Overall Impression -
We had a fantastic time and did lots of travelling. I have entered hotel reviews for the hotels we stayed in throughout our trip, we stayed at the Jasmine Palace for the duration of our holiday. As we have been going to Goa for the last 8 years we thought we would be comparing everything to Goa all the time but fortunately we did not. We enjoyed it for what it was. We think they are very different places and we love them both. We did think Kerala seemed more prosperous than Goa, we didn't see any shanty towns at all on our travels throughout Kerala. The thing we missed most was the fact that we couldn't get a beer on the beach in the heat of the day while we read our books! Goa has to have the edge because of this. We are spoiled in Goa because everytime we move a muscle at the beach shack we go to someone comes running to ask if we want a drink or do we want the umbrella up or the sunbed putting into a sitting position. We loved the restuarants and found them great value for money. They were much more civilised than I expected them to be. There is now a paved walkway across the top of the beach in front of the restuarants which goes the full length of Lighthouse Beach to Hawa Beach so there is no need to walk through sand to get to them, although some still have sand floors. The seafood was fantastic and as a fish/meat eater I even got to enjoy vegetarian food, I surprised myself. The portions were larger than Goa even though the prices were less hence I put a lot of weight on and am now on a diet once again before going to Goa at Easter! We also thought the shops were quite upmarket, selling lovely good quality clothes and jewellery, most of which we bought from Gujirathi Collections, next to Lonely Planet, they also have a shop in Mumbai. The girl who runs this with her family is usually on the Lighthouse Beach with her jewellery and bags laid out in front of the shacks during the day. She gave us really good deals and was more prepared to give us a good price than her family in the shop. She is in the shop herself after 6 pm so we had a good look around in the day and went back at night to see her. I did miss the girls selling things on the beach. All the sarongs etc. are sold by men on the beach and we found them much more aggressive than the girls in Goa. Girls have more idea what girls want than the men. Unlike a lot of people we love to buy things while we are on the beach in Goa and see the same girls regularly every year who now know what kind of things we like and if they haven't got it they find if for us before we go home! We did find the fruit was of better quality on the beach. I have given a day to day account of our life over 3 weeks and have tried to put in prices for what we paid to give some idea of prices. While we were there we were getting between 85 and 87 rps to the £. We were staying between Hawa Beach and Lighthouse Beach but we preferred Hawa Beach, it was much quieter and we thought the beach itself was nicer, not so much black sand. I did expect to have to walk further from Lighthouse Beach to Hawa Beach as from the maps it looked as though there were rocks separating the beaches but we found that Hawa Beach was just a continuation of Lighthouse Beach and it only took about 15-20 minutes to walk from one end of Hawa beach to the other end of Lighthouse Beach. We travelled extensively throughout Kerala and found there was far less poverty around than there is in Goa. We didn't find it necessary to book at any of the restaurants except Fusion (which we found vastly overrated) even though we were there at the busiest time of the year. We got front row tables every night. We didn't eat until about 9.00 pm most days and found the restaurants stayed open later than in Goa. We never went back to our hotel much before midnight.
Day 1 - Friday 8 December 2006
After a good flight despite being charged £28 for excess luggage we arrived at Kerala airport at 9.45 am and arrived at hotel at 11.45 am. We were given bottled water on the bus to hotel. After unpacking we made our way to the beach. We were accosted by the taxi drivers and rickshaw men on our way to the beach and made arrangements to be picked up at the hotel the next day for a trip to the dentist and optician. We firstly headed for something to eat before settling down to catch up with some sleep on the beach before our first night ahead. We had lunch at Sea View Restuarant at the far end of Hawa Beach - 1 portion of chicken spring rolls, 1 portion of prawn spring rolls was 110 rps beers 80 rps each. We later walked the length of Lighthouse Beach to check out the restaurants that had been recommended on this site. We had dinner at Sea Rocks, Hawa Beach which consisted of Prawn Cocktail x 2, Butter Chicken x 2, nan and 2 beers for 740 rps. We had a very friendly waiter who brought us a game of solitaire to follow our meal! We were serenaded by local fishermen's children singing what we later found out was their only Xmas song - We Wish you a Merry Xmas - with the ringleader dressed up as Santa complete with cushion up his costume and Santa mask. We decided on an early night.
Day 2 - Saturday 9 December 2006
After a sleep in we had breakfast at 9.00 a.m and then went for a walk through the reclaimed paddy fields along the back streets of Lighthouse Beach. We then returned to our hotel at 10.30 a.m for the Rep's meeting (Manos). We had an excellent rep named Scott who we found very punctual and reliable. As we thought the excursion prices compared quite favourably with the local taxis we decided to book our ecursions through Manos. As it was our first time in Kerala we felt this was a safer option for us as we wanted to travel and not waste our time. We then went by taxi to Travandrum as we had a pre-booked appointment at the dentist and we also went to the opticians. Our dentsis, Dr Cherian was recommended by Shreevsy and he was brilliant, explained everything very clearly annd spoke excellent English and had very modern facilities. Details Cherian's Dental Care Centre, Opp. Hindustan Latex, Poojappura, Travandum, e-mail cheriansdental@yahoo.co.in tel. 2351375, closed Sunday and Monday, open 9.30 am to 1 pm and 3.30 pm to 7.00 pm. We then went on to Rose Opticals (also recommended by Shreevsy), Statue Road, Travandrum, 0471 2473951 for new glasses and contact lenses. Taxi cost 700 rps return with tip. We had lunch at Island View, which became our regular lunch spot when we were on the beach, on Hawa Beach - Chicken Chow Mein x 2 and 2 beers 350 rps. Lazed on the beach catching up with sleep. We had dinner at Coconut Grove - 2 G&Ts, Tiger Prawns x 2, Pappads, Masala x 2, Suffed nan, fruit salad and 2 beers £17.50.
