CEWE PANTAI

I’m not sure there’s a setting more idyllic than a secluded tropical island, the kind where you feel your cares melt away as you lie on the perfect powdery beach, palm trees swaying gently overhead, azure waves lapping lightly on the shore as a soft breeze tickles your toes. The only place that might come close is a quiet and temperate island, where the forests and quaint towns run down to the sea, and you lean back in an old-fashioned rocking chair to watch the sun set in a riot of purple over the deep blue water.

My own secret island is Orcas Island, a hilly green retreat north of Puget Sound that doesn’t even have a stoplight. But I’ve always wanted to visit the tiny, quiet islands scattered throughout the Pacific, from the Marshall Islands to French Polynesia.

What are your favorite secluded islands — whether you’ve actually been there or you’re just dreaming about them? Tell your fellow travelers your secret in the comments section.