A gorgeous backdrop of pine-clad mountains looms behind the seaside resort of Marmaris in southwest Turkey. Popular as a cruise ship and yacht port and with the British budget holiday crowd, Marmaris offers an abundance of fast food restaurants, the restored castle of Suleyman the Magnificent and an appealing cobblestoned old quarter.

If watching the sunrise from atop a 10,000-foot volcano, swimming under waterfalls, hiking through craters and luxuriating on white-, red- and even black-sand beaches sounds like paradise, then Maui awaits.

The Mayan Riviera, Mexico's Caribbean coastline, is more than just the resort town of Playa del Carmen. Stretching from the fishing village of Puerto Morales to the biosphere reserve of Sian Ka'an, the area offers visitors a plethora of both eco-tourism and luxury destinations.

Venice makes you a believer in fairy tales. Cars are banned, so the only way to get around the 1,500-year-old city is by foot or by water.