No man is an island, but he very much likes to spend summer on one. These remote, harder-to-reach destinations — from sleepier neighbours to a bigger hub (Ischia instead of Capri; Alderney instead of Jersey), to places you may have never heard of — offer seclusion and serenity. We’ve picked the not-completely-deserted islands for the romantic Robinson Crusoes out there (to visit with your partner, and not a random but loyal butler) — read on for the best island holidays for couples hoping to be cast away this summer…
L’ÎLE-D’YEU
VENDÉE, FRANCE
L’Île-D’Yeu
The French have lots of chic, holiday-playground islands they’ve long kept secret, and another that’s flown under the radar is L’Île-D’Yeu, just off the Vendée coast in the west of France. As with most chic, holiday-playground islands, cycling around is mandatory, preferably en route to a breezy beach and with a baguette fresh from a boulangerie in your basket.
Where Île de Ré has oysters, L’Île-D’Yeu has tuna and lobster: the island’s two harbours are famous for fishing, with smoked fish, rillettes and terrines some of the local specialities. Hit the high seas at Les Hautes Mers, part of the Domaines de Fontenille group, which has outposts in Provence, Menorca and Tuscany. Here on L’Île-D’Yeu, the group has nabbed the privileged position of being the only hotel on the oceanfront, with the Atlantic on show in the restaurant.
ALDERNEY
CHANNEL ISLANDS, UK
Adrift in the English Channel and closer to France than mainland Britain, Alderney sees far fewer visitors than Jersey and Guernsey. The northernmost inhabited isle of the Channel Islands archipelago may be small, but it’s just as captivating as its siblings — especially if your version of paradise features no traffic, crowds or queues. The tiny — just three miles long and a mile and a half wide — isle has empty stretches of golden beaches, cute indie boutiques to browse in what passes for a town and, inevitably, a slow pace of life.
Set on the cobblestoned streets of Saint Anne, The Blonde Hedgehog is a boutique hotel in a converted public house. If you want to take the seclusion seriously, book the self-contained 18th-century cottage, with a freestanding bath tub and a fireplace for peak cosiness.
GIGLIO
TUSCAN ARCHIPELAGO, ITALY
La Guardia
The picturesque speck of Giglio, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, was made for an idyllic small-island holiday. It’s part of the Tuscan Archipelago, the most famous island of which is Elba, likely because Napoleon was once exiled there. As with many of the best island destinations, it’s accessible only by sea — you’ll have to take a voyage worthy of an admiral to reach it, flying into Rome, travelling overland to Porto Santo Stefano and then crossing to Giglio by boat. You’ll disembark at the port on the east coast of the island.
Giglio is just nine square-miles in size, but what it lacks in area it more than makes up for in natural beauty: hidden coves, clear water, a craggy coastline and granite outcrops. With cars banned until the 1950s, the petite island has very few roads — and those it does have are better navigated by bicycle or a vintage Piaggio Ape. At La Guardia, you can keep watch from the highest building on the island over the mesmerising sea (boats, whale calves and dolphins have all been known to dot the horizon) and join in with aperitivo o’clock daily.
ISCHIA
CAMPANIAN ARCHIPELAGO, ITALY
Move over, Capri — Ischia is where it’s at, especially if you’re a glamorous, in-the-know Italian (we can dream). Capri may have the annual seasonal hordes and the undisputed glitz, but quieter Ischia is just as fabulous, only less frequented. The volcanic island in the Gulf of Naples is home to Roman ruins, rock pools (heated by volcanic activity, of course) and scenic sandy beaches, along with photogenic towns like Lacco Ameno, located at the base of Mount Epomeo. On a small tidal island to the east is the mediaeval Aragonese Castle, connected to Ischia via a stone bridge.
We can’t think of a more romantic couples holiday than a stay in an isolated, wave-lapped lighthouse — so for the best vantage points, locate Faro Punta Imperatore, a hotel set inside an old beacon on a remote corner of the island. There are just four perfectly proportioned suites, each with a mesmerising view of the Gulf of Naples.
SKYROS
SPORADES, GREECE
Skyros
Greek mythology obsessives will enjoy a trip to Skyros, where Achilles pretended to be a girl named Pyrrha at the court of Lycomedes to avoid fighting in the Trojan War. The island is in the Sporades, until now most famous for supplying the backdrop to the first Mamma Mia! film. If it’s the filming locations you’re looking for, reroute to Skiathos and Skopelos.
