ISLAND IDYLL

Slow, mindful and immersive-that's the sort of beach holiday we all want. And you'll get it at the Tilar Siro resort in the Andamans

- Latha Anantharaman

In a season of cyclones and weeping skies over the subcontinent, Port Blair was defiantly sunny as we boarded the ferry to Swaraj Deep.

It used to take six hours, but now a high-speed luxury catamaran gets us there in two. At that speed, it is impossible for passengers to catch the sea breeze on the stern, so we must sit safely in the cabin. Still, the windows were large and there were samosas and tea on board, and in the already slanting sun the massive South Andaman Island bounded our western view, a spine of dense forest rising from the sea. The faster ferry has made it easier to reach the islands of Ritchie's Archipelago, a site rich in wildlife and rare beauty. Swaraj Dweep, once called Havelock Island, is the largest of these, and one of only two that accommodate tourists. No two beaches are quite the same on Swaraj Dweep. On the serene Vijaynagar Beach bordering the Tilar Siro resort, it is a shock to find lush vegetation just metres from the white coral sand, fringed with sea lettuce and pandanus trees crowned with fruit. It is all the gift of the continual wash of alluvial deposits from volcanic rock and calcium from dead coral, so that the wild ginger and kapok we know from the mainland grow enormous here. Baby waves lap at a peaceful shore, and toddlers build their sand castles in the shelter of kneeling tamanu trees. In the evening, guests gather over tea and pakoras to watch the moon silver the water.