Andaman

Two hours' flight east of Chennai, the Andamans are the beaches India's mainland does not have: white sand, water you can see your feet in, and reefs a short boat ride out. Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) has Radhanagar, the beach on every poster; Neil (Shaheed Dweep) is smaller and slower; Port Blair has the Cellular Jail and the airport.

It is an island trip, so everything moves by ferry — 90 minutes Port Blair to Havelock, an hour on to Neil — and by boat to the reefs. We book the fast catamarans, not the government ferry, and we build in a spare hour everywhere because the sea sets the timetable.

Best time: November to April — calm seas, clear water, snorkelling and diving at their best. May is hot; June to September is monsoon, when ferries get cancelled and the reefs are murky.