Here are 5 great island destinations to visit in 2025, according to local travel agents.
Words by Marilyn Odessor-Torpey
When asked to name the hottest honeymoon spots for 2025, travel professionals unanimously chose island destinations, citing diversity and romantic aura among other attractions. While these locales all share an abundance of beautiful beaches, each one offers its own unique culture and experiences.
The Maldives
With its abundance of multihued coral reefs and thousands of species of tropical fish, “This island nation in the Indian Ocean is an outstanding destination for snorkeling and scuba diving,” says Bob Older, founder and owner of Creative Travel in Newark, Delaware. A unique experience, he notes, is to glide on and under the crystal-clear waters with a Seabob, a high-speed handheld sea scooter that makes snorkeling effortless.
For an adrenaline-rush water sport, Older suggests driving a water jet car, a combination full automobile body and Jet Ski, and flyboarding, which uses a pair of jet-powered boots to take you soaring above the sea surface. For an unparalleled sensation of exhilaration, skydiving is a signature adventure you won’t want to miss.
“A tamer and very romantic water excursion is a twilight sail on a traditional Maldivian craft called a dhoni,” he adds. “You might even spot some spinner dolphins frolicking in the waves.”
You can combine posh accommodations with exciting activities at Ayada Maldives, situated on a lush private island with its own white-sand beaches for relaxing and reef for exploring. Bright and airy beach suites and overwater villas feature oversize plunge pools and sundecks.
The best surf breaks are a short distance from Ayada Maldives, a resort situated on a lush private island with its own white-sand beaches. Adobe Stock/ shwepsa.
Each guest at Ayada is assigned a personal butler who can arrange for everything from recreational activities to spa or dinner reservations to transportation. Use of snorkeling equipment and kayaks is complimentary for guests.
“The Maldives are an exceptional surfing destination, and the resort will take you out to the best nearby breaks,” Older says. For a different kind of thrill, try windsurfing or tubing, the latter of which has been described as the equivalent of a roller-coaster ride on the ocean waves. Or admire the underwater creatures and coral colors on a glassbottom boat tour.
Land attractions include spending a day on a nearby deserted island with all the tropical ambience you can imagine or paying a visit to a local village where you can mix with the natives, see intricate textiles being woven, and learn about their customs and daily lives.
For a stellar dining experience, Older chooses The Cloud Restaurant, set on two levels for indoor or rooftop seating at the Samann Grand Hotel in Malé City, the island nation’s capital. The restaurant is renowned for its grilled lobster and tiger prawns.
Santorini, Greece
Just a ferry or puddle-jumper plane ride from Athens, Santorini in the southern Aegean Sea is a world of its own, Older says. The scenery is dramatic, from whitewashed houses precariously perched on high cliffs to multicolored beaches and golden domes that glow at sunset.
For an otherwordly experience, visit Red Beach, formed by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Adobe Stock/ Dan Breckwoldt.
A short walk from the otherworldly Red Beach, you can get a rare glimpse of life on Santorini 3,500 years ago. The prehistoric city of Akrotiri, home to the advanced Minoan civilization, was buried under tons of volcanic ash after a cataclysmic eruption in 1600 B.C., but modern archaeologists uncovered its amazingly well-preserved remnants, earning it the nickname the Pompeii of the Aegean.
Marvel at the magnificent views of the countryside, volcano, and sea from more than 600 feet above ground in a cable car in Fira. While in Fira, dine at Katsaboo, Older suggests. Set by a shimmering pool, the restaurant serves beautifully plated dishes from the local land and sea, as well as ingredients sourced right from the owners’ farm.
The scenery is dramatic in Santorini, where whitewashed houses perch on towering cliffs. Adobe Stock/ davidionut.
Older recommends staying at the Volcano View Hotel near Fira, whose architecture was inspired by Santorini’s traditional cave houses. Junior suites feature Jacuzzis and balconies or terraces boasting views of the volcano and the sea. The hotel offers all manner of transportation, ranging from private complimentary shuttles to Fira to a guided donkey taxi to a lively neighboring village. It can also help you arrange activities, like a visit to the oldest kanava (winery) on the island. Up the romance with a private candlelight dinner in a remote spot on the property, complete with sunset views.
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
The Galápagos Islands are best known for the giant, up-to-500-pound tortoises that give the islands their name. But it’s also home to a wide variety of other fascinating creatures, both above ground and underwater. A sea safari brings you up close and personal with flamingos, sea lions, blue-footed boobies, and rare tropical penguins. In fact, 95% of the land area and marine reserve are protected as Galápagos National Park.
For a romantic atmosphere, the secluded Garrapatero Beach on Santa Cruz Island offers nearly 2 miles of golden sands and clear turquoise waters for swimming and snorkeling, Older shares. The beach is also known for its abundance of wildlife, including flamingos, penguins, and pelicans.
