Mount Abu, India

Rajasthan's only bona fide hill station, MOUNT ABU (1220m) is popular above all with honeymooners during the winter wedding season and with holiday-makers from nearby Gujarat. Mount Abu's hokey commercialism is aimed squarely at local vacationers rather than foreigners, but the sight of lovestruck honeymooners shyly holding hands and jolly parties of Gujarati tourists lends it a charming idiosyncratic atmosphere – and the fresh air is exhilarating after the heat of the desert plains. The town occupies an important place in Rajput history, being the site of the famous yagna agnikund fire ceremony, conducted in the eighth century AD, from which all Rajputs claim mythological descent.

At the centre of town, everyone converges in the late afternoon at Nakki Lake for pony and pedalo rides. Of several panoramic viewpoints on the fringes of town above the plains, Sunset Point is the favourite – though the hordes of holiday-makers and hawkers also make it one of the noisiest and least romantic. Honeymoon Point, also known as Ganesh Point (after the adjacent temple), and Anadhra Point offer breathtaking views over the plain at any time of day, and tend to be more peaceful; 4pm is a good time to visit.