Day 3 - Sunday 10 December 2006
Beach day. We were met on the beach by Jacky otherwise known as Rajesh who proudly produced a very colourful business card advertising his Beach Umbrellas, Sun Beds and Body Boat who promised to provide us with sunbeds and umbrella every day for a fee of 200 rps. He hangs out outside the Island View Restuarant. We took up his offer and spent the day on the beach. Lunch consisted of Chicken Biriyani x 2, 2 lime sodas and 2 beers 440 rps. We went back to the hotel and met up with our rep, Scott, and booked our excursions for the rest of the holiday. After showers we watched the Kathakali dancing in the hotel which is held every Sunday and had 2 G&Ts whilst watching. We then went on to the Kingfisher Restaurant where we had 2 x Pomfrit Dhal, Veg Masala, Kashmiri nan and 3 beers. We were presented with jasmine garlands before we left.
Day 4 - Monday 11 December 2006
Beach day. Lunch - seafood chow mein 100 rps, lime soda 15 rps. Walked back to our hotel up the hill via road to Leela Palace Hotel. Dinner at Fusion 2 G&Ts, 2 beers, Prawn Curry, Tandoori Chicken in local Keral spices, Tropical Fruit Flambe with ice cream x 2, 2 coffees £15. We found this restaurant very overrated with no atmosphere and full of poseurs.
Day 5 - Tuesday 12 Decembr 2006
Overnight Trip to Backwaters Booked through Manos but carried out through Rainbow Tours. We left the hotel at 8.00 a.m. We had a private car and driver and it cost us £75 each for the whole trip. We stopped for 5 mins at a roadside shack for water and then for 20 mins at Hotel Sudagan in Kollam for coffee, very good. We arrived in Alumkadare at lunch time and boarded our boat which we had to ourselves. It was very good, air con, solar panels, cook - Kutty, engineman - Josphe and captian Rajan. Beers were available. It was a 50 km trip to Alleppey. We thoroughly enjoyed it despite a thunderstorm just before dinner - we didn't care, we didn't get wet. We enjoyed seeing all the locals at their daily life and were very impressed with some of the lovely houses, took lots of photos/video. Lunch was black fish and veg and tomato dish, afteroon snack of banana fritter cooked in coconut oil which was very moorish and one to try at home. We moored up just before 7 pm and had a shower and dinner which was various curries and chicken, chopped cabbage and pineapple yogurt. More beers, bed.
Day 6 - Wednesday 13 December 2006
Backwaters. Left overnight stop at approx 8.30 a.m. Breakfast of pancakes, omelette, toast and jam, tea, fresh pineapple. Arrived Alleppey at 9 a.m. Our car picked us up at 9.30 am after being stuck in traffic for over 1 hour. After driving through the rush hour traffic which was an education we stopped for coffee at Kadathseram Hotel and Resort on the way back which had nice gardens. We arrived back at our hotel at 2.30 pm after stopping off to buy spices and visiting a 'department store' which was very upmarket and expensive - nice for looking! We went to the German Bakery for lunch and had a fantastic seafood pizza and 2 beers for 300 rps. We then went onto Lighthouse Beach and watched the sunset. Dinner at Cafe de la Mar and had 2 G&Ts, 2 beers and 2 Sizzlers which were very good for 1105 rps. Went back to hotel and had drinks on balcony.
To be continued ..................
After a good flight despite being charged £28 for excess luggage we arrived at Kerala airport at 9.45 am and arrived at hotel at 11.45 am. We were given bottled water on the bus to hotel. After unpacking we made our way to the beach. We were accosted by the taxi drivers and rickshaw men on our way to the beach and made arrangements to be picked up at the hotel the next day for a trip to the dentist and optician. We firstly headed for something to eat before settling down to catch up with some sleep on the beach before our first night ahead. We had lunch at Sea View Restuarant at the far end of Hawa Beach - 1 portion of chicken spring rolls, 1 portion of prawn spring rolls was 110 rps beers 80 rps each. We later walked the length of Lighthouse Beach to check out the restaurants that had been recommended on this site. We had dinner at Sea Rocks, Hawa Beach which consisted of Prawn Cocktail x 2, Butter Chicken x 2, nan and 2 beers for 740 rps. We had a very friendly waiter who brought us a game of solitaire to follow our meal! We were serenaded by local fishermen's children singing what we later found out was their only Xmas song - We Wish you a Merry Xmas - with the ringleader dressed up as Santa complete with cushion up his costume and Santa mask. We decided on an early night.
Day 2 - Saturday 9 December 2006
After a sleep in we had breakfast at 9.00 a.m and then went for a walk through the reclaimed paddy fields along the back streets of Lighthouse Beach. We then returned to our hotel at 10.30 a.m for the Rep's meeting (Manos). We had an excellent rep named Scott who we found very punctual and reliable. As we thought the excursion prices compared quite favourably with the local taxis we decided to book our ecursions through Manos. As it was our first time in Kerala we felt this was a safer option for us as we wanted to travel and not waste our time. We then went by taxi to Travandrum as we had a pre-booked appointment at the dentist and we also went to the opticians. Our dentsis, Dr Cherian was recommended by Shreevsy and he was brilliant, explained everything very clearly annd spoke excellent English and had very modern facilities. Details Cherian's Dental Care Centre, Opp. Hindustan Latex, Poojappura, Travandum, e-mail cheriansdental@yahoo.co.in tel. 2351375, closed Sunday and Monday, open 9.30 am to 1 pm and 3.30 pm to 7.00 pm. We then went on to Rose Opticals (also recommended by Shreevsy), Statue Road, Travandrum, 0471 2473951 for new glasses and contact lenses. Taxi cost 700 rps return with tip. We had lunch at Island View, which became our regular lunch spot when we were on the beach, on Hawa Beach - Chicken Chow Mein x 2 and 2 beers 350 rps. Lazed on the beach catching up with sleep. We had dinner at Coconut Grove - 2 G&Ts, Tiger Prawns x 2, Pappads, Masala x 2, Suffed nan, fruit salad and 2 beers £17.50.
Day 3 - Sunday 10 December 2006
Beach day. We were met on the beach by Jacky otherwise known as Rajesh who proudly produced a very colourful business card advertising his Beach Umbrellas, Sun Beds and Body Boat who promised to provide us with sunbeds and umbrella every day for a fee of 200 rps. He hangs out outside the Island View Restuarant. We took up his offer and spent the day on the beach. Lunch consisted of Chicken Biriyani x 2, 2 lime sodas and 2 beers 440 rps. We went back to the hotel and met up with our rep, Scott, and booked our excursions for the rest of the holiday. After showers we watched the Kathakali dancing in the hotel which is held every Sunday and had 2 G&Ts whilst watching. We then went on to the Kingfisher Restaurant where we had 2 x Pomfrit Dhal, Veg Masala, Kashmiri nan and 3 beers. We were presented with jasmine garlands before we left.
