TOP-END TOURISM

Deluxe tourism has grown from a tiny niche to a massive market. As Tanya Dalton, of the luxury specialists Greaves Travel (020-7487 9111, www.greavesindia.com), explains: “The option to travel and stay in comfort is something we offer in parts of India that would have been unthinkable to the luxury-conscious traveller a few years ago.”

Several of the most lavish hotels are owned by the Oberoi Group (00 800 1234 0101, www.oberoihotels.com), whose flagships are the Rajvilas quartet of resorts near Jaipur, Udaipur, Agra and Ranthambore National Park, all built within the past ten years. Oberoi has five-star hotels in the centres or historic quarters of many other cities, most of them “new builds”, finished and decorated in traditional styles.

Taj Hotels (00 800 4588 1825, www.tajhotels.com) leads the field in “heritage hotels” — converted historic monuments — some of them maharajas’ palaces such as the Lake Palace at Udaipur and Jodhpur’s Umaid Bhawan Palace, where Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar held their wedding celebrations this month.

HERITAGE HOTELS

The most comprehensive portfolio of hidden gems has been put together by Mary-Anne Denison-Pender, of MAhout (01295 758150, www.mahoutuk.com). Some are restored Rajputs’ homes or palaces, others are hill forts, hunting lodges or plantation bungalows set in gardens. MAhout is a one-stop shop for the most individual and welcoming lodgings that India has to offer.

GOA GOES MAINSTREAM

It used to be only the hippies who hung out on the sands of Goa. Now the former Portuguese enclave is a charter gateway and India’s leading beach holiday playground, with scores of operators offering winter-sun packages, and charter flights and hotels at every level, including all-inclusives. There are some excellent deals. Thomson Holidays (0870 1650079, www.thomson.co.uk), for example, offers a week at a three-star beach-side hotel for under £500pp, including direct flights from Gatwick, Birmingham or Manchester.

KERALA IS COOL

The hippies moved south to Kerala, and the masses followed. Like Goa, this coast is tropical. It also has a hinterland of backwater canals plied by houseboats, cool hill stations and spice plantations. Colours of India (020-8343 3446, www.colours-of-india.co.uk) tailormakes holidays taking in such options.

FAMILY TRAVEL

Family trips are offered by such long-haul operators as Kuoni (0870 9909905, www.kuoni.co.uk) and Audley Travel (01993 838300, www.audleytravel.com). Operators at the pricier end report a growing number of families taking holidays in India. Cox & Kings (020-7873 5000, www.coxandkings.co.uk) has introduced a “Family Explorer” brochure that customises trips such as trekking in the Himalayas, sightseeing in Rajasthan, watching wildlife or exploring temples and hills stations.

The Adventure Company (0845 4505312, www.adventurecompany.co.uk) is one of a clutch of companies organising escorted group adventures for families. Others include Exodus (0870 2405550, www.exodus.co.uk), Explore (0870 3334001, www.explore.co.uk) and The Imaginative Traveller (01473 667333, www.imaginative-traveller.com). Most itineraries concentrate on Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan, while a few use Kerala’s new infrastructure. Some departures are for teenagers only, others take children as young as five.

RELAXED RAIL

Train journeys can be the most evocative feature of an Indian holiday, though seats need to be reserved in advance. Gone are the days spent queuing at chaotic booths. You can now find comprehensive timetables on the easy-to-use official site, www.indianrail.gov.in, and book online up to 90 days in advance on www.irct.co.in.

SD Enterprises (020-8903 3411, www.indiarail.co.uk) is a UK-based India rail specialist.

If you want luxury served with nostalgia for the days of the maharajas, the Palace on Wheels (01258 580600, www.palaceonwheels.com) whistle-stops through Rajasthan on week-long journeys with guests staying in twin-bedded cabins. The Viceroy of India, operated by GW Travel (0161-928 9410, www.gwtravel.co.uk), offers similar luxury, travelling across northern India from Bombay to Calcutta via Jaipur, Agra, Delhi, Varanasi and Darjeeling, over two weeks. The Deccan Odyssey (www.deccan-odyssey-india.com) train chugs a circular route from Bombay over the Deccan plateau via Goa, over eight days. Other train trips are offered by Great Rail Journeys (01904 521936, www.greatrail.com).

SHOPPING CITY BREAKS

Despite increasing carbon-footprint awareness, city breaks of three to five days are becoming more popular, according to Ash Sofat of Somak Holidays (020-8423 3000, www.somak.co.uk). He says: “Customers ask mainly for Delhi and Bombay, and travel for the shopping. With multiple flight options, people are waking up to how feasible short visits are — especially as you can pick up a business class ticket for under £1,000 at certain times.”

SPECIALIST TOURS

Explore the marine life of the Andaman and Lakshadweep islands with Dive Worldwide (0845 1306980, www.diveworldwide.com). Himalayan Kingdoms (01453 844400, www.himalayankingdoms.com) offers trekking holidays. Equine Adventures (0845 1306981, www.equineadventures.co.uk) has group riding holidays, mainly in Rajasthan. Naturetrek (01962 733051, www.naturetrek.co.uk) organises group bird-watching and wildlife trips. For cookery holidays, there is On the Go Tours (020-7371 1113, www.onthegotours.com).

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Earthwatch (01865 318838, www.earthwatch.org.uk) organises holidays helping on wildlife and nature conservation projects. Tribes (01728 685971, www.tribes.co.uk) offers trips based on fair-trade principles.

For gap-year students, a structured placement helping in a Bombay orphanage or on a wildlife project can be organised by companies such as The Leap (01672 519922, www.theleap.co.uk) or Real Gap Experience (01892 516164, www.realgap.co.uk).

MORE FLIGHT CHOICE

British Airways (0870 8509850, www.ba.com), from Heathrow to Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras and Bangalore. Jet Airways (0800 0265626, www.jetairways.com) from Heathrow to Delhi, Bombay, Amritsar and, from April, Ahmedabad. Virgin Atlantic (0870 3802007, www.virgin-atlantic.com) from Heathrow to Delhi and Bombay. Air India (020-7495 7950, www.airindia.com) from Heathrow to Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Ahmedabad.

Charters: Thomsonfly (0870 1900737, www.thomsonfly.com) and MyTravel (0870 2418984, www.mytravel.com) fly to Goa from Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham. Monarch (0870 0405040, www.flymonarch.com) flies to Goa from Manchester and Gatwick.

Within India: Jet Airways (as above) and Kingfisher Airlines (www.flykingfisher.com) are full service airlines with extensive networks. SpiceJet (www.spicejet.com) and Air Deccan (www.flyairdeccan.net) are no-frills, low-cost carriers.

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