6 Island Escapes to Take Your Mind Off Winter

By Conde Nast Traveler | Conde Nast Traveler

The Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands (Julien Capmeil)

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You survived the post-holiday blues, but we’ll bet a pick-me-up is still in order. These sunny island escapes should do the trick. (Read about the world's most secret islands here.)

Soggy Dollar Bar
Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

It was once accessible only by water (there's now a rough road, though most visitors still arrive by boat), so thirsty sailors would brave the waters to make it ashore, and pay with wet, disintegrating bills.

Song SaaSong Saa, Cambodia (Courtesy Song Saa)
Cambodia

Opening in February, Song Saa, Cambodia’s first private island resort, is sustainable (built from local, natural materials), with a wellness bent and overwhelming opulence (the spa commands its own island).



Long BeachLong Beach, Fiji (Digital Vision/Getty Images)
Kadavu, Fiji

Kadavu, the smallest and least developed of Fiji’s “big” islands, is best known for scuba diving and bird watching. But if you’ve got to have your beach fading out of sight in both directions, this miles-long sandy stretch on the north side of the island is for you.

Learn what's new in Cebu now, click here


Le Taha'a Island Resort & SpaLe Taha'a, French Polynesia (Courtesy Le Taha'a Island Resort & Spa)
Taha'a Island, French Polynesia

If it weren’t for the fact that the water, over a bottom of hard white sand, is only about waist deep, you’d feel as if you were at sea in the bungalows at this away-from-the-tourists (but with Bora Bora still visible on the horizon) resort.



Sonia Rican RestaurantSonia Rican Restaurant, Puerto Rico (Julien Capmeil)
Puerto Rico

When galloping gourmet Anthony Bourdain ate at this Playa Jobos spot, he declared, "Food tastes better when you're not wearing shoes." It's a common reaction to the Sonia Rican, which features a smattering of tables, a salsa-pumping jukebox, and a view of locals shredding the waves.




Balenbouche
Balenbouche, St. Lucia (www.peterdyerphotos.com)
St. Lucia

A 70-acre plantation that has been lovingly refurbished by a stylish and statuesque Austrian and her two daughters, Balenbouche has four cottages for those who want to experience the island in its natural but cultivated state.