In Review: The Islands Book

If you haven't already planned your summer break, the burgeoning sunshine of April may prompt you to start considering options, and with this in mind it's worth looking at ‘The Islands Book’ from Lonely Planet.

Lonely Planet has been the go-to guide for travellers for almost 50 years, sharing advice and information from a passionate community of explorers and experts. After many years of island hopping, these contributors have nominated their favourite places in ‘The Islands’, a new book illustrated with over 600 photographs, featuring 150 of the world’s most enchanting atolls, notable for their history, culture, stunning scenery, or wildlife.

From the butterflies of Bioko or the juniper forests of Estonia’s Saaremaa, to snorkelling on Ko Lanta, or the puffins of Fair Isle, these are treasured islands. Each island is accompanied by a map, a brief history and five recommended experiences, with X marking the spot, in true Robert Louis Stevenson style. However, not all the islands represent the archetypal tropical paradise. Lofoten, linked to mainland Norway, is an example of raw natural beauty with its chiselled snow-capped mountains and Texel in the Netherlands is better known for its sheep than its beaches, which, although beautiful, are hardly on our mainstream holiday radar.

It cuts through the usual holiday brochure hyperbole to reward its reader with the authentic insider tips that we’ve come to expect and appreciate from Lonely Planet.

Pop this book on your coffee table where it will not only act as a great conversation starter but may also galvanise you to book that next trip. We’re inspired to visit the tiny island of Tobago to see the leatherback turtles nesting in the white sand- but which island would you choose?