Marari Beach Resort, Alleppey, Kerala -Details: B&B doubles from £130 (0845 0340700),www.mrandmrssmith.com
Old Harbour Hotel, Fort Cochin, Kerala Details: B&B doubles from £80 book as above
Nilaya, Arpora, Goa- Details: Half-board doubles from £218 (00 91 883 2227 6793,www.nilaya.com)
Shahpura Bagh, Bhilwara, Rajasthan Details: B&B doubles from £72. Dinner from £6. (14 8422 2077,www.shahpurabagh.com). Alastair Sawday’s Special Places to Stay India (£11.99, 01275 395431, www.sawdays.co.uk).
Getting to India
Flights:
Charter flights:
Getting around:
Airpasses are worth buying for multiple flights: Trailfinders (0845 058 5858) offers seven-day airpasses on Jet Airways from $350 and 15-day passes on Indian Airlines from $630.
By rail: Indian Railways (
www.indianrail.gov.in) carries 10 million passengers a day over a route network of 63,000km. There are eight passenger classes to choose from, so you shouldn’t have to ride on the roof. Even for a single journey it’s best to buy an IndRail Pass (a half-day pass lasts up to 12 hours), available in Britain from SD Enterprises (020-8903 3411,
www.indiarail.co.uk).