A room at Reni Pani Jungle Lodge, near Satpura National Park. BELOW Diners at Brittania & Co Restaurant in Mumbai
1 If you prefer to travel under your own steam, start by booking your international flight – this itinerary works best if you fly into Mumbai and out of Delhi. Several airlines offer a direct route on both legs of the journey, including Air India, BA, Jet Airways and Virgin Atlantic (from around £500 with airindia.in). Cheaper flights are available, but usually involve a stopover in the Middle East.
2 Once in Mumbai, check in to Le Sutra, a small boutique hotel decorated with Indian art (£70; lesutra.in). Spend a day lunch at Britannia & Co Restaurant. Its owners are Parsis – Iranian Zoroastrian house, situated on the of Applied Art (jjiaa.org). End with a sundowner at the Sea Lounge bar at the Taj Hotel, which overlooks the Gateway of India (tajhotels.com).