Mandvi & Vijay Vilas Palace from Bhuj

Mandvi sits about 60 km south-west of Bhuj on the Kutch coast, an hour's drive that is the easiest and most rewarding day trip in the region. Founded in the late sixteenth century, it was the principal port of the Kutch state, sending sailing ships to Zanzibar, Muscat and Malabar, and its most remarkable survival is the shipyard on the Rukmavati riverbank where large wooden dhows are still built by hand, without plans, by carpenters working from inherited knowledge. Visitors can usually walk among the hulls on the stocks; mornings are when the yard is busiest. Seven or eight kilometres west of town stands Vijay Vilas Palace, begun in 1920 and completed in 1929 as the summer retreat of the Maharao of Kutch - a Rajasthani-influenced sandstone building of domes, jharokha balconies and a central high dome, set in some 450 acres of gardens with water channels and marble fountains, and best known to Indian visitors as a location in several Bollywood films. A separate ticket gives access to its private beach, which is calmer and better equipped than the public sands. Mandvi's main beach is long, open and generally uncrowded, with camel and horse rides, kite flying and a line of evening food stalls; offshore, a row of wind turbines forms an unexpected but photogenic horizon at sunset. The wind is relentless and the currents can be strong, so wading is wiser than swimming out. Back in town, the old merchant quarter has carved wooden havelis, and the Rukmavati bridge and riverfront are worth a wander. November to February brings the pleasant weather, coinciding with the Rann Utsav season when Kutch is at its busiest. Buses run regularly from Bhuj, but a hired car makes it easy to combine the beach, the palace and the shipyard in a single unhurried day.