Int'l magazine names Palawan top island in world

MANILA, Philippines — Palawan was named as the world's top island by readers of acclaimed international travel magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, on Tuesday.

Palawan emerged first among 148 islands with a rating of 88.750 as a result of votes from 76,600 readers, the publication said in a statement.

"This small island—one of the Philippines’ 7,107—shot to the top of our list this year with a recent claim to fame: It’s now home to one of the new seven natural wonders of the world, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River," the editors of Conde Nast Traveler wrote.

The score is a mean average of ratings based on a five-point scale—from excellent, very good, good, fair and poor.

A boat is underway at Bacuit Bay in Palawan. Francisco Daum/CC BY-NC

A formation along the shores of Palawan island province. John Griffiths/CC BY-NC-SA

Kiawah Island in South Carolina, Maui and Kauai in Hawaii and Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique placed second to fifth, respectively.

Australia's Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Islands ranked sixth, Greece's Santorini and Cyclades placed seventh and the US Virgin Islands' St. John bagged the eighth spot.

Completing the top ten are Kangaroo Island, Australia and Big Island, Hawaii at ninth and tenth places, respectively.

Boracay in the Philippines also made it to 12th place in the survey tabulated by Equation Research.

The magazine's Readers' Choice Awards also ranked top cities, hotels, resorts and cruise lines in the world.

"As always, it’s a broad spread—from luxurious safari camps in Africa to beautifully restored palaces in Italy, perennial favorite cities Charleston, South Carolina and Florence, Italy, and far-flung islands in the Philippines," the publication said.