Marsh Harbour, The Bahamas

Founded in 1784 by Loyalists, MARSH HARBOUR started life as a logging, sponging and "wrecking" town, with boat building as an auxiliary industry. These days, tourism is the town's major source of income, and its marinas are filled with yachts and surrounded by swanky holiday villas. Tidy and functional rather than picturesque, the town has a pleasant holiday atmosphere and offers most of the services you might require, including a post office, bookshop, grocery stores, gift and clothing shops, several marinas and tour operators for diving, fishing and kayaking. Several pleasant waterfront bars and restaurants offer live music a few nights a week. With the exception of the swath of beach in front of the Abaco Beach Resort, there is no local beach, but the town makes an ideal base from which to explore the surrounding cays and the rest of Abaco, where white sand and turquoise water are in abundant supply.