Ten tropical islands that live up to the postcard

Every tropical island photographs well; not all of them feel as good as they look. Some drown in traffic, some in seaweed, some in disappointment. The ten below are the ones that deliver on arrival — where the water really is that colour, the fruit really is that sweet and the pace really does slow your pulse. We've flagged the right months to travel, because in the tropics timing is everything.

Bali survives its own popularity because there are several Balis: surf-and-smoothie Canggu, temple-studded Ubud among the rice terraces, and the quiet east around Amed where the diving is superb. The trick is to pick two bases and resist the urge to see everything. Dry season runs May to October; ceremonies with incense and gamelan happen year-round, everywhere, wonderfully.

One island, one resort, one ring of sand in a thousand shades of blue — the Maldives remains the purest expression of the tropical fantasy. Budget travellers now have options too: guesthouses on local islands like Dhigurah put whale sharks and deserted sandbanks within reach of ordinary wallets. Visit December to April for glassy lagoons and guaranteed sun-lounger weather.

Far south in the Andaman Sea, little Lipe is what Thai islands were before the crowds: walkable end to end, ringed by national-park waters and blessed with Sunrise and Sunset beaches that bookend perfect days. Snorkel trips putter between untouched islets where you'll often have the reef to yourselves. Go November to April; much of the island naps through the monsoon.

Spice-scented and story-soaked, Zanzibar pairs the carved doorways and winding lanes of Stone Town with east-coast beaches where dhows drift past on cue. Tides here are dramatic — the lagoon empties and refills twice daily, which locals turn into seaweed farming and visitors into sandbank picnics. June to October brings dry warmth; pair it with a Serengeti safari if the budget stretches.

Mauritius out-engineers most rivals: a coral reef circles almost the entire island, creating calm, swimmable lagoons everywhere. Beneath brooding Le Morne mountain you'll find the most dramatic beach; inland lie tea plantations, waterfalls and Creole markets. The food — Indian, Chinese, French and African at one table — is reason enough. May to December is cooler, drier and cyclone-free.

The lagoon here is so extravagantly blue it reads as fiction. Bora Bora is the splurge of this list, but the formula — a volcanic peak wrapped in a turquoise moat, rays and reef sharks gliding under your breakfast — justifies the airfare and then some. May to October is the dry season. Honeymooners dominate, yet the snorkelling alone rewards anyone who makes the journey.

The most easy-going of the Caribbean's big names, Barbados splits neatly: calm platinum beaches on the west coast, surf and salt spray on the east, and rum shops with domino games everywhere in between. Fly fish sandwiches at Oistins' Friday fish fry are compulsory. December to April is classic dry-season Caribbean; direct flights from the UK make it the easiest long-haul on this list.

Voted the world's best island so often it's becoming embarrassing, Palawan stacks limestone cliffs above lagoons of unreal clarity. El Nido and Coron are the headline acts — island-hopping tours weave between hidden beaches and Second World War wrecks now furred with coral. It takes effort to reach, which is exactly why it still feels raw. Visit December to May, before the rains.

Anse Source d'Argent — pink granite boulders, shallow jade water, palms at exactly the right angle — is among the most photographed beaches anywhere, and the rest of La Digue keeps pace. The island runs on bicycles: pedal past vanilla plantations at L'Union Estate to reach the beach, then continue to Grand Anse for surf-pounded drama. Time the famous beach for late afternoon, when day-trippers sail back to Praslin and the light turns golden.

Antigua's claim of 365 beaches — one for every day of the year — holds up better than most marketing, from busy Dickenson Bay to the wild, pink-tinged sand of Half Moon Bay. Between swims there's Nelson's Dockyard, a working Georgian naval yard turned UNESCO site. Join the Sunday evening party at Shirley Heights for steel bands and the Caribbean's best sunset view. December to April is dry season; direct UK flights keep logistics painless.