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ISLANDS » December 2009 » Volume 29 / Number 8 

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» Cover: Bora Bora by

Tim McKenna. It kicks
off the Wish List, p. 32.
» This page: ­Aitutaki by
Jad Davenport. See p. 58.

features

32 Wish List
The new year is going to be
spectacular, especially if you can
check off one — or all — of these
12 daydream destinations, from
Kauai to New Zealand.
58 Aitutaki Then/Now/Forever
Fly to this famous Cook Islands
piece of heaven with John Wayne,
Rita Hayworth and islands’ most
imaginative time traveler, writer-
photographer Jad Davenport.
Departments

6 Editorial
10 Experts
12 Mailboat
14 Discover
­s o fit e l m o o r e a ; kristin sch o ltz / c ov e r e d im ag e s /
clockwise from top: jad davenport; c o u rt e s y

as p / g e tt y im ag e s ; ir a b l o ck / n g s

24 Live the Life

book your stay » p. 90
40 Women of the Waves
Think surfing isn’t for you?
See this wave’s-eye view of Hawaii
from writer Cimeron Morrissey
and photographer Linny Morris,
and we bet you’ll think again.
Pl an your trip » p. 88
Pl an your trip » p. 88
26 Travel Tales
28 Taste
76 Best Rooms with a View
If the idea of looking out
from a private patio at the world’s
90 Book Now
1 00 What’s Next
greatest scenery isn’t enough to
have you reserving one of these
rooms right now, we give up.
“best” archive » islands.com/best
 points of interest

surf hawaii p. 4 0 wish in iceland p. 7 0

“The waterfall creates a nearly ­constant

“I couldn’t rainbow on sunny days and flows out across
even stand fields that burst with ­verdant radiance.”
up, but I
paddled wish in japan p. 5 2

out on 40 “Thousands
my board, make the
hike up
held on shell on Sanibel p. 1 6 mount fuji.
and caught “If you come at the right
time to Florida’s Gulf
Shouldn’t
you do it 52
waves.” coast, you will definitely
find treasure.” once?”

Ireland p. 82
Prince of Wales
Island p. 18

Florida Keys p. 82

Bermuda p. 82
BVI p. 38, 80, 90
Barbuda p. 26 Venice p. 56, 90
Martinique p. 21 Ko Samui p. 14
Hawaiian Islands Bali p. 24, 36, 78, 90
p. 18, 34, 40, 54, 78, 80, 90 St. Lucia p. 50, 90

clockwise from top: linny morris; s at o hit o shi / f o t o t e c a 9 x 1 2 ; o ttm a r b i e rwag e n ; jad davenport (2)
Mustique p. 80

Curaçao p. 22, 72, 92 Maldives p. 68, 90

Java p. 21

Brampton Island p. 82

Islands of Tahiti p. 32, 78, 90

Tasmania p. 19
Tristan da Cunha p. 21 New Zealand p. 74, 92

stay in a screensaver p. 7 6 imbibe in

58 sjælland p. 2 2
“an infinity pool “Remember gløgg

with a sweeping is an unhurried

pleasure. Take

caribbean view? sips and spoon out

the almonds and

that’s Divine.” raisins that pop like

little Christmas
22 presents.”

dream in aitutaki p. 5 8 76

book your “Wish List” trip p. 9 0
“I’ll be damned if the
lagoon doesn’t just “The hotel adds ­meticulous
glow all the brighter.” service and nice sheets.”

4
 from the editor

The dream:
See this, swim Wish Big
here, check it off some chart out their life plans. others wing it. then there’s my friend

from top: pam mclean; jessica patricelli; Jim Kruger; curacao tourist board; kelly larsen
your wish list. Sabrina. Her life plan is framed on her home-office wall. That’s where you’ll find a world
map, covered with pushpins marking places she and her husband have visited, along with
those destinations they have to see next. It’s what every traveler has: a wish list.
Sabrina is committed to hers. She’s not big on Christmas, weddings or family reunions.
Time off is for travel. There’s a writer’s notebook on her coffee table, lying next to travel
magazines and the TV remote. It’s full of entries from when inspiration strikes: “Venice:
Harry’s Bar, go at lunchtime to avoid crowds. Barbados: Order rum carefully; it’s served in
flasks.” To discuss Sabrina’s travels risks mixing the places she’s seen firsthand with those she
hasn’t. Her enthusiasm for both is matched. One thing is certain: Sabrina is going places.
I mention her because this is our “Dream Big” issue, inspired by a simple maxim: Life is
better with trips to look forward to. We embraced that thought with this issue’s Wish List
(p. 32), celebrating 12 iconic, must-do-in-your-lifetime destinations. The poster-size
­photos are intentional. Go ahead, tear them out. Mark them on your
world map. Create reminders to yourself to make these trips happen.
Corny? Perhaps. But tell that to Sabrina while she replenishes
her stock of pushpins. She’s proof that no matter whether you
plan to visit a dream island in the new year or in the new decade,
a visual cue goes a long way to focus those goals. So indulge in
the Wish List escapes. Just ask yourself: If these trips I’ve always
wanted to do were actually on my official to-do list, would my world
be brighter? — E d dy Pat r i c e l l i , e d i t o r , editor@islands.com

NEW ONLINE

islands.com/calendar islands.com/wishlist islands.com/newsletter

� 2 010 wall calendar � more island info � special travel deals
� 12 months of wish list � interactive maps � latest contests
� perfect holiday gift � share your wish � all-new wallpaper

D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 9 isl a n d s . c om
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