India

Three very different answers, all exceptional: Amanbagh — which we have stayed at and reviewed first-hand — a Mughal-style garden palace among the ruins of Bhangarh; Aman-i-Khás, ten lavish tents on the edge of Ranthambore's tiger reserve; and Six Senses Fort Barwara, a restored 14th-century fort. Palace, safari camp or fort — the choice defines the trip.

October through March for Rajasthan and most of the north — dry, sunny days and cool evenings, with December–January the peak. Tiger safari season at Ranthambore runs October to June, with sightings improving as the dry season concentrates wildlife around water (April–June is hot but prime for tigers).

Ten to twelve nights covers the classic golden triangle-plus: Delhi, Agra for the Taj Mahal, then Rajasthan — Jaipur, a heritage stay like Amanbagh, and a Ranthambore safari — with private cars and guides between. We sequence it so no driving day exceeds a comfortable half-day.

Almost every Rajasthan circuit is driven, with a car and driver booked for the whole route. The roads have improved a great deal, but distances read shorter on a map than they feel. Jaipur to Jodhpur, or Jodhpur to Udaipur, is most of a day once you have stopped for lunch and a fort. Trains work well on the Delhi–Agra leg. Flying is worth it at the ends: in via Delhi or Jaipur, out of Udaipur, so you are not doubling back. Start the long legs early; afternoon traffic through the towns is what wrecks a schedule.

They do different jobs. Amanbagh sits in the Ajabgarh valley, out in the Aravalli hills between Delhi and Jaipur, surrounded by villages and farmland with very little to do — which is rather the point. It works as a decompression stop at either end of a circuit. Six Senses Fort Barwara is a restored fort about half an hour from Ranthambore, so it becomes your tiger base. Worth knowing before you fix dates: Ranthambore's core zones close for the monsoon and reopen on 1 October. If tigers are the reason you are going, that decides the calendar first.

Delhi's air is at its worst from late October through January. Cold air traps pollution close to the ground, crop burning adds to it, and readings sit in the severe band for days at a stretch. Very few people planning your trip will raise it. Rajasthan is cleaner, though not exempt. If you are sensitive, or travelling with small children, hold Delhi to a single night, fly straight into Jaipur or Udaipur instead, or move the trip to February and March — the air clears and the light is better anyway.