Day 4 - Monday 11 December 2006
Beach day. Lunch - seafood chow mein 100 rps, lime soda 15 rps. Walked back to our hotel up the hill via road to Leela Palace Hotel. Dinner at Fusion 2 G&Ts, 2 beers, Prawn Curry, Tandoori Chicken in local Keral spices, Tropical Fruit Flambe with ice cream x 2, 2 coffees £15. We found this restaurant very overrated with no atmosphere and full of poseurs.
Day 5 - Tuesday 12 Decembr 2006
Overnight Trip to Backwaters Booked through Manos but carried out through Rainbow Tours. We left the hotel at 8.00 a.m. We had a private car and driver and it cost us £75 each for the whole trip. We stopped for 5 mins at a roadside shack for water and then for 20 mins at Hotel Sudagan in Kollam for coffee, very good. We arrived in Alumkadare at lunch time and boarded our boat which we had to ourselves. It was very good, air con, solar panels, cook - Kutty, engineman - Josphe and captian Rajan. Beers were available. It was a 50 km trip to Alleppey. We thoroughly enjoyed it despite a thunderstorm just before dinner - we didn't care, we didn't get wet. We enjoyed seeing all the locals at their daily life and were very impressed with some of the lovely houses, took lots of photos/video. Lunch was black fish and veg and tomato dish, afteroon snack of banana fritter cooked in coconut oil which was very moorish and one to try at home. We moored up just before 7 pm and had a shower and dinner which was various curries and chicken, chopped cabbage and pineapple yogurt. More beers, bed.
Day 6 - Wednesday 13 December 2006
Backwaters. Left overnight stop at approx 8.30 a.m. Breakfast of pancakes, omelette, toast and jam, tea, fresh pineapple. Arrived Alleppey at 9 a.m. Our car picked us up at 9.30 am after being stuck in traffic for over 1 hour. After driving through the rush hour traffic which was an education we stopped for coffee at Kadathseram Hotel and Resort on the way back which had nice gardens. We arrived back at our hotel at 2.30 pm after stopping off to buy spices and visiting a 'department store' which was very upmarket and expensive - nice for looking! We went to the German Bakery for lunch and had a fantastic seafood pizza and 2 beers for 300 rps. We then went onto Lighthouse Beach and watched the sunset. Dinner at Cafe de la Mar and had 2 G&Ts, 2 beers and 2 Sizzlers which were very good for 1105 rps. Went back to hotel and had drinks on balcony.
To be continued ..................
Thanks so much for your report looking forward to the next instalment.We are going on the 15th February and I am getting nervous as never been to Kerala or anywhere in India before, so lovely to read how you got on and great that you have put prices in a great help to give us some idea. Could you give some idea of what is best to wear in the evenings and on the backwater trips. Thanks.
great report- it will definitely help people get a feel for the place. 
PS I thought it deserved its own thread
PS I thought it deserved its own thread
Day 7 - Thursday 14 December 2006
Should have been dentist and collecting glasses from optician but there was a general strike and so there were no taxis, it could only happen to us. So after ringing the dentist and re-arranging my appointment we had a day on the beach instead which wasn't a hardship. We bought 2 skirts from a beach seller. Mussels for lunch - v.good. Dinner at Santana. G&T, Chicken Tika Masaka, Rice and Paratha, Coconut pancake, beer, all x 2 - 840 rps.
Day 8 - Friday 15 December 2006
Early morning walk before breakfast through the back alleys and village to Rockholme Bay. Had to be done early morning as too hot other times of the day. Back for breakfast and then recovery on the beach. Left beach at 4.30 pm to go for our first Ayurvedic massage arranged through the hotel. Agasheswara Ayurvedics Panchakarma Clinic where we went for 3 full body masses at approximately £10 for 1 and a half hours which included a body peel and herbal facial followed by a herbal bath. (Dr Aju G George, Bachelor of Ayurvedic medicine and Surgery, Jeeva Ayurvedic Cosmetic Clinic, Nr Hotel Moonlight, Opposite Jasmine Palance http://www.healthandheritage.com e-mail drajugeorge@rediffmail.com. I was very impressed having had ayurvedic massages in Goa. We had a medical examination first with blood pressure tests. The massage was done by a female and although it was a full body massage it was not intrusive or embarrassing. We found it very relaxing and our skin and hair felt like silk afterwards. Well recommended. Went back to hotel and packed for our 4 day spice trail excursion and had an earliesh dinner (for us - 7.30 pm) at Rock Cafe which became a firm favourite with us where we had sword fish cooked to perfection and to our requirements. It was very good.
Day 9 - Saturday 16 December 2006
4 Day Spice Trail Trip Up at 4.30 am and left hotel at 5.20 am. We had a private car, driver Jackson and guide Santosh and the trip cost us £194 each. We felt it was well worth it. If we had booked the same trip from England with Manos as per the brochure it would have cost us £100 more and we would have been with a group of people instead of on our own. Our guide stopped whenever and wherever we wanted throughout the four days, he did a brilliant job at looking after us and went out of his way to help us enjoy the trip. We were driven to Trivandrum to catch the 6.35 am train where we travelled first class to Changanassery. Santosh bought us newspapers for the journey and we were well catered for with food (dosas) and drink on the train although the coffee was very sweet. Stops included Varkala, Kollam, Karunagappally, Kayamkulam, Mavelikkara, Chengannur and Thruballa. Our driver Jackson had driven up and met us off the train when we arrived at 9.30 a.m. At Kottam we visited a rubber plantation and pineapple plantations which were 1800 miles above sea level. We arrived at Jungle Village Hotel (see hotel review) Thekkaddy at 1.20 pm after a 3 hour car journey. We had a stop half way for tea and snack. We bought tea from Connemara, 94 rps per kilo. Santosh assured us this was the best place to buy tea and the best quality, he proved this by buying half a dozen kilos for his mother! We also stopped at a bottle shop for brandy and beer in case we couldn't get anything at our hotel. As it happened we didn't need it, drink was available. We had lunch at the hotel then left for Perriyar Wildlife Sanctuary and boat ride on lake which took 1hr 10 mins. We didn't see any tigers, come to that we didn't see any elephants either! We saw wild boar, samphar, wild buffalo, kingfishers, eagles and various other birds. It was very cold and we definitely needed jackets. Cost £7 for 2 but this was included in our trip cost. Cost for cameras was 25 rps for still camera and 200 rps for camcorder which was a bit of a rip off when we didn't really see anything worth filming, still it was a nice boat ride though. Back to the hotel for coffee to warm us up and after showers, dinner which was a buffet which included Snake Gourd, we were assured it was nothing to do with snakes but it tasted good anyway.
