Fiji

You'll probably land near Nadi, but only stick around town long enough to work out where you want to go and what you want to see.

Perhaps to Lautoka to gaze upon acres of orchids in the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, or into the cosmopolitan capital of Suva, or you could head directly to the plethora of pristine beaches on the Coral Coast.

Inland, possibly, up the Sigatoka Valley, which is scattered with archaeological sites, then on to the picturesque thatched-hut villages of the Nausori Highlands. All this is found on Viti Levu, just one of Fiji's 320 islands, which together offer more palm-fringed paradise than anyone could possibly know what to do with.

The archipelago's second largest island is rugged, reef-rimmed Vanua Levu; less developed than its big brother, its local customs remain largely unchanged by tourism. This is even more apparent on Taveuni - a lush kingdom of waterfalls, flowers, birdlife and spotless sandy coastline - where most of the people still live in traditional Fijian villages.

To the west, the volcanic islands of the Yasawas group have some of the country's finest beaches, as well as excellent, sheltered snorkelling. You can even find your piece of paradise if you're merely stopping over - the idyllic Mamanuca Islands are just an hour by boat from Nadi.

Famous as Fiji is as an exotic retreat of silken sands and sunsets, there's more to its islands than sunbathing and sipping cocktails - if you want it. Not surprisingly, it's got some of the best scuba diving territory in the world, but less well known is that there's also superb, advanced surf turf to be found here too. Rainforest hikes, river rafting and sea kayaking are other adventures on offer... or, sure, you could just turn over and catch some rays.