South Goa is the ideal place if you are looking for a peaceful holiday with a laid-back pace. Some of the finest beaches in the region skirt the coast with attractive Portuguese-style villages scattered through the hillsides. Colva is the liveliest resort with a good choice of shops, bars and restaurants. It sits in the middle of a 25 kilometre stretch of soft sandy beach, backed by coconut palms.

Baga has an attractive fishing beach offers a flipside to some of Goa’s more vibrant coastlines. With its golden sands and gently swaying palms, it’s a gentle slice of Indian paradise.

Midway along the southern Goan coast, the smallish stretch of beach at Mobor has thrown off any hint of its hippie days and replaced it with a distinctly exclusive feel.

Delhi, capital of India, Agra, home of the Taj Mahal and Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan, together make up the Golden Triangle as three of India’s most visited and fascinating cities. Rajasthan is an area of great beauty, from the jungle-clad hills and lakes of the south, to the deserts of the north-west, where camels are as precious as life.

Holiday rentals from owners in India bookable safely on-line.