India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (148 page)

NORTH OF TRIVANDRUM: THE RED CLIFFS OF VARKALA

A 55km (34-mile) drive north of Trivandrum (1 hr. by train), the seaside resort of Varkala draws numerous Hindu pilgrims who come to worship in the 2,000-year-old
Sri Janardhana Swami Temple
and ritualistically cleanse themselves in the mineral spring waters that gush from Varkala’s ruby-red laterite cliffs. The cliffs overlook the aptly named “Beach of Redemption.” Varkala attracts scores of backpackers searching for an untouched beach paradise—and a decade ago, they might have found just that. Over the years, hawkers and shack-dwellers have drifted in and set up shop along the tops of the cliffs; the coconut palms have been replaced by cheap guesthouses and open-air cafes; and children flog cheap jewelry, yards of cloth, and back-to-nature hippie gear.

Nonetheless, being a holy beach, the sand at the base of the cliffs stays relatively free of human pollution—it’s neither a convenient public toilet facility nor a waste-dumping ground. Instead, devotees of Vishnu attend to earnest
puja
sessions, offering banana leaves piled with boiled rice and brightly colored marigolds to be carried away by the ocean. Usually, the sand is soft and lovely, and you can find a quiet cove for sunbathing without the crowds that are inescapable in Kovalam. In fact, you can find relative peace and calm if you restrict your beach activities to the morning; by lunchtime the gawkers (female bathers are advised to be discreet), hawkers, and dreadlocked Europeans start to file in, and it’s time to venture back to the hotel or guesthouse.

Other activities for visitors here include Kathakali demonstrations, elephant rides, village tours, and backwater trips. You can also take a pleasant evening walk (or auto-rickshaw ride) to the cliffs to visit Sunset Point. If you don’t want to walk back, keep the rickshaw for your return trip (round-trip around Rs 50–Rs 60; more if you want to go farther up the cliff).

Where to Stay & Dine

Varkala has plenty of accommodation choices, virtually all below par, with the predominant market clearly more the backpacker or budget end of the spectrum. Bucking this trend is the classy
Villa Jacaranda
(reviewed below).

If you prefer hotels, your best bet is the
Hindustan Beach Retreat
(
0470/260-4254/5;
www.hindustanbeachretreat.com
), which looms hideously over the southern end of Varkala beach. An unattractive five-story hotel it may be, and certainly the stuff of any eco-enthusiast’s nightmares, it affords the best proximity to the beach,
and
has a pool (albeit one that’s likely to be inundated with shrieking kids). Rooms, all with views of the Arabian Sea (not to mention
puja
being performed on the shore), are comfortable and bathrooms spick-and-span, but it’s all a bit sterile; on the other hand this is the closest you get to the beach, lined with casual restaurant-shacks and flaunting a wannbe-hippie vibe, so you could spend the day with your toes in the sand pretending to be a beach bum and then retreat to your middle-class box. Standard doubles go for Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000, depending on season, and rates include one meal; executive rooms cost Rs 500 more.

The two best places to eat in Varkala, with clean kitchens, good food, decent atmosphere, and great views, are
Clafoutis
(Clafouti Heritage Beach Resort, above Papasham Beach, North Cliff;
0470/260-1414
) and
Café Delmar
(Hill View Beach Resort, North Cliff;
0470/645-1566
). Both serve good fresh fish and seafood. Café Delmar offers a hodgepodge of Indian, Italian, and even Mexican cuisines—and they do real espresso (from an extensive coffee menu),
jaffles
(toasted sandwiches), and pizzas. The chicken tikka biriyani is considered a top choice, and we definitely recommend the
lassi
here—simply excellent. If you’re unsure about what’s what, the Indian menu items at least come with fairly meaningful descriptions. Clafoutis also has a bafflingly extensive menu with Indian, Thai, Italian, and Chinese options, and a huge list of mixed drinks. The real reason to come, though, is for the sunset view from the upstairs deck; it’s probably the most mesmeric scene in Varkala—with the waves crashing somewhere far below, you almost feel yourself adrift over the ocean. Sink back into your seat and, cocktail in hand, meditate on the sinking sun.

Villa Jacaranda
By far the best option in Varkala—not so much for amenities (of which there are few) or luxury (it’s no-frills), but for a sense of intimacy. This is a genteel guesthouse on South Cliff, with tasteful rooms put together with an eye for detail—and lots of personal space. Rooms are simple and minimalist, but the whole look vibes perfectly in the context of such a moody, atmospheric beach resort. Located between the village and the southern end of the beach, it’s ideal for exploring both, and an entirely manageable walk to North Cliff and back. At night you’ll return to your candle-lit veranda; book room no. 2 or 4 and you’ll have the additional pleasure of sea views—the perfect accompaniment to breakfast served right outside your door (no. 4 is the large upstairs unit and a stand-out choice). The only drawback? No pool. And, for families, no kids.

Temple Rd. West, Varkala 695141, Varkala.
0470/261-0296.
www.villa-jacaranda.biz
. Nov–Feb Rs 3,300–Rs 5,000 double; Mar–Oct Rs 3,300–Rs 4,400. Rates include breakfast; 15% tax extra. No credit cards. No children under 8.
Amenities:
Airport transfers (Rs 1,500); Internet (broadband; free); yoga. In room: Fan.

5 Kovalam & Kerala’s Southernmost Coast

Kovalam is 1,216km (754 miles) S of Mumbai

A mere 16km (10 miles) south of Trivandrum, Kovalam
has been a haunt for beach tourism since the 1930s, but its fame as a coastal idyll has wrought the inevitable. Discovered by hippies and then by charter tour groups, it is now home to a virtually unbroken string of holiday resorts, its once-virgin charm plundered by low-rise concrete hotels. Even so, Kovalam’s three crescent-shaped sandy beaches, flanked by rocky promontories and coconut palm groves, remain quite impressive. You can watch fishermen ply the waters in so-called catamarans (derived from the local word
kattu-maram,
these are simply a few timbers lashed together) as they have for centuries, at night assisted by the red-and-white lighthouse that beams from Kovalam’s southernmost beach.

Lighthouse Beach
is, in fact, a guiding light to the charter types, and where you’ll find the bulk of cheap (mostly unashamedly ugly) hotels, restaurants, and bars, with fishing-net-strewn Hawa Beach and less-crowded Samudra
Beach lying to the north. After the rigors of India’s crowded cities and comfort-free public transport, budget travelers are lured by the easy, comfortable (and high) life offered here, often staying until money (or good weather) runs out. You can rent umbrellas and watersports equipment along the beach, or hop aboard a fishing boat for a cruise out to sea. Stalls sell colorful fabrics, pseudo-ethnic hippie trinkets, and fresh fruit, fish, and coconut water; music wafts from shack-style cafes, and unofficial bars survive strict liquor laws by serving beer in ceramic mugs and teapots. (
Party animals note:
The vibe at Kovalam is far, far tamer than Goa’s.)

Immediately south of Kovalam is
Vizhinjam Beach,
the site of the erstwhile capital of southern Kerala’s first dynastic rulers and, between the 8th and 13th centuries, a major natural port for local kingdoms. Now a poor fishing hamlet of thatched huts overlooked by a pink mosque, Vizhinjam is an interesting contrast to the tourist hubbub of Kovalam; swimming here, however, is dangerous, no doubt the reason for its relatively untouched atmosphere. A number of shrines are found in Vizhinjam, including a rock-cut cave enclosing a shrine with a sculpture of Dakshinamurthy; the outer wall of the cave includes a half-complete relief depicting Lord Shiva and his consort, Parvati.