Day 10 - Sunday 17 December 2006
8.30 am start to spice gardens. We enjoyed this and found it very different from the spice gardens in Goa. We then picked up the car again and went off for our elephant ride. When we arrived at our destination we were told that a baby elephant had been born just 6 hours earlier and were told to go and see it. The tv cameras were there and the newspapers. It was a big event as it is unusual for elephants to be born in captivity in Kerala. It was a highlight of our holiday. We took virtualy a whole reel of film and lots of video. People were coming from far and wide to see it and it was in all the papers the next day. We were very lucky to be there at the right time. We then went back for our elephant ride through the speice gardens (Elephant Jungle) which took 30 minutes and cost 350 rps and 50 rps for fruit for the elephant. It was well worth it as we rode astride the elephants back. Our guide was brilliant and walked the full length with us filming with our camera and taking photographs. We then went back to Thekkaddy and visited Green Valley Spices to buy spices, cashew nuts, oils, coffee and cocoa. It was very good value, only the thought of excess luggage charges stopped us buying more. It is located right at the bottom of the hill from the hotel and on the left hand side. We went back to the hotel for a beer, we were full up on our free sample cashew nuts from the spice shop so didn't have any lunch. We left at 12.30 pm for Munnar and tea plantations, 2,600 miles above sea level and colder still. We arrived at our next hotel Cloud 9 (a must for Bryan Adams fans!) at 4.30 pm after stopping en route to take loads of photographs, the scenery was amazing. Fantastic views from our hotel room. See hotel reviews.
Day 11 - Monday 18 December 2006
We left our hotel at 9.30 am after being shown photographs in all the papers of the baby elephant we had seen the previous day and after a long drive with more fantastic scenery and photographs of tea pickers (we were chased off by the foreman!), monkeys, pineapple pickers and waterfalls we arrived at Cochin at 3.00 pm Cochin was much busier and a larger town than I expected. We stayed at Hotel Presidency (see hotel review). We had a late lunch in the hotel then after a shower and change of clothing we went to see Kathakali dancing at the Kathakali Dancing Academy. We returned to the hotel for dinner which unfortunately was spoilt through over attentive staff and no bar licence.
Day 12 - Tuesday 19 December 2006
We left our hotel at 8.30 am after a buffet breakfast which was again spoilt by over attentive staff who seemed to be watching every mouthful you ate! This was a shame as the buffet breakfast was very good with lots to choose from. We did all the sights in Cochin - Jewish Synagogue (where it is obligatory for ladies to have their legs covered - no shorts), Jew Street, the Palace and Chinese fishermen and once again took masses of photographs and video. We also went to a very expensive Department Store which had very pushy staff who insisted we looked at what they wanted us to look at and not what we wanted to look at. They seemed to think we wanted to g home dripping in diamonds, I can't imagine why when we looked like a pair of beach bums. We then travelled for 6 hours back to Kovalam. We were delayed somewhat by the fact that the President of India was visiting the area the next day and so roads had been closed for a rehearsal! We stopped for lunch at a motel where we had an all you can eat vegetarian buffet for 38p!!! Extra 75 rps for fish. It was nice to get back to the civilisation of our hotel and after dumping our bags we headed off for a nice cold beer at Serenity and we called in at Lonely Planet to book the Classical Dance and buffet dinner for the following evening. After our beers we called into the Internet Cafe to book tickets for the England -v- Spain friendly football match to be played at Old Trafford on 7 Feb. After showers we returned to our favourite place Rock Cafe for 2 G&Ts, Red snapper in banana leaf, chips, coconut pancake, 2 beers - 1230 rps for 2. We really have Buddha bellies now after all the food we have eaten in 12 days!
Day 13 - Wednesday 20 December 2006
Telephone in our rom rang at 7.20 am to say taxi was waiting to take us on Lands End trip. As we had booked this for the Thursday this was a bit of a shock. As I had an appointment with the dentist at 9.30 am the trip was a no go. The taxi we had arranged to take us to the dentist did not turn up so we had to find another one who acutally turned out to be a great guy (has a bunch of grapes dangling from his rear view mirror if you want to find him) so it worked out okay in the end. After a disasterous start in the morning we left for the dentist at 8.45 am for the preparation work to be done on my tooth ready for a new crown fitting. This took 1 an half hours after which we went to the opticians to collect our new glasses (£135 for varifocals photochromic lenses and 1 years supply of contact lenses) and then went sightseeing in Trivandum. We went to the Palace and temple then back to Kovalam. Went to Beatles bar for beers then on to Swiss Cafe for lunch. We had a fantastic seafood pasta with another beer - 450 rps. As it was an overcast day we decided to do some shopping. We bought necklaces from girl on beach who gave us her card - Gujrathi Collections (see Overall Impressions above). We saw Scott our rep when we got back to the hotel and sorted out our Lands End trip for tomorrow, the tour company hadn't told him they had changed the day either so he made them take us on the Thursday as originally booked. Dinner at Lonely Planet, Classical Dance night with buffet of 21 dishes for 250 rps. Very god value. After we called in at Gujrathi Collections which is next door, lovely shop with good quality clothes. Went to Hotel Sea Face for cocktails.
More tomorrow ..................
Should have been dentist and collecting glasses from optician but there was a general strike and so there were no taxis, it could only happen to us. So after ringing the dentist and re-arranging my appointment we had a day on the beach instead which wasn't a hardship. We bought 2 skirts from a beach seller. Mussels for lunch - v.good. Dinner at Santana. G&T, Chicken Tika Masaka, Rice and Paratha, Coconut pancake, beer, all x 2 - 840 rps.
