Odayam Beach- Varkala

Odayam beach is a small, serene and secluded beach in Varkala. The beach is lined with rocky beds and a number of sandy openings in between. We visited the place during the off season and it was a great experience with fewer crowds and intermittent rain showers. Just the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks had a very calming and pleasing effect. We were told that during the season, one can see fishermen hauling their catch early morning.

There are not many activities happening here, so we decided to walk along the beach to see where it would lead us to. The walkway along the beach, lined with coconut trees and sea shells scattered all around, is quite pleasant and leads up to a cliff. The cliff point is a 10 minutes walk from the beach where there are many places to grab a quick bite. It looked similar to Goa's beach shacks, but on a cliff. However I was not very pleased with the one I got into. We had ordered a fruit juice that was too watery and a coffee that did not taste well. Maybe it was the effect of the off season! The view from the cliff however is awesome and I would highly recommend an evening stroll to the cliff from the beach.

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Palm Tree Heritage Hotel

An amazing place to stay and relax in Varkala!  It was past noon when we checked in and we were famished after an hour long journey from Trivandrum airport. When we arrived, their restaurant was under renovation but thanks to the hotel staff we never felt like there wasn’t one. Soon after we checked in, they offered us a few options, after knowing that we were Malayalees and enjoyed sea-food. What the hotel staff served for lunch was a simply mouth-watering dish – Jumbo prawns fry and prawns curry served with Kerala Red Rice (Matta Rice)! The prawns were fresh and perfectly cooked. S’s craving for Kerala seafood just got a power boost and in the two days we stayed there, we had a good fill.

The hotel itself is right on the beach. You could hear the waves breaking on the rocks from the room. The beach however is a small one with rocks to keep the power of the sea at bay. One could describe it as a ‘boutique’ hotel- with only 8 rooms. All rooms had a covered sit out, with a hammock like chair- a great place to sit and enjoy the rains outside. The room was lovely, neat and spacious and the bed was king-size and comfortable. They have tried to maintain a nice heritage charm to the place- the doors, cupboards and drawers had beautiful, elaborate wood carvings on them. Oh, I must not forget to mention that there was no TV in the room. I am not sure if this was intentional, but I saw it as an added advantage as I could get S to enjoy the scenic beauty and spend quality time with me without getting hooked to the idiot box!

Bobby, the person managing the resort is your man Friday here- always running around and eager to help!  S had a slight sore throat and Bobby recommended a ginger-lemon tea concoction. He brought a mug full of it and boy, did it do wonders! This is the place to stay in Varkala if you are looking for a quiet relaxing holiday. A place to enjoy a long walk by the beach, read, eat good seafood, and let the days go by, losing track of time itself. I only wish it had been a longer vacation. We would definitely go back to Palm Tree Heritage, next time with a larger group, perhaps!

A few snaps of the hotel

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Orion- Residency Tower

This is one of the three dining halls in the Residency Tower- a five star hotel in Trivandrum. We (2 couples) accidently hit upon this place while searching for another restaurant where we knew we could have a quick bite - which incidentally was shifted to another place. We were on a double date, quick lunch spree before we rushed to take care of some errands. But we enjoyed the food so much so that the ‘quick’ lunch lasted for more than an hour!


The Orion had a fine dining seating arrangement and we found a few office goers having their informal lunch meetings there. The lunch buffet menu usually features Asian, especially Indian varieties. This time we were delighted to see an assortment of dishes served in a typical Kerala Christian home..- ranging from Kappa (tapioca) and Syrian beef fry to Chicken Biryani to Appam and Mutton stew. The beef was just rightly cooked and spiced- the flavors were nothing less than outstanding. Even the dessert section had some unique sweets to add to the ‘Kerala’ feel- have you heard of a tender coconut jelly elsewhere? I haven’t! Anyways…great food, excellent pricing, good service…. I must say, this is definitely a place tourists can safely visit to get a taste of good traditional Kerala food and be content with the quality of food.

