Dar-es-Salam stays open all year and is a wonderful haven when the snow sets in.

The hotel offers all kinds of outdoor activities including golf, water-skiing, surf-riding, fishing, and the ubiquitous shikhara rides on the lake.

Sightseeing options abound: you can start with the nearby Hazratbal Shrine and slowly make your way in a rickshaw or taxi to the Mughal Gardens, Jama Masjid and Dara Shikoh’s terraced palace, Pari Mahal.

Many people come to Srinagar just to shop and it’s easy to see why: the city has some of the oldest handicraft traditions in the country – embroidered rugs, pashmina shawls, wooden boxes – all available at incredible prices, a fraction of what you’d pay elsewhere. Go to Polo Ground for bargains and Suffering Moses and Sadiq and Sons for antique rugs, boxes and pure pashminas.