Day 8 - Friday 15 December 2006
Early morning walk before breakfast through the back alleys and village to Rockholme Bay. Had to be done early morning as too hot other times of the day. Back for breakfast and then recovery on the beach. Left beach at 4.30 pm to go for our first Ayurvedic massage arranged through the hotel. Agasheswara Ayurvedics Panchakarma Clinic where we went for 3 full body masses at approximately £10 for 1 and a half hours which included a body peel and herbal facial followed by a herbal bath. (Dr Aju G George, Bachelor of Ayurvedic medicine and Surgery, Jeeva Ayurvedic Cosmetic Clinic, Nr Hotel Moonlight, Opposite Jasmine Palance http://www.healthandheritage.com e-mail drajugeorge@rediffmail.com. I was very impressed having had ayurvedic massages in Goa. We had a medical examination first with blood pressure tests. The massage was done by a female and although it was a full body massage it was not intrusive or embarrassing. We found it very relaxing and our skin and hair felt like silk afterwards. Well recommended. Went back to hotel and packed for our 4 day spice trail excursion and had an earliesh dinner (for us - 7.30 pm) at Rock Cafe which became a firm favourite with us where we had sword fish cooked to perfection and to our requirements. It was very good.
Day 9 - Saturday 16 December 2006
4 Day Spice Trail Trip Up at 4.30 am and left hotel at 5.20 am. We had a private car, driver Jackson and guide Santosh and the trip cost us £194 each. We felt it was well worth it. If we had booked the same trip from England with Manos as per the brochure it would have cost us £100 more and we would have been with a group of people instead of on our own. Our guide stopped whenever and wherever we wanted throughout the four days, he did a brilliant job at looking after us and went out of his way to help us enjoy the trip. We were driven to Trivandrum to catch the 6.35 am train where we travelled first class to Changanassery. Santosh bought us newspapers for the journey and we were well catered for with food (dosas) and drink on the train although the coffee was very sweet. Stops included Varkala, Kollam, Karunagappally, Kayamkulam, Mavelikkara, Chengannur and Thruballa. Our driver Jackson had driven up and met us off the train when we arrived at 9.30 a.m. At Kottam we visited a rubber plantation and pineapple plantations which were 1800 miles above sea level. We arrived at Jungle Village Hotel (see hotel review) Thekkaddy at 1.20 pm after a 3 hour car journey. We had a stop half way for tea and snack. We bought tea from Connemara, 94 rps per kilo. Santosh assured us this was the best place to buy tea and the best quality, he proved this by buying half a dozen kilos for his mother! We also stopped at a bottle shop for brandy and beer in case we couldn't get anything at our hotel. As it happened we didn't need it, drink was available. We had lunch at the hotel then left for Perriyar Wildlife Sanctuary and boat ride on lake which took 1hr 10 mins. We didn't see any tigers, come to that we didn't see any elephants either! We saw wild boar, samphar, wild buffalo, kingfishers, eagles and various other birds. It was very cold and we definitely needed jackets. Cost £7 for 2 but this was included in our trip cost. Cost for cameras was 25 rps for still camera and 200 rps for camcorder which was a bit of a rip off when we didn't really see anything worth filming, still it was a nice boat ride though. Back to the hotel for coffee to warm us up and after showers, dinner which was a buffet which included Snake Gourd, we were assured it was nothing to do with snakes but it tasted good anyway.
Day 10 - Sunday 17 December 2006
8.30 am start to spice gardens. We enjoyed this and found it very different from the spice gardens in Goa. We then picked up the car again and went off for our elephant ride. When we arrived at our destination we were told that a baby elephant had been born just 6 hours earlier and were told to go and see it. The tv cameras were there and the newspapers. It was a big event as it is unusual for elephants to be born in captivity in Kerala. It was a highlight of our holiday. We took virtualy a whole reel of film and lots of video. People were coming from far and wide to see it and it was in all the papers the next day. We were very lucky to be there at the right time. We then went back for our elephant ride through the speice gardens (Elephant Jungle) which took 30 minutes and cost 350 rps and 50 rps for fruit for the elephant. It was well worth it as we rode astride the elephants back. Our guide was brilliant and walked the full length with us filming with our camera and taking photographs. We then went back to Thekkaddy and visited Green Valley Spices to buy spices, cashew nuts, oils, coffee and cocoa. It was very good value, only the thought of excess luggage charges stopped us buying more. It is located right at the bottom of the hill from the hotel and on the left hand side. We went back to the hotel for a beer, we were full up on our free sample cashew nuts from the spice shop so didn't have any lunch. We left at 12.30 pm for Munnar and tea plantations, 2,600 miles above sea level and colder still. We arrived at our next hotel Cloud 9 (a must for Bryan Adams fans!) at 4.30 pm after stopping en route to take loads of photographs, the scenery was amazing. Fantastic views from our hotel room. See hotel reviews.
Day 11 - Monday 18 December 2006
We left our hotel at 9.30 am after being shown photographs in all the papers of the baby elephant we had seen the previous day and after a long drive with more fantastic scenery and photographs of tea pickers (we were chased off by the foreman!), monkeys, pineapple pickers and waterfalls we arrived at Cochin at 3.00 pm Cochin was much busier and a larger town than I expected. We stayed at Hotel Presidency (see hotel review). We had a late lunch in the hotel then after a shower and change of clothing we went to see Kathakali dancing at the Kathakali Dancing Academy. We returned to the hotel for dinner which unfortunately was spoilt through over attentive staff and no bar licence.
