The fast ferry from Nassau takes 2 1/2 hours.

British Virgin Islands: Anegada

Great Value The only coral island in the volcanic BVI chain, Anegada is also one of the largest—10 by 2 1/2 miles—and, unexpectedly, one of the most sparsely populated. An 80-minute ferry ride from Tortola (via Virgin Gorda), it is known for powdery beaches and a large flamingo population. Accommodations are simple: the Anegada Reef Hotel (doubles from $175) is a modest 17-room property that often schedules soca music during cocktail hour. Cow Wreck Beach Resort (doubles from $250) has three waterfront cottages; head to the outdoor bar for Wreck punch, made with rum—and bartender Alex Warren won’t tell you what else.

Puerto Rico: Culebra

Sleepy Culebra—20 miles east of Puerto Rico—makes Vieques, its sister island, seem downright rowdy by comparison. The hilly landscape and abundance of wildlife preserves mean that development is minimal and the tiny airport will never see much more than an 18-seat twin-prop plane. Ten beaches ring the shore; discerning travelers claim that crescent-shaped Playa Flamenco is the Caribbean’s most perfect swath of sand. The one town, Dewey, is dotted with lagoon-side cafés framed in strings of lights. Stay at Club Seabourne(doubles from $199), where the lemon-yellow cottages have private verandas on a slope facing Fulladoza Bay.

Australia: Rottnest Island

Great Value When Dutch mariners arrived on this antipodean island, they encountered the rare quokka, a marsupial that they mistook for a rodent (hence the name Rat Nest, or Rottnest). Since that unfortunate beginning, the sun-drenched reserve and its friendly, kangaroo-like inhabitants have welcomed Western Australians who take day trips via a 90-minute ferry from Perth (or 25 minutes from Fremantle) to surf and lounge on the sand. No private cars are allowed, and the residents will happily tell you that plans for a luxury resort are progressing slowly. For now, the best place to stay is Hotel Rottnest (doubles from $208), set in the former governor’s mansion overlooking Thomson Bay.