5 Favorite Islands (Not Your Typical List!)

By: Jeanine Barone, Travel Mamas Guest Blogger
September 2nd, 2010

I have a love affair with islands. No matter where I go in the world, from Shelter Island that’s almost in my backyard, to more far-flung locales - islands conjure up a dreamy melding of adventure, romance and relaxing satisfaction. Here are five of my favorite isles.

The Azores, Portugal

1. The Azores, Portugal
The nine islands that make up the Azores are a delightful mix of the traditional and the contemporary, along with plenty of dazzling and quirky features. Each island has a distinct personality and I’ll give you my take on just a few.

The town of Furnas on Sao Miguel is a land of boiling hot springs, steaming geysers and bubbling mud pools. Don’t miss watching the locals and the staff of the Terra Nostra Garden Hotelcooking pots of cozido, a stew of chicken, sausage, beef, cabbage and kale, in the hot earth alongside the lake. Then have a hearty bowl for lunch and afterwards, take a romantic stroll through the garden past exotic plants and rocky grottoes.

On Faial, you’ve got a wonderful contrast of the lively port city of Hortawhere the quayside’s walls are decorated withbold murals painted by visiting yachtsmen, the twisty roads edged withtall hydrangea hedgerows and the stark western edge of the island where abandoned houses poke above the thick black ash, thanks to volcanic eruptions fin the late 1950s.

I’m a cheese lover and that made Sao Jorge a perfect visit. Sao Jorge has eight factories and, when I visited one, I observed milk being delivered, learned how cheese is manufactured, and even got a taste of the tangy product.

Sardinia, Italy

2. Sardinia, Italy
On Sardinia’s less developed west coast, the picturesque town of Alghero makes a perfect base for a multi-day trip. Rather than settling on my beach blanket day after day, I did a self-guided audio tour where I climbed the 70-foot-high terrace of the 16th century Porto Terra Tower for panoramic views. Then, I rented a bicycle – though you could just as easily drive the route – and peddled to Palmavera Nuraghe to explore the ruins of this prehistoric village.

Farther along, the little-visited Regional Forest of Porto Conte – appropriately dubbed Noah’s Ark – has some curious creatures wandering about, including white donkeys, petite horses, and Tibetan goats. Though most visitors sign up for a boat tour to reach the famous Grotto di Nettune with its cave network, a more memorable journey for me was walking the 654 steps of the Goat’s Stairway down the cliff face.

Corsica, France

3. Corsica, France
Most people flock to accommodations along Corsica’s coast, but I found that walking, hiking, and driving in the mountainous interior provided a more authentic experience. In even the most remote areas, you’ll come upon a village, like Casamaccioli, that provides some of the most spectacular views of the island’s high peaks. Because some villages are situated far from markets, another unusual feature that you’ll find are grocery trucks that stop like school buses, bringing produce to the locals.

One of my favorite and, again, off-the-beaten-track areas of Corsica is La Balagne where an artisan’s route allows you to drive from hamlet to hamlet where men and women are practicing age-old craft traditions, from pottery to glass blowing. A purchase at any of the workshops along the way makes for a perfect souvenir.

The Lofotens

4. The Lofotens, Norway
With an intriguing name like Å, how could I not make this Norwegian town my ultimate destination? Making my way in the pristine Lofoten Islands from the town of Svolvaerto 19th century Å, I easily lost track of time as I passed soaring cliffs, fisherman’s huts (known as rorbuers) that are perched on stilts, as well as snug harbors.

Among the highlights of my journey to the Lofotens was eating cod fish tongue -who even knew they had tongues? I also enjoyed staying overnight in a fisherman’s hut that had a hole cut in the floor in case I needed to drop a fishing line.

Bozcaada, Turkey

5. Bozcaada, Turkey
In Turkey, Bozcaada Island inspires disparate opinions. One couple I met told me they planned to spend four days and were leaving early because there was nothing to do. Another pair thought the island would make a perfect locale for a summer house. I fall into the “wished I had more time” category of visitor.

I rented a bicycle and pedaled past old stone farmhouses and thick pine forests that open up to a long row of wind turbines. Everyone on the island flocks to Ayazmar Beach but you can bicycle to two slivers of sand, Sulubahce and Hubbele, in quiet coves that see few visitors. Other lanes wind between vineyards and even more desolate stretches of sand.

Vineyards and wine tastings are a highlight of any visit to Bozcaada but you can’t get away from the island’s history. After climbing the battlements of the island’s fortress that Venetians and Genoese once occupied, I found ancient urns, cannons, tombstones, and columns inside the walls. All of these sights plus a handful of contemporary art galleries means that a three-day stay isn’t enough time to enjoy everything Bozcaada has to offer.

Travel and food writer Jeanine Barone is a native New Yorker who travels the world looking for little visited venues. Her articles appear in National Geographic Traveler, Travel + Leisure, the Boston Globe, and a variety of other magazines and newspapers. Her blog, J The Travel Authority, is very much about what she calls hidden treasure travel (writing about boutique hotels, restaurants, galleries, shops, trails, and other sights that are often missed by many a visitor).

What is your favorite island escape? Leave a comment below!

5 Favorite Islands (Not Your Typical List!)

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