Day 12 - Tuesday 19 December 2006
We left our hotel at 8.30 am after a buffet breakfast which was again spoilt by over attentive staff who seemed to be watching every mouthful you ate! This was a shame as the buffet breakfast was very good with lots to choose from. We did all the sights in Cochin - Jewish Synagogue (where it is obligatory for ladies to have their legs covered - no shorts), Jew Street, the Palace and Chinese fishermen and once again took masses of photographs and video. We also went to a very expensive Department Store which had very pushy staff who insisted we looked at what they wanted us to look at and not what we wanted to look at. They seemed to think we wanted to g home dripping in diamonds, I can't imagine why when we looked like a pair of beach bums. We then travelled for 6 hours back to Kovalam. We were delayed somewhat by the fact that the President of India was visiting the area the next day and so roads had been closed for a rehearsal! We stopped for lunch at a motel where we had an all you can eat vegetarian buffet for 38p!!! Extra 75 rps for fish. It was nice to get back to the civilisation of our hotel and after dumping our bags we headed off for a nice cold beer at Serenity and we called in at Lonely Planet to book the Classical Dance and buffet dinner for the following evening. After our beers we called into the Internet Cafe to book tickets for the England -v- Spain friendly football match to be played at Old Trafford on 7 Feb. After showers we returned to our favourite place Rock Cafe for 2 G&Ts, Red snapper in banana leaf, chips, coconut pancake, 2 beers - 1230 rps for 2. We really have Buddha bellies now after all the food we have eaten in 12 days!
Day 13 - Wednesday 20 December 2006
Telephone in our rom rang at 7.20 am to say taxi was waiting to take us on Lands End trip. As we had booked this for the Thursday this was a bit of a shock. As I had an appointment with the dentist at 9.30 am the trip was a no go. The taxi we had arranged to take us to the dentist did not turn up so we had to find another one who acutally turned out to be a great guy (has a bunch of grapes dangling from his rear view mirror if you want to find him) so it worked out okay in the end. After a disasterous start in the morning we left for the dentist at 8.45 am for the preparation work to be done on my tooth ready for a new crown fitting. This took 1 an half hours after which we went to the opticians to collect our new glasses (£135 for varifocals photochromic lenses and 1 years supply of contact lenses) and then went sightseeing in Trivandum. We went to the Palace and temple then back to Kovalam. Went to Beatles bar for beers then on to Swiss Cafe for lunch. We had a fantastic seafood pasta with another beer - 450 rps. As it was an overcast day we decided to do some shopping. We bought necklaces from girl on beach who gave us her card - Gujrathi Collections (see Overall Impressions above). We saw Scott our rep when we got back to the hotel and sorted out our Lands End trip for tomorrow, the tour company hadn't told him they had changed the day either so he made them take us on the Thursday as originally booked. Dinner at Lonely Planet, Classical Dance night with buffet of 21 dishes for 250 rps. Very god value. After we called in at Gujrathi Collections which is next door, lovely shop with good quality clothes. Went to Hotel Sea Face for cocktails.
More tomorrow ..................
My goodness- you had a busy time in Kerala! Had to laugh at the bit about the roads being closed. It reminded me of our trip along the main road in Thailand towards Hua Hin. At a certain time all traffic had to leave the road as the King was coming along in his car! It took us ages to get to Hua Hin!
Seeing the baby elephant must have been a real highlight!
Seeing the baby elephant must have been a real highlight!
Hi BrenLiz
Have just come across this thread, what a brilliant report, it brings it all back. We are hoping to get a late deal for Feb/March, but prices seem to be going up not down at the moment! Reading your detailed account is cheering me up though, please keep them coming.
Jayne
Have just come across this thread, what a brilliant report, it brings it all back. We are hoping to get a late deal for Feb/March, but prices seem to be going up not down at the moment! Reading your detailed account is cheering me up though, please keep them coming.
Jayne
Email my niece she works for an internet hol company and gets us really good deals, we book all our holidays with her. Its worth a try!
edit
email address removed. PM Brenliz for details
Fiona ht mod
edit
email address removed. PM Brenliz for details
Fiona ht mod
Thanks BrenLiz, will keep that in mind! Waiting eagerly for the next instalment when your'e ready.
Jayne
Jayne
Day 14 - Thursday 21 December 2006
Left on our Lands End trip at 8.30 a.m. Once again we had our own car, driver Babu and guide Afigif. We went to Padmanabhapurem Palace. Cameras 25 rps and video cameras 1250 rps. Needless to say we didn't take any video! They now have a new toilet block which they seem very proud of which costs 3 rps but it is not worth it, we still found them dirty and smelly. We visited the Sucheendram Temple where we had to use their own guide who quite aggressively expected a very large tip at the end of the tour, he got what we thought was the going rate but he wasn't very pleased about it! We arrived at Lands End at 1.00 pm and went straight for lunch at the Sea View Hotel which was very good with very clean toilets. As the sea was very rough the ferry over to the island was not running so we visited the Ghandi memorial instead. Before we returned we went back to the Sea View Hotel for cold coffee with ice cream then arrived back at our hotel at 6.20 pm after a 3 hour journey. Once again we had dinner at Rock Cafe - 2 G&T's, 2 crabs, lemon rice, nan, banana pancake with honey and a pot of coffe for 1025 rps. We booked table for Xmas eve dinner before we left.
Day 15 - Friday 22 December 2006
We decided to have a totally self indulgent day today. After spending the day on the beach we went for another massage followed by a manicure and pedicure at Ameli which was on the corner by our hotel. We were surprised to see this beauty parlour being run by 2 men but they were very nice and did a good job. Manicure cost 300 rps and pedicure 350 rps. We had dinner at Spice Garden - the usual 2 G&T's, grilled prawns, Fish Kadeal, coconut rice, garlic nan, pina colada dessert, 2 coffees and 2 beers 1220 rps.
Day 16 - Saturday 23 December 2006
Beach day. Iced coffee at Sea Rocks, dinner at Spice Village on back streets. As we were all curried and fished out we decided to have Mexican which was very good. 2 G&T's, 2 beers, swordfish, peppers, olive starter followed by Fajitas 770 rps. We were in our element as we had actually found somewhere that was showing football (sad cases that we are!). We are avid ManU fans and were pleased to see ManU win Villa 3-0. The staff were quite pleased as they all wanted to watch the football as well! We then went back to our hotel and watched Chelsea -v- Wigan in our room.
Day 17 - Sunday 24 December 2006
Beach day. Sea Rocks for cold coffee and ice cream to watch the sunset. Rock Cafe for Xmas dinner Kerala style 650 rps each for 5 courses - far too much food for even us to eat!
Day 18 - Monday 25 December 2006
Beach day. hardly any western holiday makers, hordes of Indians! Dinner at Velvet Dawn. Once again we opted for something other than curry and fish. 2 G&T's, Chicken and Cashew Nuts, rice and chips, chocolate pudding, 2 beers and 2 coffees 710 rps. A bit different to roast turkey. We really enjoyed it.
