Dreaming of a West Coast escape? The USA's Pacific shores are home to an array of charming small towns and cities, from beach boltholes geared towards families (think arcade games and boogie board rentals) to buzzy ports with artistic flair. Our well-travelled team have rounded up 24 of our favourite Pacific locales spread across California, Oregon and Washington and ranked them for their attractiveness. It's all purely based on our opinions, so you may well have a different favourite to us.

Click through the gallery to discover which lovely coastal spot we've placed at number one...