Search results for "ile"

Most people who come to Sanibel and Captiva, twin barrier islands off Florida's Gulf Coast, share a single passion: seashells. This is, after all, the home of the “Sanibel Stoop,” a posture folks assume while scouring the sandy shoreline for the more than 200 varieties of shells that wash ashore after storms. Streets here are named for shells, and the leading cultural attraction is a museum devoted to them. In fact, the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum is the only one of its kind in the United States, with a remarkable collection not only from Southwest Florida but also from around the world. ...

This is an Ile des Pins story: During the world windsurfing championships held in New Caledonia in 1999, board sailors suddenly stopped in the middle of the competition and dropped their sails to take in the sheer beauty of the Isle of Pines…Yes, another contender for the most-beautiful-island-on-the-planet title. Capt. James Cook named it in 1774 for the tree-rich landscape, but it’s the gloriously clear waters offshore, bordered by some of the most stunning beaches (Kuto and Kanumera are the best known) in the entire South Pacific, that enthrall travel-weary visitors. This is an island m...

The Juan Fernandez Islands were used as the basis for Robinson Crusoe –Daniel Defoe’s classic novel. However, tourism has never really taken off here, despite the fact that it is much closer to the mainland than Easter Island. Named after the Portuguese sailor who found it in the 16th-century, the volcanic islands are valued most for their remoteness, by those who really want to get off the tourist track. Access is via a bumpy two to two and a half hour flight on a light aircraft, and only a determined couple hundred tourists make it here each year - an average of one or two per day....

Stand on the rim of the volcanic crater at Orongo, a thousand feet above the sea. Look around the endless Pacific Ocean visibly curving along the horizon. Ask yourself how those early Polynesian navigators ever found this isolated volcanic rock surrounded by thousands of square miles of empty sea. And then ask yourself what drove them here – and what happened to them? Easter Island (known locally as Rapa Nui) is the original mysterious island. The islanders developed the only written language in Oceania, but the meaning of the script has been lost. The island itself is best known, of cours...

The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 727 square miles (1883 km²). Maui is part of the State of Hawai and is the largest island in Maui County; the other islands comprising the county being Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. The island had a resident population of 117,644 in 2000, ranked third within the state behind the islands of Oahu and Hawaii. With white sand beaches and crystal clear waters, Maui is ideal for sunbathing, snorkeling and snoozing! But once you’ve gotten enough sun, Maui’s also a great place for shopping and sightseeing. The old whaling...