From the Keys to Sanibel: Survey says Florida has some of the best islands in the U.S.
The Sunshine State is home to several of the best islands to visit in the entire continental United States, according to a newly published survey of nearly 200,000 travelers worldwide. That includes two locales hit hard by three hurricanes in four years — a tribute to Floridians' resilience.
The bragging rights stem from the results of the publication Travel + Leisure's 2025 World's Best Awards, out in July. The annual issue, in its 30th year, asked readers all over the globe to vote on their favorite top destinations, hotels, and a host of other categories. While several of Florida's islands dominated in that category, cities and hotels across the state didn't perform quite as competitively.
The winning islands were:
▪ Amelia Island in second
▪ Marco Island in sixth
▪ Florida Keys in eighth
▪ Sanibel Island in eleventh
▪ Captiva Island in fifteenth
Florida dominated that category, providing five of the top 15. That was more than any other state in the continental U.S. It was also one more than it had in the 2024 World's Best Awards — Marco Island joined the other four for the first time this year.
Florida's top islands
Travel + Leisure had readers rate the islands on natural attractions/beaches, activities/sights, restaurants/food, people/friendliness and value.
Amelia Island is known for beaches and horseback rides. In Nassau County, it's about 30 minutes from Jacksonville. It held the same position in last year's rankings.
Marco Island is in Collier County and about 20 miles south of Naples. Abundant with wildlife, it's the largest of the Ten Thousand Islands. In the early days of COVID-19, it was an early rebel, even by Florida standards. In late April 2020, Marco Island City Council voted for a limited re-opening of its beaches.
At the beginning of that month, Governor Ron De Santis had issued a shelter in place order for the entire state. It limited the public to essential activities or services. The city council later reversed course due to public pressure to keep the beaches closed.
The Florida Keys dropped this year to eighth from fifth in 2024, but remains a regular favorite.
'Old Florida at its very best,' one Travel + Leisure reader wrote. 'Locally owned and managed eateries and hotels. Down-home Southern friendliness. Great food,' the magazine said.
Sanibel Island, known for seashells on beaches and serving as a weekend getaway for South Floridians, slipped to eleventh from 10th one year ago. That it's ranked at all is remarkable given it was wrecked by Hurricane Ian in 2022. Parts of the Sanibel Causeway were damaged.
Hurricane Milton in 2024 with its 120 mile-per-hour winds also hit Sanibel Island but didn't do as much damage.
Captiva Island in Lee County, popular for redfish and snook, was hit by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Helene and Milton, within two weeks of one another in 2024. Iconic waterside restaurant The Mucky Duck was damaged by all three.
Even as the island category was where Florida shined, the results also reflected the increasing pull of the world. Amelia Island, second best in the U.S., scored a total of 86.81. The 25th ranked island in the world had a higher score.
The big winner was Páros in Greece, chosen as the top island in the world. Mount Desert Island in Maine was the best in the U.S.
Hotels, cities absent?
The findings however were not all sunshine.
Among the best 100 hotels in the world, not a single one was in Florida. The U.S. overall had 16, California leading with four. Massachusetts and New York were also represented.
In the best U.S. cities to visit category, not one from Florida cracked the Top 15. New York City, Chicago and Boston all did. Santa Fe, New Mexico, topped the list for the first time in the best U.S. cities to visit.
'Readers raved about the inventive New Mexican cuisine and the destination's natural beauty - sitting at 7,000 feet,' Travel + Leisure wrote. Santa Fe, which gets over 300 days of sunshine per year, also won praise for its markets and art galleries.
These results reflect an increasingly competitive tourism market for Florida. Gone are the COVID-19 days when everyone flocked to the Sunshine State. It's now battling Europe, Asia, much of the United States and Latin America, too. While Florida was shut out in the top 100 hotels, Mexico, Chile, Peru and Costa Rica each had two. Argentina and Panama had one a piece.
The 2025 results reflect a constantly changing travel landscape, Travel + Leisure Editor-in-Chief Jacqui Gifford said in a statement. 'From a high-desert city in the American Southwest to a quiet Greek island, our readers are seeking depth, character and a strong sense of place.'
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