Day 19 - Tuesday 26 December 2006
Beach day. Dinner once again at Spice Village as ManU were playing again.
Day 20 - Wednesday 27 December 2006
We got up early today to do some packing, didn't want to waste the day. Our newly found taxi driver arrived to take us to Trivandrum for my final visit to the the dentist for crown fitting. 3350 rps for check up, scale and polish and crown. I was quoted over £600 just for the crown at my usual dentist in England so the saving I made on the dentist and opticians virtually paid for my package holiday! After dentist taxi took us to Samudra Beach. Had ginger and lemon tea at the Sea Gull Restaurant 60 rps, lovely spot for sitting and watching the fishermen, we then called in at the Post Office on our way back to post off the post cards where we were presented with a pot of glue to stick on the stamps! We found when we got home some had still arrived without the stamp! We went to the Pizzeria in Kovalam for lunch which was a great disappointment after the pizza we had at the German bakery. We then went shopping and bought more jewellery and clothes and called in at Sea Rocks for a lime soda. In the evening we got a rickshaw to the Lobster Pot Restaurant situated between Leela Palace and Samudra Hotels above Ashok Beach. This was a fantastic night out which I would thoroughly recommend. We had a meal with drink for a set price of 650 rps and a band (Purple Rain) were playing. They were excellent and we had a good dance. You need to book to go here, as we arrived quite early we were lucky enough to get a table. The only shock was having to climb up over the rocks to get to the place but we had a fantastic rickshaw man called Hari from outside our hotel. He walked us up to the restaurant and came back up for us at the end of the night, you definately need a good torch. Although we had one it was only a small pocket one, okay for the back streets but not up there.
Day 21 - Thursday 28 December 2006
Sadly our last day so once again we got up early to finish packing and headed off for our last day on the beach. As we couldn't face much food today having eaten so much for 3 weeks we decided to stick with fruit on the beach - large plateful for 100 rps. We headed for the end of Hawa Beach to Sea View Restaurant for a beer then back to the sunbathing until 5.00 pm. We then went for our final massage and finished all our shopping then had dinner at Rock Cafe. Before heading back to our hotel we stopped off to buy CD's round the corner from the restaurant to remind us of the music we had heard on holiday.
Day 22 - Friday 29 December 2006
Today we said goodbye to Kovalam and headed back to the airport at 8.30 am with our memories and hundreds of photographs and lots of video film. We held our breath and tried to look innocent as our bags were weighed. We were well over our luggage allowance but fortuntely we were let off! We arrived back home at 6.00 am on 30 December. Now we are looking forward to Goa at the end of March. It was nice to type this up and relive my holiday. Hope there are not too many typing/spelling mistakes!
Hope you have a great time when you visit Kerala, we plan to go back Xmas 2008.
Left on our Lands End trip at 8.30 a.m. Once again we had our own car, driver Babu and guide Afigif. We went to Padmanabhapurem Palace. Cameras 25 rps and video cameras 1250 rps. Needless to say we didn't take any video! They now have a new toilet block which they seem very proud of which costs 3 rps but it is not worth it, we still found them dirty and smelly. We visited the Sucheendram Temple where we had to use their own guide who quite aggressively expected a very large tip at the end of the tour, he got what we thought was the going rate but he wasn't very pleased about it! We arrived at Lands End at 1.00 pm and went straight for lunch at the Sea View Hotel which was very good with very clean toilets. As the sea was very rough the ferry over to the island was not running so we visited the Ghandi memorial instead. Before we returned we went back to the Sea View Hotel for cold coffee with ice cream then arrived back at our hotel at 6.20 pm after a 3 hour journey. Once again we had dinner at Rock Cafe - 2 G&T's, 2 crabs, lemon rice, nan, banana pancake with honey and a pot of coffe for 1025 rps. We booked table for Xmas eve dinner before we left.
Day 15 - Friday 22 December 2006
We decided to have a totally self indulgent day today. After spending the day on the beach we went for another massage followed by a manicure and pedicure at Ameli which was on the corner by our hotel. We were surprised to see this beauty parlour being run by 2 men but they were very nice and did a good job. Manicure cost 300 rps and pedicure 350 rps. We had dinner at Spice Garden - the usual 2 G&T's, grilled prawns, Fish Kadeal, coconut rice, garlic nan, pina colada dessert, 2 coffees and 2 beers 1220 rps.
Day 16 - Saturday 23 December 2006
Beach day. Iced coffee at Sea Rocks, dinner at Spice Village on back streets. As we were all curried and fished out we decided to have Mexican which was very good. 2 G&T's, 2 beers, swordfish, peppers, olive starter followed by Fajitas 770 rps. We were in our element as we had actually found somewhere that was showing football (sad cases that we are!). We are avid ManU fans and were pleased to see ManU win Villa 3-0. The staff were quite pleased as they all wanted to watch the football as well! We then went back to our hotel and watched Chelsea -v- Wigan in our room.
Day 17 - Sunday 24 December 2006
Beach day. Sea Rocks for cold coffee and ice cream to watch the sunset. Rock Cafe for Xmas dinner Kerala style 650 rps each for 5 courses - far too much food for even us to eat!
Day 18 - Monday 25 December 2006
Beach day. hardly any western holiday makers, hordes of Indians! Dinner at Velvet Dawn. Once again we opted for something other than curry and fish. 2 G&T's, Chicken and Cashew Nuts, rice and chips, chocolate pudding, 2 beers and 2 coffees 710 rps. A bit different to roast turkey. We really enjoyed it.
Day 19 - Tuesday 26 December 2006
Beach day. Dinner once again at Spice Village as ManU were playing again.
