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Hotel Class: 
3 Stars - 8 Opinions
Beach Road, Kovalam, Kerala, India
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of people enjoy staying here
8 Opinions
sunset, Kovalam
Lighthouse Beach
My Anglo-Asian friend in suitable dress
the balkony of an appartment
what currency is best to take from the UK to Kerala? Is it best to take sterling or US Dollars? Is it true you cannot get Indian Rupees here than take them to India? Should we take travellers chewues in sterling,euros or US Dollars or should I take a combination of cash and travellers chequers? thanks for any help!
US$ is more easily changeble, although the UK pound and Euro are also acceptable. The Indian Rs has been rising against the other currencies.
It would make more sense to take sterling from UK. And this is easily converted in India. You cannot get Rupees outside India, although i have always had some from previous trips for immediate use. You can also use UK debit card such as Nationwide building society card as they do not charge for exchange rate conversion as some other cards.
SAM
Definitely better to take sterling from the UK. The USD is very low at the moment anyway. But also, if you exchange from sterling to USD and then to INR, you lose money. You can get INR abroad but the exchange rate is not very good and it is illegal to take them to India. Obviously travellers cheques are safer to carry than cash.
Most important to remember that you are visitng a beach with no provision for towels et. Carry your own towel unless you are staying in some hotel nearby. It is a good idea to carry some extra pair of clothes too. After the time in water we had a tough time finding a place to shower. But the towels came in handy...
Most of Kovalam life revolves around its beaches (Lighthouse, Hawa, Samudra, and Rock) Lighthouse Beach probably being the busiest
06.00 onwards
Early morning Sunrise - Expect to see a few souls performing yoga etc, people walking, enjoying the cooler air.
07.00 ish
As the day begins, fishermen/restaurant workers/shopkeepers go about their daily business. Fruit sellers/vendors start plying for business.
08.00 ish
Smells of food ..breakfast cooking, blends in with the sunlotion being applied by serious sun worshippers. Bars and shops start cranking up the music! (usually traditional Indian music, with some Western sounds)
10.00ish
The beach gets livelier with games of volleyball/swimming etc. Holidaymakers and students/locals walking along the beach. Chatting, or stopping to shop or eat/ drink at the many beachside shacks.
11.00ish
The fishermen can be seen and heard, singing and chatting as they haul in the catch, which is then sold to the nearby restaurants
1900ish
As the sun starts to set, people wander to the rooftop bars to enjoy a sundowner, or gather on the rocks near Hawa Beach to cheer and clap at the sunset. The smell of charcoal/ wood burning as grills are prepared to cook the variety of food on offer
20.00 ish onwards
Night activity continues, with another change in atmosphere. Eating/drinking/people watching/parading and shopping all go on with a backdrop of light from colourful lanterns (or candles/oil lamps if the powers off) Music live or recorded can be heard from the bars and restaurants, mingled with a variety of languages being spoken.
Around midnight, restaurants usually close or are closing, shops are locked up for the night, as people wander back to their hotels, ready to start again tomorrow.
Kovalam is a small, popular beach town that is located close to Trivandrum in Kerala.
I visited this place during the off-peak season. If you are looking for a quiet vacation when you just want to kick off your shoes, lean back, sip a drink and read a book, this is a neat place to visit.
From what i hear the place has a Goa-like feel during peak-season. Lots of people from all over. So if you are the party animal kind of person, this could be your place too.
Having been all over Kerala, we came to Kovalam precisely for the beach, and voila what do we get, a beach!! Lazing all day on the beach is a heavenly n relaxing experience. We used to have our brunch at 11 or so and were there at the beach till the evening. After having our dinner we were again at the beach till almost midnight listening to the waves. God's message to us through the sea. So reassuring.
The sunset brings along with it so many shades and moods. Being alone on a beach any time of the day is bliss. I had to wait for almost an hour to get the right shade and color in the sky for this palm tree pic to be perfect.
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