Don’t want to be the 100th person in your FB feed to post pics of your holiday to Miami or Bali? How does an endless horizon of crystal clear water and warm white sand between your toes sound? Why not do something a little different for your next getaway? Something off-the-beaten-path. Forego the stressful big city visits filled with touristy to-dos and the pressure to go, eat, and see all the things. Imagine yourself instead on a remote beach, turquoise water calmly washing onto the sand, the sun shining down on you, seagulls quietly singing in the distance. Now we’re talking.
Because every travelette deserves a relaxing holiday in paradise, we’ve rounded up our top 5 off-the-beaten-path island getaways.
1. Ko Lipe
A small island tucked away in the Adang-Rawi Archipelago of southwest Thailand, Ko Lipe is the perfect place to escape your day-to-day. With three main beaches (Hat Priming, Hat Chao Ley, and Pattaya Beach), you’re certain to find the perfect spot to spend the day – or, who are we kidding?, the whole week! Fancy a dip in the pristine waters? Ko Lipe has 25% percent of the worlds tropical fish species, a real sight for snorkelers.
2. Cape Verde
Winter blues get you down? With year-round sun pretty much guaranteed, you can’t go wrong in Cape Verde. Located 500 km off the coast of Senegal, Cape Verde is picture perfect and largely untouched by tourism. Relax on miles of white sand backed by Sahara-like dunes, cool off with a cocktail at one of the many chilled-out beach bars, or explore the caves, shipwrecks and rainbow-colored reefs.
3. Tonga
Officially the Kingdom of Tonga in Polynesia, this archipelago has over 160 islands scattered about in the Pacific Ocean. Start in Tongatapu, the main island which is comprised and surrounded by coral reefs. From there you can island-hop to the neighbouring islands of Nuku’alofa or Pangaimotu. Also enjoyable in Tonga, a rich-cultural experience complete with unique (and delicious) food and drink.
4. São Tomé & Príncipe
Set upon two volcanic rocks in the Gulf of Guinea, São Tomé & Príncipe (Africa’s second smallest country) provide the perfect place for a secluded island getaway. With miles upon miles of perfectly palm-lined beaches and lots of opportunities to explore in the rainforests and soaring volcanic peaks, you’ll have the option to do it all… or nothing, your choice.
5. Hithadoo
We’ve written about beautiful trips to the Maldives before so there’s no surprise that it made this list. A few years ago, tourism opened up so that visitors can now stay on the many remote local islands. Skip the massive resorts and experience this paradise like a local on the islands of Hithadoo, Laamu, Hulhumale or Himmafushi!
Do these picture-perfect destinations make you want to book a flight asap as much as they do for me? Have you discovered other secluded paradises that should be added to this list? Let us know in the comments below!
