Kovalum (India) > Reviews > 12 Days to Paradise

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Advantages:	beautiful golden sandy beaches, tropical & # 8211;lush, green location,  Ayurvedic treatments, whole of Kerala offers a wide experience & # 8211; quiet backwaters & # 8211;vivid colours culture,wildlife, fishing etc
Disadvantages:	none .  .

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yes

Full review

From the moment I entered Kerala; which is fondly referred to as “God’s own country”, I knew this place was something special quite unlike the other parts of India I had visited. It was here; amidst the lush green surroundings, the acres of palm trees and the quiet and tranquil backwaters of Kerala that I found paradise; miles of untouched golden sandy beaches – in a place called Kovalum.

Kerala; the State is situated in Southern India, covering an area of approx. 40,000 square miles. It offers a diverse terrain with the Western Ghat heights to one side that border with adjoining States of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and the beautiful Lakshadweep Sea to other side. The sweeping western coastlines make this one of India’s most beautiful sandy beach resorts; which is better known as Kovalum.

Kerala thrives on tourism and its Department of Tourism is doing all it can to promote the place and provide a variety of comforts and facilities for the tourists. The best time to visit is between November to March. Unlike the rest of India, there is no dry or very hot season (such as in Hyderabad -May is unbearably hot). Infact the only times not to visit Kerala are the 3-4 months from June to September when it is known to be particularly wet. I visited in December; the weather was pleasant, dry, and not too hot; it did not go above 32ºC. The capital city of Kerala is Trivandrum, just 16Km away from Kovalum.

Kovalum is fast becoming an alternative travel destination to the over populated Goa, which has possibly come to the end of its it run…sadly, too much tourism can kill a place too and diminish supplies for the locals, whilst increasing yearly profits for the tour operators.

Although it’s a few years since I visited Kovalum I have distinct vivid memories of the place as if I visited only yesterday, its places such as this one can never forget. I discovered this Paradise of the South; Kovalum during my travels on the 12th day of my journey. With this opinion, I hope that you may be able to gain a feel for what this place is like. I will briefly mention a few places on route, which I plan to cover at a later date under separate reviews.

The journey ~

The tour of Southern India by car started from Bangalore in State of Karnataka travelling down South. We had been travelling for 12 days by road, driven through 4 States; Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and lastly approached Kerala. Although my journey originated in Andhra Pradesh, we cheated by taking a flight from Hyderabad to Bangalore, which made ideal road travelling distances in the short 2 weeks we had available. We had driven an estimated 2000km; Kovalum was the last point on the map we wanted to visit and as they say; the best always comes last and it certainly was the best place on my travel iteniery. Touring by road in India is noisy, dusty and very unpredictable; you never know what you’ll find on your travels! We encountered many vibrant street parties and traditional festivals taking place especially on approach to Kerala; lots of music, monkeys, kids, lorry drivers and some delicious mouth-watering hot snacks freshly prepared by the roadside (word of warning - if you haven’t acclimatised and built up your immunity do not try these).

The first part of the journey starting in Bangalore using the National Highway NH47 wasn’t too bad with the first major stop made at Salem. As the national highways comprise mainly of heavy long distance lorries you can be sure of a noisy ride as the lorries have the most deafening horns which they blow on approach to each village, junction, crossing etc. After making an overnight stop in Salem, our next stop was in the beautiful hill station of Kodaikanal, situated 1400m above sea level – a definite must see! in the State of Tamil Nadu. After a few days in Kodaikanal we travelled further South to a small place known as ‘Thekkady’, which has the most amazing Lake (Periyar Lake and Wildlife Sanctuary where it is reported that tigers still present (though we didn’t see any!) It was 12 days now since we had been on the road and we had one final State left to see which was Kerala, the sign on the approach to the National highway at Thekkady stated 287Km to Kovalum, it seemed quite a distance and could be time consuming bearing in mind speed limits are restricted in India due to poor roads. It was also at this point we noticed the headlights were not working on the car, so we would have to make the journey in daylight. The National Highways on the Kerala route were without doubt the best highways I had seen in India; the roads were wide, smooth, covered in black tarmac, and no potholes!! (after driving through some remote parts of Tamil Nadu where even the National Highways had potholes, Kerala was bliss; I could even manage to operate my camcorder smoothly!) Elephants are a common sight seen in Kerala; they can be seen working carrying loads walking slowly but firmly alongside other traffic. The elephants are beautiful; I managed to take so many photos and live video footage of their behaviour.

KOVALUM

My first impressions as we entered Kovalum were… “Wow!!” I couldn’t believe what lay ahead of me; miles of golden sands laced with the lush coconut palms. This was refreshing and totally breathtaking. I had travelled for days through diverse terrains and high altitudes (Kodaikanal) and come down to sea level at Kovalum; this has to be the ultimate place to end a tour of the South.

Kovalum comprises of about 4 beaches, the main beaches being Lighthouse Beach, Eve’s Beach and Kovalum Beach. The beaches are full of accommodation and many small side streets away from the beach are also packed with Hotels. Lighthouse Beach in particular is full of Hotels, cafes and small shops selling crafts and gifts. We had no hotel accommodation booked, even though it was ‘peak’ season in the month of December, as this tour of the South wasn’t pre-planned in finite detail but more of a go with the flow type holiday. We were warned by all out friends that we wouldn’t get any accommodation in December on the beach, but to our delight we had found the most wonderful sea-view double room Suite actually on the beach itself, at ‘Orion Hotel’ ideally located on Lighthouse Beach. The accommodation although basic comprising of 2 rooms a lounge and bedroom with a private bathroom, had the most amazing view with the double large veranda, that gave a panoramic view of the sea each morning upon waking. No 5 star Hotel could even come close to this view! The prices at Orion Hotel, which is run locally, were approx. Rs.700 per night for this double room suite with balcony. Prices were a lot cheaper for standard rooms without balcony, please bear in mid this was a few years ago and prices may have risen steeply.

