A tranquil corner of 'paradise' is just a short hop from the mainland UK - and it's owned by none other than Prince William.
Described as "outstandingly beautiful, uncrowded and unspoiled" on the official tourist board website, the Isles of Scilly are located not far off the coast of Cornwall, and are around one hour away from southwest England by plane.
As well as its royal connections - being under the Prince of Wales' inheritance as part of the Duchy of Cornwall - the enchanting archipelago is also known for its enviable micro-climate, boasting flora and fauna you would not typically expect to find in Britain within its famous botanical gardens.
It has not always been a home of simple relaxation, however, and when the Spanish Armada’s attempted invasion was repelled in 1588, Queen Elizabeth was persuaded to build a fortified garrison on Scilly’s main island, St Mary’s, in case the Spanish saw it as a launch pad for a second attempt.
The fortified castle, in the shape of an eight-pointed star, still stands guard over the harbour of Hugh Town, St Mary’s - though today it is a cosy and atmospheric hotel, with Scilly’s only invaders now being summer tourists and the October birdwatchers.
The Star Castle, with its thick granite walls, ancient beamed ceilings and dungeon bar, is an ideal base to explore one of Britain’s hidden gems, says Devon Live.
And with around only 5,000 tourist beds, the islands never seem crowded, have little traffic and miles of pristine beaches.
St Mary’s is the largest of the islands and is home to around 1,600 of the archipelago's total 2,100 permanent residents, though it is still only three miles long and a mile across.
It's where Scilly is connected to the rest of the world by plane, and in the harbour there are boats to ferry you to the other islands.
The second largest island of Tresco is meanwhile famed for its botanical gardens established by Augustus Smith in the 19th century, and his descendant Robert Dorrien Smith now presides over the island.
Monterey pines from California and proteas from South Africa can be found in this slice of the subtropical world, as well as 20000 plants from more than 80 countries.
The gardens also host figureheads from local shipwrecks, as well as an 18-pounder cannon from the warship Association, whose loss in 1707 with three other ships and hundreds of lives after a navigation error led to the race to discover a way of measuring longitude.
When the Mirror's Peter Fenton visited the islands with his wife, he found the islands of Tresco, St Mary's and St Agnes were full of wonderful sightseeing opportunities - as well as some fine seafood, beers and wines.
He said: “Fortified by a baguette of local crabmeat and a pint of fine Scilly-brewed bitter at the excellent New Inn, my wife Fran and I set off to explore the rest of Tresco, stopping to climb Cromwell’s Castle, a ruined shore battery that once guarded the channel between Tresco and its near-neighbour Bryher, one of the other inhabited islands.
“Back on St Mary’s, the Star Castle’s superb wine selection and regular tasting evenings are a clue to hotelier Robert Francis’s passion for the grape and he has planted 7,000 vines on land at Holy Vale, St Mary’s, with a view to producing the first Scilly wine.
“After a visit to his vineyard, which he plans to open as a tourist attraction, we took a boat to St Agnes – much less developed than Tresco. With a few working farms and a lot of rugged coast, St Agnes boasts spectacular ocean views, especially when the sea is crashing in and the bracing wind blowing.
“You really need to work up an appetite as the food at the Star Castle is exceptional. Robert uses his own fishing boat to catch lobster and crab.
“Cornish boats bring in fresh brill, monkfish, hake and plaice; the beef is locally sourced and is melt-in-the-mouth delicious. The menu is imaginative without being over-fussy and the food superbly cooked.
“You cannot get further away from the hustle and bustle of modern life than the Isles of Scilly. The 1960s pipe-smoking Prime Minister Harold Wilson used them as his secret getaway and loved them so much he chose the churchyard overlooking Old Town Bay on St Mary’s as his final resting place.
It was also a chosen holiday spot of the-then Prince Charles and late Princess Diana, where the couple most notably took Prince William and Prince Harry for a summer cycling trip in their childhood.
In more recent times, William's young family and A-list celebrities like Jude Law are known to have enjoyed the islands’ privacy, easy pace of life and crime-and traffic-free environment bring people.
Summing up what the Scilly isles can offer the discerning visitor, Peter said: "No nightclubs or theme parks, just the freshest air and the gentle roar of a sea that is visible from almost everywhere."
