See More of the World's Best Islands
Score: 87.882Kauai, the oldest Hawaiian Island, formed when lava bubbled up from the ocean floor 5 million years. To this day, it maintains a certain sense of dignity that is not uncommon amongst the communitys elders. For example, it's defiantly more low-key than its glamorous sibling to the east, though no less dramatic. Can't-miss sights include Pali Ke Kua, or Hideaways beach, kept secret by towering black lava walls, as well as the Waimea Canyon and Na Pali Coast, both banded by scenic hiking trails and switchbacks. Development isn't unheard of here; Kauai has its famed golf courses and high-profile resorts. But nature still asserts itself in the form of the spiked Anahola Mountains and the bluffs above Hanelai Bay. From here, you get what may arguably the most impressive vista in the state: clouds evaporating over a perfect crescent moon of beach.
Photo: Jack Malipan Travel Photography / Alamy
Photo: Art Kowalsky / Alamy
Photo: Dr. Marli Miller/Visuals Unlimited/Corbis
The Migaloo Kokomo Ailand is available for order through Migaloo Submarines, which also makes custom-designed submarines and yachts.
Maui, Hawaii
See More of the World's Best Islands
Score: 87.89Hawaiis golden child appeals to everyone from gilded Hollywood celebrities to barefooted surfers. Its a veritable melting pot for the next generation, complete with buzzy cosmopolitan neighborhoods and ultra-chic resorts (enter the new Andaz Maui at Wailea with three infinity pools and an open-air lobby) as well as breathtaking natural sights to seduce visitors and natives with intrinsic force. Begin your trip with the quintessential sunrise bike ride to the 10,023-foot volcanic crater of Haleakala, or the white-knuckle scenic drive to Hana. Stop at Oheo Gulch, a string of waterfalls and ponds in Hana, for an obligatory dip.
Courtesy of Migaloo
Courtesy of Migaloo
"Living on and with the sea will be a future mega trend," Gumpold told The Huffington Post. "The island can be a first step to adapt to this new way of living."
Malta
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Score: 86.897History aficionados have long-loved this Mediterranean nation, evidence that you dont need palm trees or daiquiris to be one of the worlds most tantalizing islands. Malta has been overrun by every major empire in the region, from the Phoenicians to the Byzantines, the British to the 1.5 million tourists who flock to the islands colorful shores. Limestone cliffs are dotted with baroque churches, crumbling castle walls, and fortresses. The capital, Valletta, squeezes half a millennium of history into half a square mile, with forts and stairways that crest in unparalleled harbor views. With the debut of a new Renzo Piano-designed open-air theater, visitors can now marvel at the contrast of 21st and 16th-century architecture. Head to the Gozo for a reprieve from Vallettas frenetic energyits here that Odysseus is rumored to have spent seven years after the Trojan War. Take one look at this handsome Bronze Age island, set between Sicily and the North African coast, and you wont blame him.
Courtesy of Migaloo
Courtesy of Migaloo
And we're so onboard. But until we can afford an entire island shebang, maybewe'll start with a submarine because why not.
Courtesy of Migaloo
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The island also features laser shows, a helipad, a dance floor, a "shark feeding elevator" and a private underwater dining saloon.
Moorea, French Polynesia
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Score: 87.904This heart-shaped island levitating on the South Seas has convinced even the most selective travelers that there is such a thing as paradise on Earth, thanks to impossibly blue lagoons and rugged, rainforest-blanketed mountains. The less-trafficked sister island of Bora Bora offers coconut-strewn beaches and an intoxicating aroma of vanilla, grapefruit, and Tahitian gardenia, as well as thatched bungalows at luxe properties such as the InterContinental and views of Tahiti, only 11 miles away, at The Sofitel Moorea la Ora Beach Resort. Friendly Tahitians are full of local lore. Its believed that the beaches along Cook and Opunohu Bays was formed by the tail of a giant yellow lizard, and thatperhaps more believablyJames Micheners novel, Tales of the south Pacific, was inspired by this otherworldly land.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECNCjY6LOxE
Photo courtesy of Travaasa Destinations
Photo: George Apostolidis
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Why visit a private islandwhen you could design your own... and drive it anywhere you want?
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Pricing is determined largely by the customer's desires, said Christian Gumpold, Migaloo's managing director. He says Kokomo is better than a regular island because you can design it yourself.
The Migaloo Kokomo Ailandis taking yachting -- and luxury in general -- to a borderline ridiculous new level, with a mobile private island designthat rivals even the most elite of tropical beach clubs.
Santorini, Greece
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Score: 87.93Everything is brighter on Santorini, where blanched-white houses and blue-domed churches erupt down the sides of an ancient caldera. Highlights include the black sands of Perissa Beach, the richly preserved, prehistoric Akrotri settlement, best known as the Minoan Pompeii, and the postcard-worthy sunsets over Oia, the cliff-top village that is one of the most photographed spots in the world. Book a room at Perivolas, an adults-only resort housed in 300-year-old cave-carved dwellings that feel anything but primeval with a selection of honey and herb-scented Apivita toiletries, and an infinity pool that seems to pour into the Aegean Sea.
Courtesy of Migaloo
What. is. going. ON?!
Photo: Grand Tour Collection / Corbis
At a whopping 383 feet long (don't worry; you can customize the length to your liking), Kokomo Ailand features a penthouse hundreds of feet above sea level, a glass-bottom jacuzzi and a jungle deck with waterfall pool and lush hanging gardens. Barbecue on your beach deck complete with a pool, swim-up bar, outdoor movie theater and elevator down to a secret beach club.Stroll on the garden deck, or hit the gym and beauty salon on the spa deck.
Courtesy of Migaloo
Courtesy of Migaloo
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Tasmania, Australia
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Score: 88.32Readers raved about this Australian state, calling it a little known treasure thats unmatched by any other island destination. Its diverse and stunning landscape is nearly hallucinatory: rolling dunes covered in psychedelic banksia wildflowers, granite formations that erupt from the beaches, and the wonder of the tessellated pavement at Eaglehawk Neck. Trek the 600,000 acres of pristine coastal wilderness and look out for hyena-like Tasmanian devils, wallabies, and the duckbill platypus. Despite its remote location, Tasmania has a freestyle culinary scene, thanks to local ingredients like handpicked sea lettuce, local game like opossum, and organic Tassie wine. Best of all? The air is as clean as it is in Antarctica, making it the ideal place to take a breather.
Photo: Jack Malipan Travel Photography / Alamy
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Malta
See More of the World's Best Islands
Score: 86.897History aficionados have long-loved this Mediterranean nation, evidence that you dont need palm trees or daiquiris to be one of the worlds most tantalizing islands. Malta has been overrun by every major empire in the region, from the Phoenicians to the Byzantines, the British to the 1.5 million tourists who flock to the islands colorful shores. Limestone cliffs are dotted with baroque churches, crumbling castle walls, and fortresses. The capital, Valletta, squeezes half a millennium of history into half a square mile, with forts and stairways that crest in unparalleled harbor views. With the debut of a new Renzo Piano-designed open-air theater, visitors can now marvel at the contrast of 21st and 16th-century architecture. Head to the Gozo for a reprieve from Vallettas frenetic energyits here that Odysseus is rumored to have spent seven years after the Trojan War. Take one look at this handsome Bronze Age island, set between Sicily and the North African coast, and you wont blame him.
