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Once a hippie paradise, Kovalam’s
increasing popularity has been a major dissuasion of late. No longer an undiscovered rural
idyll, Kovalam has made rapid strides towards `resort-isation’ and is now one of the
biggest draws to `God’s own Country’-Kerala.
Highly commercialised and very crowded through most of the year, Kovalam manages, against
all odds, to retain much of the charm which made it a popular beach in the first place.It
still has a lovely shoreline and beautiful beaches lined with coconut trees, and local
fishermen from the villages still go out at night for the daily catch. A towering
promontory of rock dominates Kovalam, looking out over a bay of clear blue water. Golden
sand slopes down into the sea for as far as 100 mt, and dotted along the coast are a few
interesting coral reefs, which make for good snorkelling. Surfing and swimming are among
the other water sports possible off Kovalam beach |
Beachwear, light cottons, sandals and sun protection are,
obviously, essential luggage to this beach town, although surfboards are available on loan
for water buffs.
And that’s not all. Kovalam has also acquired a
reputation as being one of the best places in Kerala-or India, for that matter- for an
invigorating ayurvedic course of treatment or rejuvenation. Ayurvedic massage parlours,
spas and yoga centres are a dime a dozen in Kovalam, and there’s really nothing that
can buck you up as much as a course of therapy- with herbal oils and soothing massages- at
one of these! Many hotels and independent set-ups also offer yoga classes.
Best time to visit
Being near the sea makes Kovalam really a year-round destination weather-wise. The actual
season is from September to March. The prices shoot up during the Christmas-New Year week
as do the number of tourists, so it might be wise to avoid this period.
Access
Kovalam’s just 16 km south from Kerala’s capital, Thiruvananthapuram, so the
nearest airport is obviously the international one there (10 km).
Thiruvananthapuram’s railway station is well connected to the rest of south India,
with a number of trains coming in from other parts of the country too. The capital also
has extensive road connections to other cities and towns in Kerala and its neighbouring
states.
Inexpensive buses run every half-hour from
Thiruvananthapuram to Kovalam. There are also direct services from Kollam, Kanyakumari
(Tamil Nadu), Ernakulam and Thekkady. Taxis and auto-rickshaws will also make the trip but
at comparatively greater expense.
Kovalam is small enough to cover on foot without much
effort. There are local buses for trips out and one can hire two wheelers by paying a
security deposit and producing a valid driver’s license.
Accommodation
The Indian Tourist Development Corporation has tried to develop an `integrated’
tourist area at Kovalam with a range of hotels, beachside cottages, ayurvedic hothouses,
pools and shopping complexes at the Ashoka Radisson Beach Resort.
Properties further away from the beach are invariably
lower-priced. There is a range for every pocket from very basic accommodation which comes
for less than Rs 400 a night, to more fancy rooms with air conditioning and meals,
right up to luxury hotels with 5 star facilities and prices. Expect to pay anywhere
between a couple of hundred rupees to a couple of thousand- depending upon the facilities
offered.
The beach is lined with restaurant shacks that serve varied
fare: anything from eggs and muesli to idli- sambhar for breakfast and a range of seafood
thereafter. Prices (which are negotiable) and quality vary from joint to joint.
Further information may be obtained from the offices of the
Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. There’s an office in Kovalam (near the ITDC
hotel) and the contact no. is: 471-2480085. There are more KTDC offices in cities both within Kerala and other
parts of India. |
