Introduction

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About This Book

That Robinson Crusoe fantasy runs deep. Its perpetual appeal lies behind the success of movies and TV shows from South Pacific to Swiss Family Robinson to Castaway, Gilligan’s Island to Lost. The tried-and-true chat-show quiz—“What five books (or five CDs, or five people) would you take if you were stranded on a desert island?”—causes us all to mentally drift off for a moment, plotting our getaway.

So what is it about islands that makes them so intriguing? Whether it’s a tropical speck in the midst of a vast ocean, or a tree-shrouded hummock in the river of a great city, it’s still somehow set apart, unique, proud, lonely, even mysterious. The waters around it ineffably define it, in a way that no plot of mainland can be defined. And because effort is required to get there—whether it’s simply driving across a bridge or chartering a private plane—once you’ve reached its shores, you know you’re somewhere different.

Why These Islands?

As with other books in this 500 Places series, 500 Extraordinary Islands began to take shape as a sort of life list—how many islands have you been to, and which have you always dreamed of seeing? When we four writers began this project, we all had our favorite islands to nominate. In some cases, we had to draw straws to decide who’d get the honor of writing about certain beloved places.

But as our final list evolved—500 is a lot of islands, but there were thousands of others we might have included—we found ourselves broadening the definition, expanding our concept of what makes an island alluring. After all, even a peninsula can qualify as an island, if it still feels cut off from the land to which it is technically attached, if only at low tide. So many different forces gave birth to these islands—some are the protruding tops of tropical coral reefs or the geothermal peaks of volcanoes, while others were rock-carved by glaciers or softly piled-up silt and sand. Some are entirely man-made; on others, nature now runs wild over ancient relics of habitation.

An entire country—even a continent, like Antarctica—can be considered an island if its character has been defined by its strategic isolation. (Great Britain and Australia tempted us, but we knew we couldn’t cover them fairly in a one-page write-up—so we compensated by covering dozens of their outlying islands, fascinating in their own right.) Does an archipelago qualify as a single destination (like the Philippines) or should we treat its various islands separately (as we did with Indonesia)? In compiling our list, we ended up trusting our travelers’ instinct—what routes are best developed, and what do most visitors go there for? We debated how to include New Zealand, Japan, and Greece, nations composed of several large islands, each with its own history and character and natural beauty. Rather than give their various islands short shrift, we’ve sprinkled them liberally throughout the book. Our main criterion was simple: We wanted to offer the 500 islands you’d most want to visit—or perhaps stay on forever.

How This Book Is Organized

Traditional travel guides are usually arranged geographically—but this is no traditional travel guide. As a traveler, you already know what aspects of a destination you’re most interested in. That’s why we’ve organized this book to showcase each island’s most compelling reason to visit (although certain islands could have fit into any of several chapters). The first chapter, “Beachcomber Islands,” is for travelers who always want to chalk up some sun worshiping, snorkeling, and diving. If you find yourself drawn instead to the lush greenery behind the beach, or the rolling farmlands at the island’s heart, then the next chapter, “Garden Islands,” is for you. Nature lovers who bring their binoculars and cameras on vacation, hoping to spot native birds and animals, should pore over “Wildlife Islands,” a rich trove of places where island isolation has allowed endemic species to flourish.

Island isolation is also the key to “Island Escapes”—that chapter highlights islands that are especially quiet, laid-back, relaxing, and off the beaten track. “Treasure Islands” is devoted to island jewels that offer unique, one-of-a-kind qualities. “Pleasure Islands” covers sybaritic spots where nightlife and creature comforts rule; “Leisure Islands” focuses on destinations geared for active travelers, who prime their vacations with sports and outdoor adventures. “Islands of History” looks at islands with a vivid heritage, from bloody battles to pirate raids to literary associations. “Islands of Mystery” are just that—places with a slightly spooky or surreal aura, created by natural phenomena, baffling history, spiritual associations, or native myths.

“Island Cities” celebrates bustling modern cities that are set entirely on islands, whereas “City Islands” looks at island refuges tucked away within various metropolitan areas. “Island Nations” celebrates several self-contained island countries whose history has been defined by their island status. The last chapter, “Ends of the Earth,” explores especially remote destinations—hard to get to, but well worth the effort.

Threaded throughout the book, you’ll also find our Island Hopping features—overviews of island chains well worth skipping around. Why content yourself with the traditional entry point when the chain’s real charm may lie on its smaller, more remote islands?

When it comes time to plan your vacation, flip to the geographic index at the end of the book—that’ll help you locate all the islands in geographic proximity to your chosen destination.

A Note on Transport, Tours & Hotels

By definition, an island requires some extra effort to get to. An essential element of every island write-up, therefore, is information on how to reach the place—whether you drive across a bridge, take a ferry or excursion boat, rent a sailboat or kayak, or fly into an island airport. (Sometimes the trip is half the fun!) In some more far-flung cases, tour operators provide the most reliable means of reaching the island, and we’ve added that information where applicable. Many islands are also highly seasonal in nature, cut off by rough water or harsh weather at certain times of year, all hotels and attractions shut up tight, ferry services closed down. We’ve made special note when that is the case.

Note that phone numbers listed begin with international dialing codes—if you’re dialing from within that country, drop the first set of numbers and add 0 before the regional dialing code. (In some cases, a 0 may need to be added or deleted before the regional dialing code when dialing from abroad.) U.S. and Canadian numbers, however, don’t list the international prefix, which is 1.

At the end of every write-up, you’ll also find a couple of brief recommendations of places to stay while visiting that island. (For more choices and detailed information, consult the corresponding Frommer’s guide or www.frommers.com for that destination.) In some cases, it may be the only hotel on that island; in others where there are no lodgings, the best we could do was to suggest a hotel near the ferry docks or bridge. Hotel rates are noted in three price ranges—$$$ (expensive), $$ (moderate), and $ (inexpensive)—but that’s relative to local hotel rates, which vary wildly around the world. (A $125-per-night motel room in Indonesia would be extravagant, but you’d be lucky to find something minimally decent for that rate in Manhattan.) In the time-honored Frommer’s tradition, we list affordable options when available—but when it comes to islands, that’s often trumped by the law of supply and demand. If you want to stay on certain islands, you’ll have to pay for the privilege. Of course, on other islands the only options are humble indeed—you won’t pay much, but don’t expect luxury!