But for a secret island holiday for couples that hate musicals, it doesn’t get better than Skyros, the southernmost Sporade. You can fly here from Athens and Thessaloniki, or arrive by ferry from the port of Kymi on the more sizeable isle of Evia. At Aleró Seaside Resort, you can be sure of some classic Greek sugar-cube architecture, with Aegean-facing terraces and private plunge pools completing your Philhellene’s dream stay.
FOLEGANDROS
CYCLADES, GREECE
Mykonos and Santorini may have the international airports and the cruise-ship-receiving harbours, but for visitors to the Cyclades digging for treasure, the islands that are harder to reach are more likely to pay dividends. The miniature island of Folegandros is near Sikinos, Milos and Ios in the Aegean Sea, with an out-of-season population of just 700 and a solitary road stretching from one end to the other. As with many dreamy Greek destinations, the best beaches are so isolated that they can only be reached by boat.
New to its shores last summer was Gundari hotel, an architecturally ambitious project with suites clinging to the cliffs on the southern shoreline. There are three restaurants and two bars at the hotel, with star chef Lefteris Lazarou (the first Greek chef to earn a Michelin star) overseeing the cuisine. Spend your days scuba-diving or snorkelling, cooking with a local yiayia (grandmother), hiking ancient trails and touring the island on an electric bicycle.
ANTIPAROS
CYCLADES, GREECE
The Rooster
The sleepier antidote to its much more cosmopolitan big sister Paros, Antiparos is one of those Greek islands for time-travellers in search of the Fifties. It’s still rural and undeveloped, with a pretty port town that has excellent shopping opportunities and is ready to receive daytrippers visiting on the ferry from Paros. A little away from the action, The Rooster hotel is formed from secluded high-spec bungalows that are dotted throughout its grounds, with a farm and bakery (producing delicious sourdough and focaccia to keep an eye out for at mealtimes) a short drive away.
The Rooster’s owner spent her childhood summers on the island and she wants no part in its potential destruction by future mass-tourism, which is why her hotel blends so seamlessly into its surroundings. You can barely see it, it camouflages so well with the backdrop; especially when you look back up from the beach set just below the resort. At night, the paths are low-lit, so local wildlife isn’t disturbed. The romance peaks over sundowners on the terrace, but stays level during dinner in the courtyard. And if somehow you weren’t feeling completely blissed out already, simply head to the hotel’s ayurvedic spa.
HYDRA
SARONIC ISLANDS, GREECE
How we love heavenly Hydra, where the roads aren’t big enough for cars, so donkeys are still employed for transit purposes, where hotels and beaches are reached by boat, and where Leonard Cohen met Marianne. If those aren’t enough reasons to visit, allow us to introduce Mandraki Beach Resort. The hotel is on the bohemian isle’s only fully sandy shore and was once a naval base and shipyard for Admiral Miaoulis, a key player in the Greek War of Independence.
There’s a floating dock plus sea-edge sunloungers to stake out, so you’ll have time to contemplate your own muse and artistic leanings. Couples will love the Tower Suite for some starry-eyed sea-gazing, with its own alfresco spot for sundowners. Pack a copy of Polly Samson’s novel A Theatre for Dreamers to immerse yourself in the Hydra of the Sixties, when it attracted writers, musicians and painters, including Cohen himself. You can thank us later.
FORMENTERA
BALEARIC ISLANDS, SPAIN
Teranka
Mallorca and Ibiza may hog most of the Balearic footfall, but for those in search of something a little sleepier, Formentera (and its white-sand beaches and clear turquoise waters) has been stealthily attempting to overthrow the crown for a while now. It’s closest to Ibiza, so fly there then catch a ferry if a super-yacht isn’t available. The quiet isle is a far cry from Ibiza’s beach bars and super-clubs, though it does have some rather good restaurants and laidback places for lazing.
At Teranka, beach-loving bohemians will be as at peace as they are on the White Isle, only without the bleary-eyed revellers wandering in at breakfast. It’s just behind Es Migjorn beach, with a pine-forest backdrop, an impressive art collection and a wellness offering on hand for a spiritual stay to outdo even Ibiza’s special energy.
HVAR
CROATIA
Just off Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast is the glitzy island of Hvar, the main hotspot on which is the ancient town of Stari Grad, which translates to ‘old town’ — and it certainly lives up to its name. It’s one of the oldest towns in Europe, inhabited since Greek settlers arrived from the island of Paros in 384 BC. The most ancient quarter now forms a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Maslina Resort promises its guests peaceful Adriatic-edge shores, a design that blends sympathetically with its setting, snapshot-ready swimming pools and a superb spa — all within walking distance of Stari Grad, which is just along the bay when you’re ready for your history lesson.
Prefer to be marooned on a mainland or a larger landmass? See more romantic holidays for couples