Sembatim Beach, Goa Holidays, India

There are very few stretches of beach in Goa that have remained truly unspoiled. And fewer still with accommodation that does justice to the setting. But Elsewhere is very special. It consists of four antique houses, dotted along a dune overlooking a dreamy beach beneath a canopy of rustling coconut palms. Each has traditional red-tile roofs and deep, pillared verandahs where you can while away the hot hours reclined on proper old planters’ chairs, long, cold drink in hand, with the surf crashing close by. The houses are serviced, but the staff are discreet and don’t bother you unless you buzz for them. Lovers of minimalist, tropical beach chic interiors will drool over the luminous blue and whitewashed bedrooms, the diaphanous drapes billowing from the four posters, and the open-to-sky bathrooms. You can dine in the privacy of your own house or at a more sociable restaurant. Access is via a rickety wooden footbridge spanning a creek inhabited by otters. Giant fish eagles nest in the casuarina trees nearby. And the beach is a protected reserve for nesting Olive Ridley turtles.