Cheap accommodation on Havelock?

thasus

Hi all,

Im planning on getting my NAUI certification done with DiveIndia this October. Its a 2 week course, so I need info about really cheap accommodation and food thats relatively close to DiveIndia.

I am a Student, I have a tight budget, and am traveling alone. I have no issues about roughing it out. I'll probably have only one rucksack with maybe a tent and some clothes stuffed into it. And Odomos.

A friend who was there years ago, suggested I should just reach there and then start haggling for accommodation.

Im looking at something with a max. price of Rs 150 a night and a common bathroom.

Suggestion? Even if the places dont have memorable names, do such places exist on Havelock? Should I follow my friends advice and just show up there?

martinez

Yes and Yes,booking by internet is the expensive way of doing things.

thasus

cool, thanks.
availability of accommodation shouldn't be a problem in October, right? Especially around Diwali?

martinez

Right! Even more choice,even less tourists.

yodli

the andaman govt website states two guest houses priced ard 200 - 300.. anybody been there?

Sea View Tourist Complex
M.S.Guest House

http://www.and.nic.in/C_charter/IP_T/hotel.htm

martinez

I stayed at the government guesthouse on Neil for 10 days because i had booked it for that period. The accommodation is faultless exept for the soulessnes of the place.Very clean(unlike ALL the other options)cheap,hot water,attentive staff,superb food,a shiva temple right outside that starts playing taped music through a crappy sound system with max volume at 4 am every morning(despite the absence of worshippers or priest),very convienient location just 100 mtrs from town centre and 300 mtrs from jetty,linen provided and changed regularly,fantastic water jet system for washing of the arse,rat free inside room(unlike most other places).All in all,the place to stay if you don´t mind the soulessness and a lack of people to speak to.

kullukid

[quote=martinez;850438]linen provided and changed regularly,fantastic water jet system for washing of the arse,rat free inside room(unlike most other places).QUOTE]

Do you know if Wild Orchid is rat free! They are quoting Rs4000 for a double inc ferry transfers will i get a lot better deal if i just turn up in mid Feb & should they definitely have last minute vacancies at that time of year? KK

martinez

[quote=kullukid;857320]Hi Kullukid,how ya doing?
My personal opinion is that resort operators use the web to maximise income,(fair enough). My expierience is that prices drop dramatically if you just turn up. Saying that,if one turns up (meaning "arrives") a week before Christmas then there is very little chance of a good deal,simple because of the supply and demand scenario.However, the world ,all of it, is in recession and as a consequence i cannot see Havelock being over run with punters in February. Wild Orchid ,on the other hand is quite an exclusive place and many people that can afford to stay at a place like that probably still have the money to do so.
Rat free,i doubt it. If rats can easily get into a structure ,then they will.If the only way in is under the door,then it depends on how well the door fits. If rats can get under the door then they will. We stayed in a very exclusive place in South Andaman for a few nights,beautiful setting,extremely tasteful design and finish,in the middle of the night my wife woke me and said "hey there´s a frog in the bed" i turned on the torch and low and behold it was a rat that was bouncing up and down ,just like a frog and trying to get out of the mosquito net. The question is how long had the rat been in the bedding? Ferry transfers are awfully expensive if arranged by a resort,any resort, but it means you get to Havelock the same day as arriving in Port Blair. What do you want? If your time is very limited go for the transfer,if not get your own tickets from Pheonix Jetty and expierience a bit of realtime India. Hoping this is of use to you. M.

kullukid

Thanks M, does rats = snakes???? KK

footballfreak

One of the best beaches in the world ... Nice place man ...

There is dolphin resort in Havelock where I have stayed (it was pre tsunami so I dont know whether it is still there or not!!) ... The stay in log huts was really great and it was just next to the beach .. It was cheap too

footballfreak

The beach which I am talking about in the 2nd paragraph is not the famous radhanagar beach .. but still .. this one is also good ...

martinez

No shortage of snakes,but they are not aggresive types. The big ones,i think they are called "coconut palm snakes",as i understand,don´t even have venom.
Dining by the edge of the beach by floodlight 2 years ago,2 large snakes of different types came really nearby and were not bothered by our presence... They just continued what they were doing and eventually slithered off into the jungle.
No shortage of sharks either,they too are ok.

kalbarri

i totally agree about the govt guest house on neil island. after a night with ants in my bed and yelping pups under my hut, at the other end of the island, i was, like, "i'm getting a bit old for this shit. been there, done that" and went for the luxury.
the crew running the place were great. so helpful and friendly.
the ants, from the huts, actually moved themselves and their eggs into the lining of my suitcase and i had to hose them out. ah, back to nature...