Not tropical but still an exotic island.....
....Gotland in Sweden. It's a long ferry ride or short plane ride from Stockholm.
Stop reading now if you are planning this trip for the winter.
Gotland, and its walled city, Visby, are lovely and charming:
Remnants of the Vikings and of the Hanseatic League trading center that Visby was in the middle ages. Fun to explore on foot but not big enough to be exhausting.
Beaches with swans swimming in the Baltic.
Flowers everywhere.
Countryside scenery with bike paths all over the island.
Medieval churches, some in ruins, scattered around the city and the countryside.
Another place to consider in Europe is Malta. I've not been there myself but it sounds lovely from what I've read. Like Gotland you get a great combination of history and beaches, but in a warmer climate than Gotland.
Easier and less expensive to fly to than the South Pacific: XXX-AMS-ARN. You can spend a couple of days in Stockholm, then on to Visby.
Another European island area to consider is Malta. I've not been there myself but, like Gotland, it has a combination of history and beaches, with a warmer climate.
Last edited by CarmenOM; Apr 13, 2011 at 11:57 am