Paradise Island, Bahamas

Paradise Island is no tropical paradise. With an area of just 2.8 square kilometers, this former Hog Island is crammed with the sprawling Atlantis resort, a massive water park, and little else. The island's only airport shut down in 1999, leaving it accessible only by bridges from the nearby city of Nassau.

While the island's development was once a pet project of wealthy heir Huntington Hartford, who spared no expense importing luxury amenities like a 14th-century French monastery, the current reality is a constant headache of bureaucracy. The airstrip has been replaced by an 18-hole golf course for the island's wealthiest residents, whose property can fetch up to $40 million.

Paradise Island may offer sun, sand, and an aquarium, but it's best suited for tourists seeking an all-inclusive resort experience, not those seeking a laidback island lifestyle.