Conde Nast Traveler, the prestigious travel magazine with millions of readers from all over the world has announced the results of this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards, which aim to recognize the world’s best hotels, cities, islands, cruises, and resorts, as chosen by the travelers themselves.

Methodology

The Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Survey, begun in 1988 and is available through a secure website at condenasttraveler.com/vote. The questionnaire contains lists of candidates in various categories (Cities, Hotels, etc.). Individual candidates are judged on a set of criteria relevant to their category, based on a standard five-point scale: excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor and the mean average of these ratings determines the final score published.

The list of the Top 30 Islands in the World includes idyllic destinations that stand out thanks to their natural beauty and the hospitality of the friendly locals. Of course, no such list would be complete without the Greek islands, that draw millions of tourists every year.

At the 21st place of the list we find Skiathos and the Sporades, an archipelago along the east coast of Greece. Skiathos is praised by the magazine as a bustling destination, close to the mainland, that has some of the most idyllic beaches in Greece, more than 60 of them.

The article also mentions the active nightlife scene, among whitewashed towns with tan roofs and the fact that Skiathos’s sandy, picture-perfect beaches were used as filming locations for the romantic comedy Mamma Mia!
“The most popular of the island’s shorelines is Koukounaries, a mile-long stretch of calm water backed by a lush pine forest,” writes Condé Nast Traveler.

At the 7th place of the list we find Santorini and the Cyclades. “No island group is so shrouded in myth as this chain in the Aegean Sea, site of Apollo’s birthplace on the sacred isle of Delos and the gateway to Hades on uninhabited Keros,” writes the travel magazine about the Cyclades and advises the readers to enjoy the sun set from Oia, a small village on the southwestern coast of Santorini, the volcanically formed island with dramatic cliffs and picturesque towns.

Whatever your tastes may be, it is certain that you will find an island in these two island chains to inspire you to pack bags and follow your fellow travelers!