2025 Readers' Choice Awards: Best beach or island escape

Winner: Maldives

Why you love it…

The Maldives captivates with its silky turquoise seas, sugar-white sands and overwater villas that stand in the ocean like the skinny-legged maakana (grey heron). Fall into a pattern of swinging in a hammock, swimming in the tranquil lagoons, fine dining under starlit skies and enjoying barefoot-chic island resorts where the scene is set for relaxation and romance.

Hot tip…

As well as making waves as a luxury surf destination, the archipelagic country in the Indian Ocean is known for its coral reefs teeming with marine life.

Runners-up

Fiji

Fiji is one of the most welcoming nations on the planet. The only acceptable topics on the agenda in the archipelagic nation are whether to go for another swim or siesta, making it a top spot for the old flop-and-drop.

Hawai‘i

The Hawaiian Islands are a fantasy world for lovers of a beachy getaway: the coconuts and pineapples taste better than ever, and the ubiquitous tinkling of ukuleles is an enthralling soundtrack. Use mai tais at sunset as the starting point for making new friends.

Bali

Forget Eat Pray Love. Add doze, meditate, read, surf, sleep, repeat to the mix when you next visit Bali. Barricade yourself behind a wall tumbling with bougainvillea at your luxe villa and grab a Gojek driver for the day so you can bounce between beach clubs.

Thailand

Drift in and out of a soporific delirium while glued to your day bed in Thailand. Swim in water that is a shade of blue so vivid Dulux might like to draw from it. And stay tightly bound to your nightly schedule of a jungle curry followed by banana pancakes.

For all the winners and runners-up, visit our 2025 Readers’ Choice hub.