Californias Caribbean getaway lands among worlds quietest islands

Americans are increasingly seeking the sound of silence, and they can find it on this West Coast outpost.A recent report found that 56% of US travelers want to retreat to the wilderness in blessed quiet, while global Google searches for “quiet destinations” have increased 1,268% year on year.Indeed, amid the maddening noise of the modern world, “quietcations” are reaching a fever pitch in popularity.“Low decibel levels in our surroundings are important, and the natural and architectural qualities of a place can all shape the soundscape we experience and whether it lets us truly rest,” silence researcher, author and psychology professor Olga V.

Lehmann told Book Retreats.According to to the European Environment Agency’s standard, a true and truly restful quiet place must offer a pleasant soundscape, where unwanted sound is absent or at least not dominant.For the whole of human history, people have sought out islands for such soundlessness and solitude and to help the hopeful find their respective patch of heaven, Book Retreats indexed 100 island locations around the globe.

Integrating satellite and mapping data, each island was scored on six qualifiers that help support a quiet place; rich nature, few roads, low air traffic, uncrowded space, dark night skies and natural coastal spotsWhile Stewart Island in New Zealand took top honors for tranquility, a California island cracked the top ten, edging out Scotland’s Isle of Skye.Nicknamed the “Caribbean of California,” Catalina is a 76-square-mile island, anchored by perfectly crescent-shaped Avalon Bay an hour’s ferry from Long Beach.

Earlier this summer, the iconic isle, also known as the ‘Amalfi Coast of Orange County‘ earned its place among Travel + Leisure’s best islands in the continental US.Catalina features steep cliffs, color-drenched villas and a mild climate that make it a kind of domestic dolce vita, making it a favored haunt of Hollywood stars in the 1930s and 40s.

Accord...