Puri is no palm-fringed paradise – the beach is wide, shelves quickly with a nasty shore break and is shadeless. But Model Beach, part of a sustainable, community-run beach-tourism initiative, offers a 700m stretch of sand that’s easily Puri’s finest and cleanest. Palm umbrellas provide shade, and a team of cabana boys and lifeguards known as Sea Riders hawk fixed-price beach chairs (per hour ₹20) and massages (₹100 to ₹200); they are also responsible for keeping the beach clean.