Beach and island holidays

Adventure holidays

17 outlying islands more striking than their big-name neighbours

So don’t just think of Sicily or Shikoku, New Caledonia or Bali as a single main island. Get out to the fringes, away from the predictable, and you’re in for a treat. Here are some top alternative islands waiting to be explored.

by Brian Johnston

Tayrona National Park: improbable beauty.

Colombia

This spectacular coast is like nowhere else

Colombia offers wildlife, landscapes and cultures you simply can’t find in any other South American nation.

by Rob McFarland

There are now three non-stop Jetstar flights each week from Sydney to Rarotonga.

Cook Islands

Pacific’s ‘best-kept secret’ islands are now easier to get to

The Cook Islands might not seem all that secret, but 99 per cent of Australians don’t know where they are.

by Craig Tansley

The all-suite resort features private beachfront pool villas.

Thailand

I didn’t believe in ‘wellness’ holidays. This resort changed my mind

Holidays, for me, are not about healing. If anything my body is made worse by taking trips.

by Ben Groundwater

A beach on Kefalonia and the clear emerald blue Ionian Sea.

Ocean cruises

I went on a mission to find the best beach in the Greek Islands. Here’s what I found

I’m on my own Greek odyssey, propelled by a love of sand, sun and saltwater, and aiming to find the best beach in every port we visit.

by Kristie Kellahan

Vanuatu

Australian-owned Pacific resort makes a comeback after devastation

Get a glimpse of Vanuatu’s Melanesian culture at an Australian-owned resort on the island of Espiritu Santo.

by Sheriden Rhodes

Europe

12 spectacular secret Mediterranean islands tourists don’t know about

It may seem as if the whole world is holidaying on the same select islands in the Med, which is crazy because there are so many to choose from. Here is our list of much more deserted isles - but don’t tell anyone.