Lord Howe Island named Australia’s best

THIS island has just been named the nation’s best. Sure, it’s spectacular, but our ‘Last Paradise’ is usually outshone by its more famous rivals.

IT’S known as “The Last Paradise”, and now Lord Howe Island has been named Australia’s best island.

That’s according to an annual list from TripAdvisor which compares more than 100 islands worldwide based on millions of reviews from travellers, and breaks them down into regional winners.

While the tiny Lord Howe came in at 8th place out of the list of the top 10 islands in the South Pacific (and 1st place in Australia), Norfolk Island was listed 10th (down from 7th place last year) — and is Australia’s second-best island.

NO INTERNET, NO WORRIES ON LORD HOWE ISLAND

Noticeably absent from the list was Hamilton Island, the home of Qualia, which has won several awards for being the best hotel not only in Australia, but the world. It’s renown for its spectacular location, tranquillity and luxury.

Palawan in the Philippines.

Another paradise missing from the list was Kangaroo Island in South Australia, which was named the nation’s best island last year in the TripAdvisor list but failed to make the cut again.

So what’s so special about Lord Howe Island? It takes approximately two hours to fly there from Sydney, and it’s surrounded by spectacular turquoise water. It’s just 11 kilometres long at its widest, has 250 residents and only allows 400 tourists at a time. This allows it to remain fairly pristine, compared to other islands trashed by tourists.

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There are decent food offerings, stunning reefs, and a shock; there’s no mobile phone service, so we hear you really get immersed in the surroundings.

Penny Holloway from Lord Howe Island tourism said interest is growing; “Our visitor numbers have been trending upwards over the last few years and we are continuing to see travellers leaving the island very satisfied with the experience they have had, and posting positive reviews on TripAdvisor.”

The beautiful island of Hawaii.

However, it seems Lord Howe has nothing on Bora Bora — world famous for its turquoise water and sheer beauty, the ultimate honeymoon location took out the top spot in the South Pacific.

Meanwhile, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos was named the best island in the world, followed by Maui in Hawaii and Roatan in Honduras.

DIVE INTO BORA BORA

To determine the winners, TripAdvisor used an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for hotels, restaurants and attractions on the islands, gathered over a 12-month period.

Top 10 islands in the South Pacific:

1. Bora Bora, French Polynesia

2. Aitutaki, Cook Islands

3. Taveuni Island, Fiji

4. Viti Levu, Fiji

5. Moorea, French Polynesia

6. Efate, Vanuatu

7. Vanua Levu, Fiji

8. Lord Howe Island, Australia

9. Rarotonga, Cook Islands

10. Norfolk Island, Australia

Etafe in Vanuatu has pristine beaches.

Top 10 islands in the world:

1. Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

2. Maui, Hawaii

3. Roatan, Honduras

4. Santorini, Greece

5. Ko Tao, Thailand

6. Madeira, Portugal

7. Bali, Indonesia

8. Mauritius, Africa

9. Bora Bora, French Polynesia

10. Fernando de Noronha, Brazil