Eight islands with starring roles in films, from The Beach to Star Wars

Whether it’s Thailand’s golden sands or the rugged shores of Ireland, islands have provided the backdrops for some of Hollywood’s greatest hits – Tamara Hinson rounds up a few of the most memorable

Mar 10, 2025 - 21:01

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Eight islands with starring roles in films, from The Beach to Star Wars

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This year marks 25 years since The Beach was released, putting Thailand on the map with travellers keen to check out Leonardo DiCaprio’s desert island paradise (minus the gun-toting pot farmers, ideally). Over the years, numerous movies have supercharged visitor numbers to various islands, whether it’s Luke Skywalker’s Irish hideout in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, or the Canadian island taken over by rampaging primates for the Planet of the Apes films.

If you fancy slipping into special agent mode at James Bond’s favourite island beach bar, belting out Abba classics during a Grecian getaway to the island used for the Mamma Mia! movies, or eating lobster rolls while gazing out over the shores shivering at the thought of Jaws, you’re in luck. We’ve rounded up eight idyllic getaways that you’ll almost certainly recognise from the silver screen – and most of them you’re able to visit fairly easily.

Ko Phi Phi Le, Thailand – The Beach

Many travellers will recognise the distinctive backdrop to The Beach, with towering cliffs and turquoise waters

Many travellers will recognise the distinctive backdrop to The Beach, with towering cliffs and turquoise waters (Getty Images)

Some 25 years ago, Leonardo DiCaprio played Richard, a chain-smoking traveller lured to Ko Phi Phi Le and its community of free-spirited travellers, spending his days perfecting his fire poi and snorkelling through glass-clear waters. Most of the filming took place on the island’s Maya Bay, although the production crew’s decision to plant dozens of palm trees and reshape sand dunes (apparently the island didn’t look “tropical” enough) led to 20th Century Fox being sued by the Thai government, which ordered them to carry out rehabilitation work. Maya Bay reopened in 2022, albeit with strict rules to prevent further damage to plant life and corals – visitors (most of whom stay on nearby Ko Phi Phi Don) can only enter the water up to their knees, and staying overnight is forbidden.

Bali, Indonesia – Eat, Pray, Love

Have your own Eat, Pray, Love moment in Ubud, Bali

Have your own Eat, Pray, Love moment in Ubud, Bali (Getty Images)

Eat, Pray, Love, which came out in 2010, featured various Bali backdrops, including Ubud, famous for its lush rice paddies and often referred to as Bali’s cultural heart, and Padang Padang Beach, on South Bali's Bukit Peninsula. This particular spot is a magnet for surfers keen to test their mettle on a surf break known as the Balinese Pipeline. Keen to do as Liz (Julia Roberts) does and embrace Bali’s free-spirited side? Consider basing yourself at Ubud’s luxurious Hoshinoya Bali resort, where you can opt for purification rituals and moonlight yoga sessions.

Martha’s Vineyard, USA – Jaws

Martha's Vineyard's has many beautiful beaches (and you're unlikely to spot a shark)

Martha's Vineyard's has many beautiful beaches (and you're unlikely to spot a shark) (Getty Images)

The Jaws movies put this beautiful Massachusetts island firmly on the map – no, not with travellers keen to brave its supposedly shark-filled waters (grey seals are actually more common), but because of the backdrop of quaint New England architecture. Planning a Jaws-themed visit to this gorgeous island? Take a ride on the Chappy Ferry, which connects Martha’s Vineyard to tiny Chappaquiddick Island (in one of the earliest scenes in the original Jaws film, Mayor Vaughn and Brody take this exact ferry) and visit the town of Chilmark, another backdrop. Try the lobster rolls at popular seafood restaurant Homeport or head to nearby Oak Bluffs for cocktails at Sharky’s, a shark memorabilia-stuffed cantina.

Jamaica – Dr No

The Goldeneye resort in Jamaica

The Goldeneye resort in Jamaica (Goldeneye)

Jamaica’s regular appearances in James Bond films, including Live and Let Die, and No Time to Die, is no surprise – writer Ian Fleming lived on the island and wrote many of the James Bond novels during stints at his estate (known as Goldeneye) on Jamaica’s north coast. Key locations for Dr No include Port Royal’s Morgan's Harbour Hotel, with its open-air restaurant and gorgeous views (this where James Bond meets local fixer Quarrel) and Kingston’s Liguanea Club hotel, which doubled as the seriously swanky Queen’s Club. For Bond fans, there’s only one place to stay – Goldeneye, Ian Fleming’s former estate, now a luxurious resort with Bond-worthy villas, cottages and beach huts to rent.

Skopelos, Greece – Mamma Mia!

Abba fans can hide away on the idyllic Skopelos island

Abba fans can hide away on the idyllic Skopelos island (Getty Images)

Step foot on Skopelos and you’ll find numerous reminders of the Abba-themed blockbuster, whether it’s Mamma Mia! boat tours or cocktails named after Abba’s most famous songs. Kastani beach on the western coast was a key filming location (this is where Sophie and Sky belt out Lay All Your Love On Me), while the tiny Chapel of Agios Ioannis, perched atop a rocky outcropping near the island’s northern tip, is where they tied the knot. One of the movie’s most stunning locations is Amarandos Cove, a pine-fringed bay where Sophie runs through the trees singing Honey, Honey while she reads her mother’s diary. As you do.

Skellig Michael, Ireland – Star Wars: The Force Awakens

This distinctive island is hard to reach, but visits with official tours are possible

This distinctive island is hard to reach, but visits with official tours are possible (Getty Images)

Full disclosure: this is one of the least accessible filming locations we’re featuring – even Jedis, known for their ability to levitate, will find it tricky to get to. The good news is that visits are possible, but only on official Skellig Michael Landing Tours and at certain times of year (between mid-May and late September). In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this somewhat barren twin-pinnacled crag doubled as the planet Ahch-To, chosen by Luke Skywalker as a hiding place. It was once home to a monastery founded in the sixth century, but puffins are now the only permanent residents.

Kefalonia, Greece – Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

The dreamy shores of Kefalonia are easy to visit

The dreamy shores of Kefalonia are easy to visit (Getty Images)

The 2001 release of Captain Corelli's Mandolin resulted in a huge increase in visitors to this island, the former home (according to Greek mythology) of Odysseus. The stunning beachfront town of Sami, with its backdrop of forested hills, was one of the key locations, although many of the structures from the film were made for the movie – the Venetian-style colonnade, belltower and town hall were all constructed from scratch and used to obscure existing, more modern buildings. Another of the movie’s locations is the stunning Antísamos Beach – when Captain Corelli (played by Nicholas Cage) arrives on the island with the Italian army in tow, his soldiers set up camp here.

Vancouver Island, Canada – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Deadpool and Sonic the Hedgehog were also filmed on the wilderness of Vancouver Island

Deadpool and Sonic the Hedgehog were also filmed on the wilderness of Vancouver Island (Getty Images)

Movies filmed on Vancouver Island include Deadpool and Sonic the Hedgehog, although it’s War for the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes which did the best job of showcasing its spectacular wilderness. More specifically, the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, where sandy beaches nudge up against temperate rainforests. Some of War for the Planet of the Apes’ most memorable scenes (including the one were fearsome apes race past an abandoned Coca-Cola truck) were filmed on the island’s Ucluelet Peninsula, while the island’s Lupin Falls Provincial Park, famous for its thundering waterfalls, was a backdrop for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.