Not long ago, I made a return visit to Baha Mar, the luxury über-resort in the Bahamas, for an industry conference. Despite all the meetings, presentations, and panel discussions, I still found time to get a little sand between my toes, eat conch prepared several different ways, and, best of all, hug a flamingo. (No joke!) And it wasn’t just the sunshine and brilliant blue water that I soaked up while there—it was also the positive energy of hundreds of families and couples who’d come with no agenda other than to lie on a beach chair with a book, plummet down a waterslide, enjoy a tropical cocktail, and generally have fun. Even though I was going a mile a minute the whole time, I still felt my heart rate slow, my shoulders unknot.
An island paradise will do that for you. I’ve often preached the virtues of travel that engages with the world, and it’s critical for any hotel—from a boutique city property to the resortiest of resorts—to serve as a positive force in the community it occupies, from the employment it offers to the environmental principles it adheres to. But I’m here to acknowledge that, in a world as turbulent as ours is right now, a lot of us are looking for travel that lets us unplug from reality for a minute. And there ain’t nothing wrong with that. We need to do it.
This issue is full of ideas for trips that will let you do just that. Warm places, like the coast of Kenya or the Filipino island of Siargao, for when arctic winds are howling at your door. Quiet places, like the Kimberley in northwestern Australia, and Lanzarote in the eastern Canary Islands, that offer an antidote to the relentless hubbub that has become so intrinsic to the modern condition. Even city getaways, like Rio and Dubai, that give you a chance to check your cares at the border and surrender to a different pace of life for a time.
And then there’s the Caribbean, to which we’ve devoted a special section full of news and itineraries to inspire your travel planning. When I was growing up on the West Coast, Hawaii was always the lodestar of the tropical island paradise. But after more than two decades on the East Coast, I’ve come to deeply appreciate the Caribbean’s diverse mix of cultures and cuisines. Whether my vacation has been to a large resort like Baha Mar and its neighbor, Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas, or to barefoot-luxury bolt-holes like GoldenEye in Jamaica; Kamalame Cay on the Bahamian island of Andros; or Barbuda Belle, one of the first arrivals on the emerging island of Barbuda, I’ve always found that Island Time is a real thing. And the crazy blue of the Caribbean Sea has never ceased to blow my mind. If you haven’t been in a while and you’re desperate to get away this winter, consider a trip. I know there’s an island down there with your name on it.
This article appeared in the December 2024 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.