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Great Escapes selected by Men’s Journal

It may be the middle of winter, but somewhere surf is crashing, girls in bikinis are spreading out their towels, and beer is chilling in the ice chest. What are you waiting for?

Barbados

Most visitors to this Caribbean island stay on the west coast, with its calm waters and kaleidoscopic sunsets. They can have it. The real action is on the rugged eastern shore, where the pounding Atlantic has created 40-foot cliffs, powdery white sand, and awesome waves to play in. Kelly Slater has attacked the Soup Bowl, a powerful right reef break in Bathsheba (rent boards at Bajan Surf Bungalow; 246-433-9920). Windsurfers ride the consistent breeze at Silver Sands beach (get lessons from Brian Talma; www.irieman-talma.com ). The staff at the Crane, a plush, historic resort (from $330; 246-423-6220 or www.thecrane.com ), can point you to stunning, secluded beaches. On weekend nights head to the Fish Fry, a street party in the south coast town of Oistins, before raging all night in the string of nightclubs at St. Lawrence Gap. HOW TO GET HERE Air Jamaica's nonstop from New York ( www.airjamaica.com ) arrives before lunch for maximum sunshine. --Peter J. Frank

Jamaica

On this island, where roads can be rough but the scenery close to divine, a bike is ideal transportation. High above Negril's hedonistic Seven Mile Beach, the mountains are carpeted in foliage and full of sharp limestone. Rusty Jones (876-957-0155 or www.mountainbikejamaica.com ), an expat from Cleveland, will lead you down unblemished lengths of red-dirt singletrack; past shacks selling reggae tapes, jerk chicken, and Red Stripe; and to a beachside flat that was once an airstrip for drug smugglers. Rinse off at the Caves (from $575, including meals; 800-688-7678 or www.islandoutpost.com ), a secluded hotel within striking distance of the beach and the nightclubs. HOW TO GET HERE Air Jamaica flies nonstop from 12 U.S. cities to Montego Bay, 50 minutes by car. --Rob Story

Florida Keys

 Bahia Honda is a Keys anomaly: an island with gorgeous beaches that hardly anybody knows about. Less than an hour from the Key West airport and nearly hidden from the road, its 524 acres enclose fine sand, exotic forests, and jungly shores perfect for prowling with a kayak. Rent snorkels and masks from the state park concession (305-872-3210), which also runs trips to the spectacular reef at Looe Key, ten miles offshore. Tarpons are biting right now, and the fishing is fiercely scenic from beneath the Old Bahia Honda Bridge, whose pilings are also prime spots for bagging lobsters (get permits and gear from any local bait shop). At night, dive into shrimp pizza and a pitcher of Yuengling at No Name Pub (dinner for two, $25; 305-872-9115), on nearby Big Pine Key, built in 1936 but still impossible to find. Stay in a well-kept cottage at Parmer's Resort (from $135; 305-872-2157 or www.parmersresort.com ), eight miles south on palmy Little Torch Key. HOW TO GET HERE Fly either into Key West or into Miami, 130 miles north. --Catherine O'Neal

Oahu

Honolulu is just five hours from California, but ditch Waikiki for the other Oahu, where coastal roads pass dozens of empty beaches and solitary trails lead to jaw-dropping ocean vistas. Bike Hawaii (877-682-7433 or www.bikehawaii.com ) will bring you to Kaaawa Valley, a pedaler's paradise where miles of singletrack wander along dizzying cliffs. Follow that with a jungle hike to a 200-foot waterfall in lush Manoa Valley. Or summit 4,040-foot Mount Kaala, an all-day climb that ends in a forest preserve high above the coast. What next? Oh, yeah: surfing. The challenging breaks at Banzai Pipeline and Sunset Beach attract top pros; mere mortals get wet at Chun's Reef (rent boards at Surf n Sea; 800-899-7873 or www.surfnsea.com ). Hang up your trunks at Turtle Bay Resort (from $295; 800-203-3650 or www.turtlebayresort.com ); every room has a view of the north shore. HOW TO GET HERE United ( www.united.com ) and Hawaiian ( www.hawaiianair.com ) have the most nonstops from the coast. --Alex Salkever