Kovalum is a small fishing village and early each morning we would see the fisherman go out to sea and return with a plentiful variety of fish, much of which would be cooked alongside the many beach cafes. Many people did swim in Kovalum’s Lighthouse beach, but I wouldn’t advise small children or inexperienced swimmers to venture out, it may be safer to use the swimming pool facilities offered by some hotels such as Ashok Hotel, Samudra and a Sea Face. Our Hotel didn’t have any extra facilities. The beaches look stunning, washed gently by the Arabian Sea, occasionally you will see blank sand deposited in parts after a rough sea, but this soon washes away. One can quite happily spend the day away walking from one end of the beach to the other, or simply just lying there, followed by a relaxing Ayurvedic massage. Ayur means the ‘Science of Life’ and this is the best place in the world to experience an Ayurvedic treatment, as Kerala has been practicing Ayurvedic treatment for more than a 1000 years! There are numerous massage parlours in Kovalum offering Ayurvedic treatments using pure oils. I decided to try the experience and luckily my Hotel offered this service, which was next door to our room in a hut like room! I had to be quick as many tourists were also coming from other Hotels just to have a massage. It didn’t cost much, although there are exclusive Ayurvedic centres probably in 5 star Hotels who would offer the same service in opulent surroundings yet at extortionate prices.

As night approaches the beach looks totally different..the only thing you can see as you approach Lighthouse beach is twinkling white lights in the dark. It’s handy to keep a torch whilst walking along the beaches at night. The aroma of freshly prepared fish on charcoal soaked in marinades and rich spices hits you as you near many of the cafes along the beachfront. The Hotel we stayed in was also a beachfront restaurant serving food late into the night, though they would usually close at 12.30. If one wants food after midnight the best place to go is Ashok Hotel, we would often go for a coffee to Ashok Hotel in the early hours. Ashok Hotel has its own 5 star Beach Resort and complex, though in my personal view –I didn’t find the beach as breathtaking as the common beaches e.g. Lighthouse Beach.

On a slight detour out of the 4 beaches on Kovalum beach we found the most amazing beach I have ever seen in India..it was untouched..there were no humans, just masses of golden sands and a few palm trees..in the distance I could see a fishing boat…if this wasn’t paradise I’d like to know what is!

I couldn’t understand why this was not a named beach resort as it was stunning; upon careful examination I found that the gradient was rather too steep and this would not provide a safe beach.

We were in Kovalum for New Year –a large beach Party was planned, we didn’t stay as occasionally these parties can get out hand, instead we visited Trivandrum; the capital of Kerala. Many of the hotels in Trivandrum were hosting New Year parties with buffets and entertainment. So, there is plenty in and around Kovalum to keep one occupied.

Apart from beaches, Ayurvedic massages, handicrafts; Kerala has a rich vibrant culture and there are many dance festivals taking place throughout the year. Kathakali is a special dance originated in Kerala, it’s worth trying to see a performance.

Finally, some travel tips should you be interested to visit this glorious region of the South….

TRAVEL TIPS

How to get there ~

Since the introduction of direct charter flights to Trivandrum in 1995; getting to Kovalum has never been easier. Kovalum is just 20 minutes drive from Trivandrum. Direct flights cost from £300 - £500 approx. There are also a variety of package holidays offered by UK tour operators to Kerala, which may offer better value for money.

For the more independent traveller planning on seeing a few cities; Indian Airlines offers a wide network of well-connected internal flights throughout India. However, internal flights are quite expensive. There is a special tourist rate ticket that allows unlimited air travel for 2 weeks throughout India; it may be worth enquiring with Indian Airlines about this ticket. The tourist rate ticket is normally payable in US dollars and is for non-Indian Nationals only.

If money is limited yet time plentiful, a cheaper way to travel throughout India is by train; this offers an adventurous, laid-back way of travelling.

For the even more adventurous traveller there is the option of travelling throughout Southern India by car…. like I did!! (though I probably wouldn’t recommend this to a tourist).

Essential Advice~

To visit India you will require a visa, a 6-month Tourist Visa currently costs £30. The local currency is the Indian Rupee, (approx Rs. 65= £1). The local language in Kerala is Malayalam, though English is spoken extensively, as well as Hindi and Tamil. We didn’t speak any Malayalam and the locals were most helpful, and most people speak a few words of English.
Kovalum has a range of accommodation from local Hotels e.g. Orion Tel. 471-480999, Sea Rock Tel.471-481721. There is also the 5 star Kovalam Ashok Beach Resort Tel. 471-480101, htlashok@giasmd01.vsnl.net.in.
Kerala is one of the most well educated States in India with the highest literacy rate and the people are very helpful, friendly and hard working.

I recommend Kovalum to anybody who love beaches (perhaps less crowded ones), tropics, wildlife and lush green scenery. Kovalum may not be as commercial or as crowded as Goa, but it offers a whole lot more; Kerala is a State welcoming visitors with open arms. The 12th day of my trip was the day I discovered the Paradise of the South, a day I will never forget.

Useful websites:-

http://www.kerala.com/