Condé Nast Traveller's 2026 Readers' Choice Awards are out, and the rankings make a surprisingly useful shortlist for anyone stuck on where to book next. Readers scored islands on everything from beaches and food to how welcoming they feel — and the winners aren't all the obvious ones.
Hydra tops Europe with a score of 98.12, beating out a stack of Greek rivals including Naxos (97.14), Sardinia (98.01) and Corsica (96.43). The car-free island, long associated with Leonard Cohen, won readers over with its unhurried welcome — and it managed to finish ahead of six other Greek islands in the ranking. Malta, Madeira, Hvar and the Faroe Islands all make the European top ten, while Mallorca and Menorca fly the flag for Spain. Britain does well too: the Isles of Scilly take the UK crown with 90.78, their waters counted among the cleanest in the country, with Guernsey, the Isle of Arran and Skye close behind.
Mauritius leads Africa and the Indian Ocean on 97.14, nudging out the Maldives and Seychelles — a notable result for anyone who assumed the Maldives was the default. In Asia, Palawan in the Philippines scores a huge 98.99, the highest number in the entire list, praised for its sustainability credentials. Koh Lanta, Phu Quoc and Con Dao also score highly, suggesting readers are warming to quieter alternatives to Bali and Phuket.
The Pacific belongs to Fiji (97.97), ahead of Bora Bora and Tasmania, while Barbados takes the Caribbean and Atlantic on 98.16, with the Cayman Islands and St Barts rounding out the top three — a region where, readers noted, drivers toot twice just to say hello. Bermuda's Horseshoe Bay gets a namecheck, as does the island's shipwrecking credentials courtesy of Shakespeare's The Tempest.
In the Americas, the Galápagos win Central and South America, still riding the biodiversity credentials Darwin noted back in 1835, with Easter Island and Brazil's Fernando de Noronha behind it. North America's winner is Vancouver Island in British Columbia, pipping Hawaii's Kauai and Maui (home of the legendary Jaws surf break) and Mexico's low-key Isla Holbox.
What's striking across the whole list is how many winners trade on low-key appeal rather than glitz: Hydra has no cars, Koh Lanta is Thailand's chilled-out alternative, and Con Dao is Vietnam's quiet island province. If your holiday planning instinct is to chase whatever's trending, these rankings suggest readers are increasingly rewarding places that feel welcoming and unspoiled over the headline names — Mykonos and Santorini rank, but well below their Greek siblings.
For travellers, it doubles as an inspiration board. Beach-and-rum types should look at Barbados, Mauritius or Fiji. Nature-first trips point straight to the Galápagos, Palawan or Vancouver Island. And if you want Europe without the crowds, Hydra, Naxos or Sardinia are where your fellow travellers are already looking.