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Trivandrum Eateries

There are a lot of small time restaurants that offer fantastic food, but as the city keeps growing, some of them are thrown out of business to accommodate the more enterprising ones. Here are a number of restaurants that I would recommend....


Orion-Residency Tower                            Palm Tree Heritage Hotel

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Shanghumugham Beach

This beach is very near the Trivandrum Airport and is en route from the airport to the city. Another beautiful beach, though not as clean as Kovalam, this beach is characterized by white sand, laid-back waters and the sensuous sculpture of a mermaid or Jalakanyaka (in Malayalam) in a reclining position. There a number of small shops and tea stalls set up on the beach shore, where one can have bhajjis, ice creams and refreshing cool drinks, after a swim in the water. Just like Kovalam, one can reach this beach within an hour from the city bus stand. The (Airport) road, running parallel to the beach is well lit, making the beach easily accessible from the city- even during late evenings.

One particular incident to narrate my absent mindedness (blame it on the water’s calming effect) goes like this:- It’s a Friday-My roomies and I come back from office, have a quick dinner and then contemplate on what to do next; D says:- Let’s drive to Shanghumugham. L and I are excited- L mainly because of the prospect of eating her favorite snack- Mirchi Bajji (an Indian version of Chilli fritters); anyways we hit the road and D, being the most careful among the three, asks us if we have money (she meant CASH but used the word ‘money’) on us, the carefree me confirms that I do and the journey resumes. We reach the beach and order for some bajjis. It was pay time and here I produce my ATM card… And boy- the look on the bajji-lady’s face!! Till that very moment it didn’t dawn to me that I do not have CASH to pay her, though I knew very well that they do not accept other fancy modes of payment. My roomies took over the glare and I was like OMG I don’t have cash (with a sheepish grin)..Well we ended up counting the loose change we had, plus the coins D kept in the car and God Bless- we had the exact amount that was needed (10 rupees that is), but that bajji-lady’s look- its unforgettable till date. 

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Aakulam Lake

This beautiful lake is a great picnic spot- be it with your family, friends or even if it is to spend some peaceful time alone. A quiet area filled with birds and trees, it is also the perfect place to those guys and gals who think of themselves as true romantic poets. I, however found it a little boring after a while because there are not many activities you can enjoy as a group except for a boat trip, which is also not commendable as the water body is not large enough to go for an enjoyable boat ride. There is Children’s park  and I could see that kids would never agree that place is boring ever...:).

The lake is an extension of the Veli Lake, which eventually joins the Arabian Sea. I have not visited the Veli village and hear it is more of a tourist spot than Aakulam. Aakulam is about 3km from Ulloor and about 10 km from the Trivandrum Railway station.

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Kovalam Beach

This palm fringed beach is a favorite holiday destination to people all around the world, but what I liked the most is that the waters are very calm and wave free here- hence soothing away the pain and pressure people bring along with them to this beach. Another reason why I loved this place was because one can easily reach  this place (Read perfect getaway), as it’s only within an hour drive from the main city where people like me, ‘fight’ with work (Read bosses, deadlines, customers or codes!) for most part of the day. What’s more, this beach is litter free too (well mostly!).

The best way to reach this beach is to catch a bus from East Fort Bus Stand. There are frequent buses between 7 AM- 7 PM that ply to and from the city to the beach. If you wish to drive, the distance is about 10km (7 miles) from East Fort, so it should take you about half an hour to reach the beach.

From my office we had made several short visits (one day trips) to resorts in Kovalam and that was a long time ago, so I would not be rating them under TREAT. Two resorts I remember are the Leela Kovalam and Somatheeram. Both were superb experiences, overall!

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Trivandrum Travelogue

There are various places of interest in and around Trivandrum and I am still exploring them at my pace. A few retreat and vacation spots and other historical venues worth your time, are mentioned below. As I said, i will be constantly updating this space...so be sure to come back soon.....

I would also urge fellow Trivandrumites to post pictures and share their views on places people can visit...


Kovalam Beach            

                                 

Aakulam Lake

                                        

Shanghumugham Beach

                                                         

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