St-Barthélemy

Secluded Plage de Saline is the most photogenic and serene of all St-Barth's beaches. Bookended by rocky hillside, this sweep of golden sand is ideal for working on your tan and frolicking in the crashing surf, but be aware that there's neither shade nor facilities. From the car park, it's a 200m walk through the scrub and over the dunes. Like many of St-Barth's more remote beaches, it's a favorite spot with nudists.

This is the tropical paradise you've daydreamed about: a dazzling, secluded white-sand carpet lapped by turquoise waters and backed by undulating hills. The bay is ideal for swimming and snorkeling around the coral reef on the northeast side of the beach, but can only be reached by boat or on foot.

Completed in 1855 from French bricks and limestone, local stone and Sint Eustatius volcanic black rock, white-painted St Bartholomew's has an open-sided design with original pine pews and louvered shutters that let in celestial rays of light. Sunday services (9am to 10am) are held in English; it also hosts concerts in April and November by renowned local choir La Chorale de Bons Choeurs, which regularly rehearses here.

Moulin Rouge meets Cirque du Soleil in this supper-club cabaret where the chic and inhibition-free frolic in a sensuous fantasy setting. Reservations are best (and essential for groups), but one or two might be able to squeeze into the Pirate-themed bar – even if this puts you a bit away from the action. Come early for pre-show happy-hour drinks and tapas.