The frenzied beachfront development, bloated prices and indefatigable souvenir-sellers of Kovalam are almost worth putting up with for its lovely slice of sand and perfectly swaying palms. Permanently tattooed on European charter-group itineraries, these days there is little room left for the budgeteers that pioneered India’s tourism industry. Nevertheless, Kovalam clings to some remnants of charm, particularly once you step off the main-beach drag into the rice paddies and palm groves that stretch far inland. It can be a good place to kick back for a few days, particularly during quieter times.
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Sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the backwaters, Kottayam is more renowned for being Kerala’s centre of the spice and rubber trade than for its aesthetic appeal. It’s a good place to make a connection between these two regions, or to pop into the pretty backwater village of Kumarakom.
Kollam is a tranquil trading town and the secret southern approach to Kerala’s backwaters. One of the oldest ports in the Arabian Sea, it was once a major commerce hub that saw Roman, Arab, Chinese and later Portuguese, Dutch and British traders jostle ships into port, eager to get their hands on spices and the region’s valuable cashew crops. The town’s shady streets and antediluvian market are worth a wander, and the calm waterways of the surrounding Ashtamudi Lake are still fringed with coconut palms, cashew plantations and traditional villages.
If you listen closely, you can hear the collective sigh breathed by travellers upon setting foot in laid-back Fort Cochin. Kochi has been luring wanderers and traders for over 600 years and remains a living homage to its varied colonial past: giant fishing nets influenced by Chinese merchants, a 16th-century synagogue, ancient mosques, Portuguese houses built half a millennia ago and the crumbling residuum of the British Raj. The result is an unlikely blend of medieval Portugal, Holland and an English country village grafted on to the tropical Malabar Coast. It’s a delightful place to spend some time, soak in the history, peruse art galleries and nap in some of the finest heritage accommodation in India.
Kerala is where India slips down into second gear, stops to smell the roses and always talks to strangers. A strip of land between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, its perfect climate flirts unabashedly with the fertile soil, and everything glows. An easy-going and successful socialist state, Kerala has a liberal hospitality that stands out as its most laudable achievement.
Under the Kolathiri rajas, Kannur was a major port bristling with international trade – explorer Marco Polo christened it a ‘great emporia of spice trade’. Since then, the usual colonial suspects, including the Portuguese, Dutch and British, have had a go at shaping Kannur. Today it’s an agreeable, though unexciting, town known mostly for its weaving industry and cashew trade, with an excellent beach at Costa Malabari and incredible theyyam possession performances.
Central Kerala covers the small strip of territory running from Kochi (Cochin) in the south up to Thrissur (Trichur) in the north east. The obvious highlight is the captivating trading-post city of Kochi but this area includes the lovely beach at Cherai and the towns of Parur and Chennamangalam.
Bekal (and nearby Palakunnu and Udma) in Kerala’s far north boast unspoilt white-sand beaches. Word on the street is they form the palm-fringed finish line for several large-scale, luxury resorts hoping to transform the area into the next Kovalam. As yet, there are few decent places to stay (and none near a beach) and getting around can be a real pain, making it a DIY destination for off-the-beaten-track adventurers. Because it’s a predominantly Muslim area, it’s important to keep local sensibilities in mind, especially at the beach.
A slice of Venice in the heart of Kerala, Alleppey is a mix of shady streets set around a grid of canals spilling into the vast watery highways of the region. The most popular place to organise a foray into the backwaters, this is the base for most of the houseboat-action in Kerala (and even more houseboat agents), and home to the famous Nehru Trophy Snake Boat Race. It’s worth stopping in Alleppey to soak in some tropical village life before making a beeline for the backwaters.