Vancouver Island has been named North America's best island for the sixth year in a row in a Condé Nast Traveler readers' choice survey that also awarded sixth-place honours to P.E.I.

Vancouver Island, renowned for its beautiful beaches, has been named the best island in North America for the sixth consecutive year.
(Chuck Stoody/Canadian Press)

The November issue of the magazine, which was released to newsstands Thursday, also ranked B.C.'s Gulf Islands the third-best North American Island.

Vancouver and Victoria also rang in as the second- and third-best cities in the Americas behind Argentina's Buenos Aires.

"In North America, vast Vancouver is the favourite for the sixth consecutive year," Condé Nast Traveler said in the island rankings. "Its neighbours in British Columbia, the Gulf Islands, appear for the first time, joining their archipelagic sisters, Washington State's San Juans, in the Top 10."

Readers are asked to evaluate destinations based on criteria including activities, atmosphere, friendliness, lodging, restaurants, scenery, culture and shopping. More than 28,000 surveys were included in this year's poll.

B.C. dominates resort rankings

The top five Canadian hotels according to the survey are Quebec City's Auberge Saint-Antoine, the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Victoria's Magnolia Hotel & Spa, Toronto's Windsor Arms Hotel and Vancouver's Fairmont Waterfront.

Prince Edward Island, a prime travel destination in Canada, was ranked the sixth best island in North America.
(CBC)

B.C. also dominated the Canadian resorts rankings with the Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre ranked first ahead of Tofino's Wickaninnish Inn and the Four Season at Whistler.

P.E.I. was ranked the best North American island in a Travel + Leisure magazine survey published in 2003 and 2004.

According to a June Scotiabank holiday survey, Quebec, Ontario, B.C. and Alberta were Canada's top destination picks for domestic travel.

Quebecers, at 38 per cent, were the most likely to vacation within their own province, followed by B.C. and Alberta residents at 29 per cent.