BELIZE

There’s an old superstition in Belize that if you take a swim on Good Friday, you risk turning into a mermaid. After some spending some time luxuriating in the ocean off its paradise-like white-sand beaches, you might conclude that’s not too bad a fate. Set between Mexico and Guatemala, Belize enchants visitors with its far-from-hidden gems. For a taste of the mermaid lifestyle, it’s easy to arrange to go snorkelling to see Belize’s underwater inhabitants, including the riotous spectrum of marine life on the world’s second-largest barrier reef. (Jacques Cousteau spent time scuba diving here, but that was to explore the extraordinary Great Blue sinkhole that formed during the Ice Age). The country’s interior includes large areas of protected forests and mountains, including the world’s first jaguar preserve. Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America, and for many it’s a particularly easy patch of paradise to navigate.