Maine island named one of world’s best

MOUNT DESERT ISLAND — Maine’s largest island and an island to the north are receiving accolades from an international travel magazine that rates them as two of the world’s best island destinations, ranking alongside such exotic getaways as Nantucket, Sicily, Bali, Bora-Bora in French Polynesia and the Fiji Islands.

Mount Desert Island, which is linked to mainland Maine by a two-lane bridge, is ranked 25th in Travel & Leisure magazine’s article, “World’s Best Islands.”

Additional Photos

Bikers cruise along a path while kayakers set off by Eagle Lake in Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island, Maine, in this Tuesday, June 21, 2005 file photo. Mount Desert Island, which is linked to mainland Maine by a two-lane bridge, is ranked 25th in Travel & Leisure magazine’s article, “World’s Best Islands." (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach)

In this September 1999 file photo, visitors to Acadia National Park watch the sunrise from the summit of Cadillac Mountain near Bar Harbor, Maine, one of the first places on the East Coast to see the sun appear. Mount Desert Island, which is linked to mainland Maine by a two-lane bridge, is ranked 25th in Travel & Leisure magazine’s article, “World’s Best Islands." (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) AP

Prince Edward Island in Canada was ranked 5th.

Palawan, an archipelago of 1,780 islands in the Philippines, was ranked as the best island destination in the world.

The magazine describes Mount Desert Island, which is home to Acadia National Park and the town of Bar Harbor, as a great place to hike, bike or kayak.

Each island profile in the magazine has a photo attached, with the Mount Desert profile featuring a picture of a freshwater swimming hole, Echo Lake.

The best islands’ list was determined by the magazine’s readers, according to Travel & Leisure’s website.

Related Stories