We asked our favourite travel writers: If you could be marooned on any island in the world, where would you choose? Here are their answers.
Nothing beats an island for getting away from it all. Floating in lonely splendour, removed from the relentless beat of mainland life, every island is a universe unto itself. Life moves at a different pace, governed by the gentle rhythm of the waves that wash endlessly against the shore.
There are other reasons we love islands. For one thing, they are often heartbreakingly beautiful. Few things are as reverie-inducing as a picture of a quintessential tropical island: palm trees, white sand, crystal-clear water, spectacular sunsets. So when we asked our travel writers to nominate the island on which they would want to be marooned, naturally we received some paeans to Pacific paradises.
But read on and you’ll find celebrations of other types of islands. There are mist-wrapped northern islands, where the heather blooms purple and northern lights dance in the sky. There are islands rich in history, with grand cathedrals and tiny fishing villages, olive groves and ancient ruins. And there are islands that pulse with life, filled with neon, nightlife and soaring skyscrapers. One thing all these islands have in common: none could ever be described as an everyday experience.
Sicily, Italy
If I were to be marooned somewhere, I would want the coffee to be good. I’d also want a steady supply of good wine, restaurants serving amazing pasta dishes, and ready access to arancini, caponata, cannoli, and cold, sweet granita. In other words, I would want to be marooned on Sicily.
I would seek no rescue from this island paradise. I would send up no flares. I would happily live out the rest of my days roaming the land and swimming in the sea, enjoying great food, drinking nice wine, wandering centuries-old villages and lying under umbrellas on pebbly sands.
Sicily isn’t the standard version of an island dream. Instead of palm trees, there are olive groves. Instead of white-sand beaches there are places like Syracuse, ancient port towns whose stone walls abut the glistening Mediterranean. Instead of a paradisiacal idyll there’s a buzz to Sicily, a feeling of everyone going places and doing things, a din punctuated by the shouts of fish sellers, the beep of scooter horns, the hubbub of streetside conversation and argument and joy.
The sun shines in Sicily, but it doesn’t burn. It just warms you to the core, like you’re one of those arancini lined up in the pasticceria display.
Sometimes it gets too hot, but there’s always the succour of siesta. And eventually that sun will set, leaving warm, sultry evenings, perfect for wandering streets whose pavings still bear the heat of the day, stopping to eat gelato from small stands, or maybe trying granita, the iced confection native to Sicily, or dining at a pavement restaurant on seafood, on pasta with sardines, on smoky caponata with grilled local swordfish. There are hilltop villages in the interior of Sicily; buzzing seaside towns on the coast; old Greek and Roman ruins strewn haphazardly throughout. You stumble across tourist hotspots like Taormina, sleepy fishing ports like Marzamemi, bustling cities like Palermo and Catania.
And you meet so many people, friendly but hot-tempered, laid-back but always in a hurry. You soak up their culture, their love of family and of food, of pleasure and of passion, of lives lived for all that’s good. You embrace it. And you never want to leave. – Ben Groundwater
Manhattan, New York
Some people crave the simple life. Strand them on an island with a sarong and a fishing line, and they will happily settle into a routine of fresh fish, coconut water and being lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves washing against the shore.
Me, I require a few more creature comforts. Which is why, when it comes to islands, I’ll take Manhattan. Sure, it has asphalt instead of sand, skyscrapers instead of palm-fringed bures, and the glow of the starlit sky pales when challenged by the neon glare. But in just about every other respect, Manhattan leaves the classical tropical island for dead.
Why sip cocktails by the pool when you can hop from one cocktail bar to another? If it’s pampering you’re after, Manhattan’s menu of indulgences puts any island spa to shame. This is, after all, the place that invented every busy woman’s favourite quick fix, the martini-and-manicure combo.
In the mood for a long lazy walk? Forget wandering barefoot through the sand; there is no place I’d rather go for an aimless stroll than Manhattan. Whether you’re meandering through the chaos of Chinatown, past the shop windows of Fifth Avenue or rising above it all on the High Line, here you can stroll for miles without noticing how far you have gone, where each corner brings something new to gaze at, gawp at or giggle over. ‘I would seek no rescue from this island paradise. I would send up no flares. I would happily live out the rest of my days roaming the land and swimming in the sea, enjoying great food, drinking nice wine, wandering centuries-old villages and lying under umbrellas on pebbly sands.’
And then there’s the food. If I’m going to be stuck on one island for the rest of my life, it had better be a place where I can satisfy any craving. Whether it’s a fast bite at a food truck, noodles hand-rolled in front of your eyes, or a multi-course degustation at a top restaurant – or all three in the same day – Manhattan has it covered.
Still not convinced? Then consider this: unlike most islands, Manhattan is wonderfully weather-proof. The charms of your average tropical island dim as soon as the sun goes behind a cloud; in Manhattan, bad weather is merely an excuse to explore the island’s indoor attractions. Museums filled with treasures from ancient Egypt and imperial Russia, artistic masterpieces by Pollock and Picasso, Kandinsky and de Kooning; curtains rising in dozens of theatres stretching from Broadway to Off Broadway to Off Off Broadway … the choice is endless.