Every year, Condé Nast Traveler asks its readers to rank the travel experiences they love most, and the 2026 Readers' Choice Awards drew a huge response: 798,867 votes across the 39th edition of the awards. Among the categories is one of the most hotly contested for American travellers — the best islands in the United States.
The islands list is a readers' poll rather than an editors' pick, which makes it a useful temperature check on where American travellers are actually heading. The winners sit in a gallery on the Condé Nast Traveler site, updated with fresh information since the awards were first published, alongside the full set of 2026 winners spanning hotels, resorts, cruises, spas and cities.
The broader results give a sense of the mood behind the island votes. Readers gravitated towards palace hotels in Morocco, river cruises on the Amazon, and the pull of New York City — a spread that suggests appetite for both far-flung, once-in-a-lifetime trips and classic domestic favourites. US islands fit that second mood neatly: no passport needed for American citizens, easy flight connections, and a reliable mix of beaches, small towns and outdoor time.
When travellers talk about the best US islands, the usual suspects tend to dominate any ranking — Hawaii's Big Island, Maui and Kauai; Hilton Head and the barrier islands of the Southeast; Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Maine's offshore gems; the Florida Keys; and Puerto Rico's Vieques and Culebra out in the Caribbean basin. The appeal differs wildly: Hawaiian islands offer volcanoes, hiking and world-class surf, the Atlantic islands lean on sailing, seafood and colonial-era charm, and the Keys trade in a laid-back, drive-it-yourself island-hopping rhythm.
Why does a readers' poll matter for trip planning? Because it aggregates thousands of real trips, not just one writer's week away. Islands that win reader awards tend to be the ones delivering consistently on the fundamentals — beaches that live up to the photos, food worth the flight, and accommodation at various price points. That said, popularity cuts both ways: award-winning islands book up early and command peak-season prices, so if one of the winners is on your list, reserving accommodation months ahead is worth the effort.
For anyone planning an island break in 2026, the full gallery of winners is a solid starting point — and a good way to spot runners-up that offer a similar feel with fewer crowds.
