Kerela, India

[clapham_gull]

This is as good a place to ask as any...

Anyone been there?

An Indian colleague at work is recommending it to me for a couple of weeks holiday.

 

[PaoloRossiJohnson]

Yep - beautiful part of the world. Go if you've got a chance - you'll love it.

 

[clapham_gull]

Yep - beautiful part of the world. Go if you've got a chance - you'll love it.

Any particular bit

 

[London Calling]

Go to Kerala restaurants restaurants, staff always going on how beautiful it is. I wanted to go for a while.

Look up the eco- accomadation, where u can live in the trees for your hols!

 

[clapham_gull]

Pretty sure I'm gonna make the trip, thanks for the advice.

 

[Seagull over NZ]

Was there early 90's. Lovely place. Quite lush and green in parts from memory, not the usual India pictured by most people.

Pick your time to go though, the heat there is really something else. Not quite the humid heat you get in Bombay and other places but a really dry heat.

 

[Jonathon Livingstone]

Stayed in Kovalam a few years ago and had a great time. To be honest I prefer Goa because it is easier to travel around a bit.

BTW many of Kerala's beaches are tourist free zones as the local fishermen tend to shit in the sand!

 

[goldstone]

India is a filthy stinking country full of poverty and beggars and you will get sick.

So your decision.

 

[Peteinblack]

The missus and I went for three weeks last year, and absolutely loved it, ansd will definitely go back.

Kovalam is a great little seaside resort - Lighthouse Beach is a must, with some lovely seafront restaurants selling fish caught off the beach that morning.

'Fusion' Bar & Restuarant on the seafront is also extremey good.

Strongly recommend an overnight trip on a houseboat on the Keralan backwaters; they leave from Aleppi (a few miles south of Kochin), and are very clean and comfortable.

Begging and pollution are not really a problem in Kerala - it's nothing like Delhi or Mumbai.

 

[Jonathon Livingstone]

The missus and I went for three weeks last year, and absolutely loved it, ansd will definitely go back.

Kovalam is a great little seaside resort - Lighthouse Beach is a must, with some lovely seafront restaurants selling fish caught off the beach that morning.

'Fusion' Bar & Restuarant on the seafront is also extremey good.

Strongly recommend an overnight trip on a houseboat on the Keralan backwaters; they leave from Aleppi (a few miles south of Kochin), and are very clean and comfortable.

Begging and pollution are not really a problem in Kerala - it's nothing like Delhi or Mumbai.

Did you come across a waiter in Kovalam who thought he was a dead ringer for Eddie Murphy?

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Having my honeymoon there, Clapham! First stop a small lagoon on the coast, south of Trivandrum, can't remember the name off hand, but it's apparently amazing.

Flying into Trivandrum, flying out of Mombai, £430 return on Emirates, so not too expensive.

Go for it

 

[Vicar!]

Please find below an article submitted to the Times of India, hope it is of help!

Last month my 19 year old son and I travelled to Kerala, using the town of Fort Cochin as the opening destination of our first ever visit to the Indian subcontinent.

Not for us charter flights and packaged accommodation. We wanted to see far more of India and booked independently, commencing in Cochin and progressing up to Goa to finish in Chennai two weeks later. As we were processed through immigration, I felt very intimidated - what awaited us outside? As we approached the door leading us into India, I looked Adam in the face, and said, ‘Are you ready?’

We were met by a sea of gathered faces, all awaiting their friends, loved ones and business colleagues. The noise - the colour - was vibrant. Somehow in the chaos we found the driver our hotel had sent to meet us. We were soon weaving our way through the motor bikes, auto rickshaws, cows and lorries, all intent upon their own destination, no matter which side of the road they used to achieve this aim. With our driver laughing at our efforts to find the non existent seat
belts, we were soon at the Raintree Lodge, a small but pleasant hotel just inside the centre of old Fort Cochin.

We had chosen to stay in the very centre of this, historic, colonial port with its atmospheric old town, rather than the spending our time on the backwaters in a houseboat, another popular tourist option. It proved to be a very relaxed start to an Indian adventure. With a compact area to explore, we were able to visit the Chinese fishing nets and indeed most of the town on foot.

On our first afternoon we were adopted by a very persistent auto rickshaw taxi driver. Wherever we went he was not far behind and it was difficult to escape and enjoy the town at our own pace.
We eventually lost him by the fish market, and spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the shade here, and watching the local stalls prepare dinner direct from the wide variety of fish being landed. Once the intense heat of the day had declined, we were able to enjoy touring the town to select our restaurant venue for the evening, and negotiating the erratic licensing laws, (beer served in a teapot, with clay jugs for drinking glasses for example.) We loved the concept of a brewery owning an airline, or was it the other way round.. We could have a lot of fun with that in England. A pint of Virgin Olde Airsock anyone?

Kerala thus also became our first experience of real Indian food. In England we like to think we have a great knowledge of this, with an ‘Indian’ takeaway on seemingly every street corner (most are actually Bengali) . However the dishes in Kerala appeared suprisingly similar on the menu, but offered a much wider variety of fish dishes (usually just prawn based in England). The real difference lies in the freshness of the aromatic spices. Add to that the rice poppers and aappams that are unheard of in England, and we soon fell in love with the local cuisine. On one occasion we were offered the English staple of apple crumble, but gently sprinkled with chilli. Delicious.

After a couple of days it was time to move on. We felt we had only just started to touch on Kerala and could have justified a full week here, extending the holiday into the backwaters. We hope to return soon.