“For an immersive adventure, book a stay at Galápagos Safari Camp situated on close to 136 acres bordering the national park on Santa Cruz,” Older suggests. “The camp will coordinate day-long shared or private boat trips to uninhabited islands where the wildlife is abundant.”
Tortoises weighing up to 500 pounds give the Galapagos Islands their name. Adobe Stock/ Longjourneys.
After a day of exploration, you will return to a spacious and comfortable African safari-inspired tent, one of only nine at the camp, to relax on a hammock on your private balcony deck. You will sleep undisturbed by the sounds of civilization and awaken to the songs of native birds.
In addition to land-based safaris, the camp will also arrange to take you out on the water for a fishing experience. When you return, the chef will prepare your catch any way you like for dinner. If you don’t fish, you can still feast on such specialties as grouper in an Ecuadorian coconut sauce, wahoo ceviche with sweetpotato cubes, and marinated roasted pork with passion fruit sauce.
Fiji
When Ian Swain, president and owner of Swain Destinations in Haverford, Pennsylvania, recalls his visits to Fiji, a country of 300 islands, he thinks of the “intoxicating smiles” of the islands’ inhabitants and their spirit of “bula,” wishing guests a warm greeting.
“A custom every visitor should experience is the kava, named after the national drink and central to the islands’ culture,” Swain says. The drink at the heart of the ceremony, the purpose of which is to bring people together, is made from the crushed root of the yaqona plant, related to the pepper plant and drunk from a communal bowl called the tanoa that is passed around among the participants sitting in a circle. Following the ceremony is a celebration of music and dance.
If you stay at the Namale Resort and Spa, an all-inclusive property set amid 525 acres of lush landscape on the jungle-, mountain-, and palm tree-studded beach island of Vanua Levu, you can experience a traditional kava ceremony. At Namale, you can also attend a meke performance— traditional storytelling songs and dances.
Another event that Swain considers a don’t-miss is a lovo, a community feast consisting of chicken, fish, and pork wrapped in palm fronds or banana leaves, root vegetables, and wild yams placed into a hot stone-lined pit covered with earth and coconut palm leaves. At Namale, the food is served buffet-style in its Walu restaurant.
If these tastes of Fijian culture whet your appetite to learn more about native life, the resort can arrange for a guided visit to a nearby village or the open-air market in a neighboring town.
In Fiji, wood-and-thatch cabins and villas called bures are popular and can be found at a number of luxury resorts. During your stay, discover the island’s beautiful rainforests and hidden waterfalls. Adobe Stock/ donyanedomam.
For a romantic interlude, Swain says, the two of you could take a hike through virgin rainforest to discover a beautiful hidden waterfall or walk the reefs to an ocean blowhole, which shoots a dazzling spray of sea water high in the sky.
Accommodations at the resort are inspired by Fijian architecture. Bures (wood and thatch cabins) and villas are surrounded by fragrant gardens that you can enjoy from your outdoor deck. Honeymoon Bures include private plunge pools. Three lavish meals and a range of recreational land and water activities are included with your stay.
New Zealand
Swain encourages couples to rent a car or private guide to take in the range of landscapes on the North Island with its rolling hills and the South Island with its Swiss Alps-like mountains and glaciers. In Queenstown, on the South Island, winter—June till the end of August—is for skiing and snowboarding; the rest of the year is for whitewater rafting, jet boating, bungee (or bungy as it’s spelled there) jumping, and mountain biking.
One of the most scenic and challenging championship golf courses in the world is Jack’s Point in Queenstown. For a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Swain says, take a helicopter 4,500 feet up into the Southern Alps to drive, chip, and putt on the top. The copter will drop you off at Jack’s Point to continue your game.
New Zealand is famous for its wines, producing varietals in numerous regions of the country. For a taste of its widely acclaimed sauvignon blanc, visit some of the 168 wineries in Marlborough, the nation’s largest wine producing region, on the South Island.
In the city of Christchurch is Otahuna Lodge, which Swain says has one of the finest chefs on the island. Dinner is a daily changing, four-course degustation menu using ingredients sourced from the estate’s kitchen garden and orchard.
In Queenstown, on the South Island, winter—June till the end of August—is for skiing and snowboarding; the rest of the year is for hiking, whitewater rafting, jet boating, bungee jumping, and mountain biking. Courtesy of Tourism New Zealand.
Immerse yourself in the 2,000-year-old culture of the Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, at Mitai Māori Village in the North Island city of Rotorua. Here you can take in a cultural performance and sample traditional foods at a luau-like hāngï feast.
At Annandale, a working coastal sheep and cattle farm in Akaroa on the South Island, five sumptuous, contemporary, and secluded (you arrive via helicopter or 4WD) villas await. Seascape, with its turf roof, stone walls, and glass façade, and the Shepherd’s Cottage set high on a hill with clear views of the Pacific Ocean and the snowy mountain peaks of the Kaikōura Ranges are perfect for couples. Meals can be delivered to your villa, or you can hire your own personal chef for special romantic meals.