It may surprise anyone who has crossed the Minch in a force eight gale and torrential rain, but one of the Outer Isles has just been declared the top single island destination in Europe.
It has also beaten tropical rivals in Thailand, Chile and Madagascar to be included in the top five islands in the world.
The accolade comes in this year's Travellers' Choice Island Awards and is being given to Lewis and Harris combined.
They are two islands which were in different counties - Lewis [Ross-shire] and Harris [Inverness-shire] - but never had any water between them.
This Hebridean with the split historical personality has beaten Naxos in Greece into second place and Gozo, beside Malta, into third in the European league.
It also comes fifth in the global ratings beaten only by Ambergris Caye, Belize in first place; Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, in second; Bora Bora, French Polynesia in third; and Marco Island, Florida in fourth.
But it is not the only Scottish island to be recognised. The Orkney Mainland was fourth in the European rankings and Mull also made it to ninth place.
Scottish islands also took six of the top 10 islands in the UK, with Skye in fifth, Arran sixth and Islay eighth
The awards are announced today by TripAdvisor, which claims to be the world's largest travel site.
In its second year, the Travellers' Choice Island awards winners are determined based on the quality and quantity of the most highly-rated hotels, restaurants, and attractions listed for each island on TripAdvisor gathered during a 12-month period.
"An island holiday usually conjures images of faraway palm-lined beaches, white sand and crystal clear water but the results of this year's awards reveal that the ideal island getaway might be closer to home than you think," said James Kay, TripAdvisor spokesman.
Mike Cantlay, chairman of VisitScotland said, "With hundreds of islands, each with their own unique character, diverse landscape and rich wildlife, it's no surprise that these islands have been recognised in the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Islands awards.
"It's always great to get this kind of recognition and I'm sure it will help encourage even more people to visit these incredible islands in 2014, the year Scotland Welcomes the World."
But one islander who lives on Lewis took a different view on hearing the news of the award, saying only: "You have got to be joking!"
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