A BEACH FOR TWO. A PRIVATE GETAWAY ISLAND. A CANDLELIT DINNER UNDER blankets of stars. Lagoons filled with tropical marine life wrapped in the soft caress of a warm sea. And endless unforgettable adventures -- experiences made perfect by a lover's glance, by a mutual thrill of discovery or a thousand memories of a journey shared. We've searched the world of islands to fi nd the most incredible escapes yet dreamed up by the indulgent mind of man and the never-ending creativity of nature. These are places where nature and nurture have worked in concert to enliven your senses -- places where you can head out and explore or settle in and let the simple joy of a dreamy beach sweep you away. Places that inspire a tingle of romance to make its slow way up your spine, into your heart and into the arms of the one you love.
St. Barts
I'm sitting at a table overlooking the reef surrounding On the Rocks. The restaurant is perched on a cliff that jetties out into St. Jean Bay, on the north side of the French West Indies island of St. Barts. Through the dusky light I look out over the water as a sea turtle bobs its head into view. A spray of cottages, lit from within, freckles the hillside in the distance. Read More
Haggerstone Island
I had heard whispers of haggerstone -- a tiny, remote, castaway island resort on the northern tip of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, hand-built by an adventurous couple in Robinson Crusoe fashion. To find out if there is such a place, I hop into a six-seat plane in Cairns, North Queensland's largest town, and fly north, first over virgin rainforest and then the indigo sea, which is dotted with lime-green reefs that look like giant lily pads. The airport: a clay landing strip on nearby Hicks Island. Baggage handling: by tractor. Read More
Santorini
I'm stretched out on a giant sunbed at a cliff-top infinity pool, perched 300 feet above the shimmering Aegean Sea, munching a honeydrenched baklava that a young Adonis clad in white has just brought me, along with iced drinks. I can't think of one good reason to move from this spot at the Kirini Hotel, particularly now that the late afternoon light has lost its silver haze and the colors are taking on a deeper hue. Read More
Fregate Island
I'd opened the doors and windows of my villa the night before. As if carried by the first fingers of daybreak, the soft breeze of morning stirs through the room and causes the sheer curtains of my canopy bed to billow quietly around me. It's like awakening in a cloud. Read More
Young Island
At some point 15 years ago when i first stayed here, Young Island became my fountain of youth, a good-luck stop whenever I found myself in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (which was often). As I swing in a hammock beneath a thatchedpalm overhang, getting sleepy, I trick myself once again into thinking that, when in reality I'm actually losing years. Read More