Honduras

You're handed a tropical drink when you arrive at the Lodge at Pico Bonito (from $180; 011-504-440-0388 or www.picobonito.com ), but don't plan on relaxing -- yet. There's plenty of action at this 21-cabin retreat near La Ceiba. Start with a horseback ride on the beach, fording streams that spill into the Caribbean. Then tackle the Class III and IV rapids of the Rio Cangrejal. Or take a boat tour of the nearby wildlife refuge, where howler monkeys hang in the treetops and Jesus Christ lizards skip along the water's surface. Leave a day or more to dive among parrotfish and brain coral in the Bay Islands, a 20-minute flight away. On your last day do the steep, hourlong rain forest hike, detouring for a dip in the Rio Corinto, then head back to the lodge for one last tropical drink and decide if your weariness is physical exhaustion or just utter contentment. HOW TO GET HERE Fly to San Pedro Sula from Miami or Houston, then to La Ceiba on TACA ( www.grupotaca.com ). --Claire Martin

Brazil

Ilha Grande may be the ultimate hangover cure: a 75-square-mile island of green-swathed hills ringed by 106 near-perfect beaches. No cars, crowds, or crappy resorts -- just you in a hammock with a bikinied brasileira serving hair-of-the-dog caipirinhas. Why the headache? The long weekend you just spent in Rio de Janeiro, four hours from here. After the beachside parties in Leblon and Ipanema and all-night dancing at Baronneti (55-21-2247-9100) and Nuth (55-21-3153-8595), your head and liver need a rest. So it's off to this island refuge with good surfing, better diving, and an insouciant vibe. A room with a view at Sankay Pousada (from $67; 55-24-3365-4065 or www.pousadasankay.com.br ) should help you recover. HOW TO GET HERE From Rio catch the Costa Verde bus to Angra dos Reis ($15), then the boat to Ilha Grande ($10). --Jason Harper

Moorea

Tahiti has traffic jams, and Bora Bora honeymooners, but the island of Moorea seems little changed since Melville and Gauguin spent time in French Polynesia. The only high-rises are the chiseled, jungle-covered peaks visible from the Belvédère Lookout 720 feet above the island's crater center. Nearby, hike the Opunohu Valley, where you might stumble upon ancient stone sites of worship. The reefs just off Moorea's twin northern bays have been here for centuries; the Sofitel Ia Ora Moorea (from $335; 689-86-66-66 or www.sofitel.com ) runs snorkel trips. Or take a boat out to the left-hand break near Haapiti (buy used boards from Friends of Surf, 689-56-34-98) and catch a view of the island as Captain Cook may have seen it. HOW TO GET HERE Air Tahiti Nui ( www.airtahitinui-usa.com ) makes the 81Ú2-hour trip from Los Angeles to Tahiti; from there catch a 30-minute ferry. --Alex Frankel

Les Saintes

It's a cardinal rule: The more flights it takes to get to your island, the more unspoiled it is. Les Saintes -- a five-square-mile Eden in the French West Indies that looks as if it were faxed over from the Côte d'Azur -- requires three. Most visitors come by yacht but set sail after lunch, leaving the dozen beaches all to you. If the charming Auberge les Petits Saints (from $138; 590-590-99-50-99 or www.petitssaints.com ) isn't secluded enough, hop a ferry to Marie-Galante, Les Saintes's even quieter neighbor. HOW TO GET HERE American ( aa.com) flies to Guadeloupe via San Juan; take Air Cara•bes ( www.aircaraibes.com ) to Les Saintes. --John Newton

