Anybody been to Kerala? I fancy it and do not want to exactly backpack but at the same time do not want to pay through the nose. I am being quoted 'fancy' prices. Any recommendations? Timing would probably be sometime like Nov/December.
Dod
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Kerala
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Re: Kerala
I was there but it was 30 years ago so I doubt my recollections are of much use. Everywhere there was cheap back then, as with Goa which is similar in some ways.
You can spend a lot of money on a fancy place in many parts of India. But there are still risks. The one time I got a bad stomach was the one time I ate in a high-end place - the Taj Hotel in New Delhi.
I think there is a middle way between the hostels where the toilet is a hole in the ground with a bucket of water. And the overpriced hotels where you are cut off from real life.
You can spend a lot of money on a fancy place in many parts of India. But there are still risks. The one time I got a bad stomach was the one time I ate in a high-end place - the Taj Hotel in New Delhi.
I think there is a middle way between the hostels where the toilet is a hole in the ground with a bucket of water. And the overpriced hotels where you are cut off from real life.
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Re: Kerala
I find ‘visiting’ a place via google maps a good way to get a quick feel for what is available. You can zoom in on a location and click on random hotels to gauge what you get and for what price and then read the reviews. Often you only need to hover on the hotel to see the price and rating. Hotel booking sites I find a pain in this regard and are best used when the field has been narrowed.
Some caution is needed, as the prices shown are generally optimistic compared with what you end up being offered, but they do enable comparison between different hotels; similarly, reviews have to be read with balance – the obvious ones either by the owners brother or by someone with a grudge need to be discounted!
Some caution is needed, as the prices shown are generally optimistic compared with what you end up being offered, but they do enable comparison between different hotels; similarly, reviews have to be read with balance – the obvious ones either by the owners brother or by someone with a grudge need to be discounted!
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Re: Kerala
If you like a drink on your travels, check out the recent changes to Indian liquor laws in hotels which have been applied quite stringently in Kerala.
Ordering a G&T and then waiting whilst someone goes to the off licence to buy you one, serving it like you're in a speakeasy, isn't everyone's idea of a holiday. Additionally, many of the homestays in Kerala don't offer alcohol anyway.
that may be fine if you are there to relax and be at one with nature, but if you like a drink as part of the relaxing, DYOR.
Ordering a G&T and then waiting whilst someone goes to the off licence to buy you one, serving it like you're in a speakeasy, isn't everyone's idea of a holiday. Additionally, many of the homestays in Kerala don't offer alcohol anyway.
that may be fine if you are there to relax and be at one with nature, but if you like a drink as part of the relaxing, DYOR.
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Re: Kerala
I was in Kerala in 2010 at the start of a trip through India, and along with Sikkim, it was my favourite state (albeit I didn't get to Kashmir and Ladakh).
I started in Cochin and went up to Munnar to see the tea plantations. Then down to see the Keralan backwaters - public boats are cheap but many tourists hire a houseboat. Then to Varkala, a nice beach town built along a cliff. Finally down to Trivandrum and the nearby beach at Kovalam.
Keralan accommodation was cleaner than other states, particularly Tamil Nadu, and travel was relatively painless, though expect packed trains. I was there in October. By November you can expect to pay high season prices, up to double those in October.
Cheers
Taurus
I started in Cochin and went up to Munnar to see the tea plantations. Then down to see the Keralan backwaters - public boats are cheap but many tourists hire a houseboat. Then to Varkala, a nice beach town built along a cliff. Finally down to Trivandrum and the nearby beach at Kovalam.
Keralan accommodation was cleaner than other states, particularly Tamil Nadu, and travel was relatively painless, though expect packed trains. I was there in October. By November you can expect to pay high season prices, up to double those in October.
Cheers
Taurus
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Re: Kerala
Thanks to all, particularly TaurusTheBull. I am wondering about it all but may look at going in October rather than high season as suggested.
That seems to be the sort of itinerary that is the norm.
Dod
That seems to be the sort of itinerary that is the norm.
Dod
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Re: Kerala
Dod101 wrote:Anybody been to Kerala? I fancy it and do not want to exactly backpack but at the same time do not want to pay through the nose. I am being quoted 'fancy' prices. Any recommendations? Timing would probably be sometime like Nov/December. Dod
Yep, spent a few weeks back there in 1983, as part of a circumnavigation of the Sub-Continent. Had my impromptu 18th birthday in a small palm-thatched cafe on Kovalum Beach called 'The Woodstock', well as much as I recall of it
The pace down there was relaxed compared to the northern states, or cities. The pace goes with the intense climate, it's hotter and more humid and you have to take it slower. In subsequent years in the tropics I came to realise that rushing, travelling more quickly than the locals do can be inviting additional challenge - usually self-defeating. Definitely go with the flow if you've the time, and you have to be flexible as it can be very random.
In your shoes I'd:
- Look at the seasons, see where monsoon falls and avoid it if possible.
- Decide how long you have
- Look at fancy packaged holidays 'Voyage Jules Verne' etc etc. Where do they go. What sounds interesting to you? How long do they spend at each stop?
- Boil it down to a few stops within the state that really grab you and then DIY it.
- Use Tripadvisor to identify the best hotels within your budget (and attractions etc)
- Take it slowly. Don't fret too much about onwards connections (mostly trains). Those can be arranged as you go very simply.
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