Day 20 - Wednesday 27 December 2006
We got up early today to do some packing, didn't want to waste the day. Our newly found taxi driver arrived to take us to Trivandrum for my final visit to the the dentist for crown fitting. 3350 rps for check up, scale and polish and crown. I was quoted over £600 just for the crown at my usual dentist in England so the saving I made on the dentist and opticians virtually paid for my package holiday! After dentist taxi took us to Samudra Beach. Had ginger and lemon tea at the Sea Gull Restaurant 60 rps, lovely spot for sitting and watching the fishermen, we then called in at the Post Office on our way back to post off the post cards where we were presented with a pot of glue to stick on the stamps! We found when we got home some had still arrived without the stamp! We went to the Pizzeria in Kovalam for lunch which was a great disappointment after the pizza we had at the German bakery. We then went shopping and bought more jewellery and clothes and called in at Sea Rocks for a lime soda. In the evening we got a rickshaw to the Lobster Pot Restaurant situated between Leela Palace and Samudra Hotels above Ashok Beach. This was a fantastic night out which I would thoroughly recommend. We had a meal with drink for a set price of 650 rps and a band (Purple Rain) were playing. They were excellent and we had a good dance. You need to book to go here, as we arrived quite early we were lucky enough to get a table. The only shock was having to climb up over the rocks to get to the place but we had a fantastic rickshaw man called Hari from outside our hotel. He walked us up to the restaurant and came back up for us at the end of the night, you definately need a good torch. Although we had one it was only a small pocket one, okay for the back streets but not up there.
Day 21 - Thursday 28 December 2006
Sadly our last day so once again we got up early to finish packing and headed off for our last day on the beach. As we couldn't face much food today having eaten so much for 3 weeks we decided to stick with fruit on the beach - large plateful for 100 rps. We headed for the end of Hawa Beach to Sea View Restaurant for a beer then back to the sunbathing until 5.00 pm. We then went for our final massage and finished all our shopping then had dinner at Rock Cafe. Before heading back to our hotel we stopped off to buy CD's round the corner from the restaurant to remind us of the music we had heard on holiday.
Day 22 - Friday 29 December 2006
Today we said goodbye to Kovalam and headed back to the airport at 8.30 am with our memories and hundreds of photographs and lots of video film. We held our breath and tried to look innocent as our bags were weighed. We were well over our luggage allowance but fortuntely we were let off! We arrived back home at 6.00 am on 30 December. Now we are looking forward to Goa at the end of March. It was nice to type this up and relive my holiday. Hope there are not too many typing/spelling mistakes!
Hope you have a great time when you visit Kerala, we plan to go back Xmas 2008.
Hi, thanks again for a lovely report, it has helped calm my nerves about going to Kerala! You have made it sound really good and I am looking forward to my visit and some of the food you have written about. I have been making a note of places to visit from your report. I will be going in three weeks time for my bit of sun!
Hi again
Many thanks for your great report, really looking forward to returning now.
The cheapest deal I can find at the moment is to the Moonlight guest house, next door to and same owners as the Jasmine, breakfast and pool use at Jasmine etc. Looks ok, and has air-con & fridge. Did you by any chance talk to anyone staying there, what the rooms were like etc?
Thanks again
Jayne
Many thanks for your great report, really looking forward to returning now.
The cheapest deal I can find at the moment is to the Moonlight guest house, next door to and same owners as the Jasmine, breakfast and pool use at Jasmine etc. Looks ok, and has air-con & fridge. Did you by any chance talk to anyone staying there, what the rooms were like etc?
Thanks again
Jayne
We didn't know anyone who stayed there but it looked okay from the outside and is in a good position. Hope you get fixed up okay and have a great time.
BrenLiz, what a brilliant report. It's taken us right back to Kerela!
We went a few years ago and loved it so much we went back the next year. We did a 8 night tour including Alleppey and houseboat, Thekkady, Munnar and Cochin so this report was a blast from the past. We couldn't afford to go back this time round so we went to Goa instead. There will always be a part of us that longs for Kerela....
We went a few years ago and loved it so much we went back the next year. We did a 8 night tour including Alleppey and houseboat, Thekkady, Munnar and Cochin so this report was a blast from the past. We couldn't afford to go back this time round so we went to Goa instead. There will always be a part of us that longs for Kerela....
BrenLiz
I just wanted to say how much I too enjoyed reading your report. Like Blondepuff I had a wonderful holiday in Kerala a couple of years ago, and your report brings it all back (for a minute I was right back in the Coconut Grove eating king prawns and drinking Pinot Noir poured from a teapot). For me, India fills the senses like no other place I have ever been.
How I would have loved to see that newborn elephant.
Kind regards
Sue.C.
I just wanted to say how much I too enjoyed reading your report. Like Blondepuff I had a wonderful holiday in Kerala a couple of years ago, and your report brings it all back (for a minute I was right back in the Coconut Grove eating king prawns and drinking Pinot Noir poured from a teapot). For me, India fills the senses like no other place I have ever been.
How I would have loved to see that newborn elephant.
Kind regards
Sue.C.
BrenLiz
Finally booked a good late deal to Jasmine Palace for March. Can you remember which number room you had as I know not all rooms have a view? I can email then in advance.
Many thanks
Jayne
Finally booked a good late deal to Jasmine Palace for March. Can you remember which number room you had as I know not all rooms have a view? I can email then in advance.
Many thanks
Jayne
I can't remember the room number but it was in the block with the superior rooms. All the downstairs rooms in this block had the same view.
Have a great time.
Have a great time.
Thanks again BrenLiz.
Will ask for downstairs superior room with view then! The Lobster Pot sounds good fun, I remember the rep saying to look out for flyers for their live music nights last year, but never saw anything advertised. Hope they are planning some for March. Your report has really brought it all back, we are really looking forward to it again now. Will try and remember to note things down, and will report back later.
Happy hols in Goa too!
Will ask for downstairs superior room with view then! The Lobster Pot sounds good fun, I remember the rep saying to look out for flyers for their live music nights last year, but never saw anything advertised. Hope they are planning some for March. Your report has really brought it all back, we are really looking forward to it again now. Will try and remember to note things down, and will report back later.
Happy hols in Goa too!
Excellant post BrenLiz, me and the wife are off to Kerala in 3 weeks for the first time and you have given us a great insight into what to expect. We will have to read your report again and probably print it off and take it with us.
Hi, thanks for the fantastic report, what a great place Kerala sounds, I am quite tempted to look into it for Xmas 2008, a long way off I know but will not be able to visit until then, as we are all booked up this year and we are back to Goa in March 2008, thanks again , a very interesting read, love shirleyv x
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