Zanzibar

 Many travelers tack Zanzibar onto the end of a Tanzanian safari. But adjusting to the rhythm of the Spice Islands takes time. You'll need a few days just to explore the capital, Stone Town, whose elaborate architecture reflects Zanzibar's wealthy past and its location at the cultural crossroads of Africa, Arabia, and Persia. A 40-minute boat ride away lies milelong Chumbe Island ($200 per person including meals and activities; 255-4747-413582 or www.chumbeisland.com ), whose seven eco-bungalows face the beach and a reef containing 400 kinds of fish. Even farther out is Pemba Island and Fundu Lagoon ($300 per person including meals and activities; 255-24-22-32-926 or www.fundulagoon.com ), where 20 luxury tents on stilts overlook a deserted beach. Divers will encounter everything from manta rays to hawksbill turtles; visibility is usually 100 feet this time of year. After gorging on local fish and lobster, fall asleep to the crash-gurgle-wash cycle of the Indian Ocean's endless waves. HOW TO GET HERE Fly British Airways (ba.com) via London to Nairobi, Kenya, then take the short hop to Zanzibar ( www.kenya-airways.com ). --Ben Court

Bali

Bali inspires deep loyalty among its visitors, so it's no surprise that travelers are coming back, lured by the island's unbowed hospitality -- and great bargains (ask your hotel about discounted rates). Kuta, site of the October 2002 bombings, is still a lively beach town, and the Hard Rock Hotel (from $100; 62-361-761-869 or www.hardrock-bali.com ) is still surfer central. But insiders are discovering other regions. Laid-back Seminyak, just north of Kuta, has an increasingly hip scene for surfing and clubbing; stay at the minimalist Downtown Villas (from $175; 62-361-736-464 or www.downtownbali.com ). Funky Ubud, an hour and a world away from the beach, has plenty of adventures. For $135 you can ride an elephant, mountain-bike past rice fields and Hindu shrines, and end up shooting rapids on the Ayung River (62-361-721-480 or www.baliadventuretours.com ). Stay at the luxurious Begawan Giri (from $495; 62-361-978-888 or www.begawan.com ). HOW TO GET HERE Malaysia Airlines ( www.malaysiaair.com ) flies from Newark -- a 30-hour slog -- or Los Angeles, slightly less. --Anna Mulrine

Australia

The Great Barrier Reef is best savored one tiny island at a time, without the aid of a jet ski or sunset party boat. Haggerstone Island (from $500, including meals; 61-74060-3413 or www.haggerstoneisland.com ) is so far off the grid it eludes even mapmakers; the owner, a former crocodile hunter, shows a maximum of eight guests where to comb for World War II artifacts, pluck fresh oysters, and dive with centenarian turtles. On Wilson Island (from $2,464 for five nights, including meals; 800-225-9849 or www.wilsonisland.com ), a postage stamp-Ðsize coral cay circled by untouched reef, 12 guests share the breeze with muttonbirds, noddies, and other kooky-sounding creatures. The simple tents have views to forever, which is roughly how long you'll want to stay. HOW TO GET HERE Access to Haggerstone is through Cairns; get to Wilson Island via Brisbane. --David Hochman

Micronesia

Finding a piece of paradise is hardly a challenge in Micronesia, a collection of more than 600 islands sprinkled over a million square miles of the Pacific. The problem is figuring out where to start. These tiny specks of coral and sand -- swollen with rugged volcanic terrain, waterfalls, and rain forests -- are the paradigm of South Seas perfection. Just pick one to visit first -- Pohnpei is known for its hiking and for Nan Madol, a partially sunken stone city from the 13th century; Chuuk for incredible wreck diving; Yap for its giant stone money; and Kosrae for its supreme remoteness -- and take it from there. Continental sells an island-hopper ticket (see below), but to enhance the geographic isolation, go by sea. The Micro Glory (for information e-mail pohnpeivb@mail.fm ) travels around Pohnpei, for instance, primarily carrying administrators, doctors, and goods -- and you, in a $25 cabin -- to the barely inhabited outer atolls, where you can snorkel, explore, and share sakau (kava) with the locals. HOW TO GET HERE Continental's Circle Micronesia Fare from Los Angeles allows several island stopovers (from $1,700; www.continental.com ). --Tom Booth

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