Tenby, United Kingdom

Wedged between its sweeping north and south beaches, and fronting an island-studded seascape, beguilingly old-fashioned TENBY (Dinbych-y-Pysgod) is everything a seaside resort should be. Narrow streets duck and wind downhill from the medieval centre to the harbour. Steps down the steeper slopes provide magical views of the dockside arches which still house fishmongers selling the morning's catch, while rows of brightly painted houses and hotels are strung along the clifftops.

The focal point of Tenby's old centre is the 152-foot spire of the largely fifteenth-century St Mary's church, bordered on its western side by Upper Frog Street, replete with craft shops and an arcaded indoor market, containing craft stalls and gift shops.

Sheltered by the curving headland and fringed by pastel-hued Georgian and Victorian houses, Tenby's harbour is a great place to stroll on a warm evening, as well as being the departure point for trips to Caldey Island (Ynys Pyr), which looms large on the horizon a few miles offshore.