7N/8D Kerala Trip - Suggestions required...

gaurav_methi · Apr 9th, 2008, 21:25

Hi Everyone,

I have been going through a lot of posts on the forum, however, the more I read, the more I get confused. Could anyone please suggest an iternary for me? My requirements are as follows:

1. 7 Nights/8 Days stay in Kerala
2. Would like to visit only 3-4 places.
3. Would definitely like to have the following covered: Sandy beach, Backwaters & Hill Station
4. Entry from one airport and exit from another - so that I do not waste time in travelling the loop again.
5. Max one night stay in Houseboat.

What I need from the group:

1. The places I should visit (My guess is Kochi > Munnar > Alappuzha > Kovalam > Thiruvananthapuram should meet my requirements)
2. Duration of stay at least required to enjoy the places.
3. Backwater circuit ? (My guess - Kumarakom > Alappuzha)
4. Any particular houseboat company/boat suggeted (or to be avoided)
5. Suggested hotels at these places (I would definitely like to go for Double A/C rooms)

Overall I wish to have a relaxing stay and not a hectic travelling one.

Thanks in advance

Gaurav.

rebeccam · Apr 10th, 2008, 10:51

Hi Gaurav,

"(I would definitely like to go for Double A/C rooms)"

Any particular budget you wish to keep to for nightly accomodation? You can certainly find airconditioning in some homestays, houseboats, or hotels, but it may cost more.

Knowing your budget may seem to personal a quetion, but it will certianly help IMers with making recommendations.

As for your 7 day trip, if I were dong that, it would be as you wrote: Cochin--Alleppey--houseboat to Kumarokom--drive to hill station (Munnar)--beach along south coast--Trivandrum.

Alternatively, you could do your hill station in the north, e.g. Wayanad, then back to beach north of Calicut, and fly home from Calicut.

However, please note these suggestions are based only on research and suggestins I've read or heard--I won't actually be there til December!

Good luck and fun as you plan!

snonymous · Apr 10th, 2008, 15:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by gaurav_methi

Hi Everyone,

I have been going through a lot of posts on the forum, however, the more I read, the more I get confused. Could anyone please suggest an iternary for me? My requirements are as follows:

1. 7 Nights/8 Days stay in Kerala
2. Would like to visit only 3-4 places.
3. Would definitely like to have the following covered: Sandy beach, Backwaters & Hill Station
If you choose Cochin as your entry point you can see the Fort Cochin historic area + harbour cruise in a day or 1 1/2 days max unless you also want to do a half day backwaters trip from Cochin which doesnt make sense as you will be going to Kumarakom / Allepey; you can enjoy the Cherai beach at Vypeen island - within Ernakulam district - across the Cochin harbour [1 day] - look out for the dolphins as you cross the harbour, and also go to Munnar hillstation [4hrs drive] 2 days, and from there to Kumarakom / Allepey for the backwaters & houseboat [2 days], or via Thekkady/Periyar [1 day] to Kumarakom, then back to Cochin [nearest airport] for your return flight. You can vary the number of days as per your interests, and you will not waste too much of your precious holiday time in travelling between places.

4. Entry from one airport and exit from another - so that I do not waste time in travelling the loop again.
Consider entry Kozhikode exit Kochi / entry Kochi exit Trivandrum or vice versa. If you enter via Kozhikode you can go to the hilly Wynad district - Lakkidi, Vythiri, Kalpetta. It is not as commercial as Munnar. However from the Wynad area to Kumarakom will be more than 350km, and given the condition of the roads - some ghat stretches - will take the better part of the day to reach there and you only have 7 days. Kappad beach is near Kozhikode and you can also visit Beypore fishing port and other stretches of fishing and non touristy beaches en route. Even from Kozhikode to the Allepey area is about 250km, likewise the Kochi TRV circuit also involves more travelling, although you can visit the Ponmudi hill station near TRV and Kovalam or Varkala beaches. Kovalam is really too commercial these days and crowded to boot. Varkala, half way between Quilon and TRV, also has hot springs. In TRV there is a nice Padmanabhaswamy temple in the fort area of the city and you can also visit the Neyyar sanctuary and dam in a short diversion en route to Ponmudi.
5. Max one night stay in Houseboat.

What I need from the group:

1. The places I should visit (My guess is Kochi > Munnar > Alappuzha > Kovalam > Thiruvananthapuram should meet my requirements)
2. Duration of stay at least required to enjoy the places.
3. Backwater circuit ? (My guess - Kumarakom > Alappuzha)
4. Any particular houseboat company/boat suggeted (or to be avoided)
5. Suggested hotels at these places (I would definitely like to go for Double A/C rooms)

http://www.keralatourism.org/ has a list of hotels at all price ranges, and a lot of information about your proposed destinations. If you do a thorough search on this India mike site, you may get a lot of cheaper budget hotels recommended by other members.

Overall I wish to have a relaxing stay and not a hectic travelling one.

.

Personally, if I had only 7 days and did not want to waste time travelling from place to place, I would choose the Cochin to Cochin circuit.

gaurav_methi · Apr 16th, 2008, 14:43

Thanks snonymous and rebeccam

vandy · Apr 21st, 2008, 07:39

Hi there, Considering you only have 7 days, I suggest you forget Kovalam,its too far away, have heard there's a reasonable beach called Cherai which is a short ferry ride across the harbour fro Fort cochin.

My suggestion is Hire a car & driver in Cochin and
then head to Munnar for a couple of days,driver will stay with you & show you around Munnar,then head for Allepey or Kumarakom for O'night Houseboat
Journey and then get Driver to take you back to
Cochin.

Look in Hotels section for Accom Reviews.

Approx costs for car(reccom Indica) & driver for this around 4000rps, houseboat 5000rps max,strongly
suggest you inspect houseboat yourself before hiring.

vandy

jinglebelll · May 1st, 2008, 10:40

Hi,

you can choose either of the two itinerary

1. Coimbatore - munnar - tekkady - kumarakom (via kottayam)-alleppey - cochin

2. Cochin - munnar - tekkady - kumarakom (via kottayam)-alleppey - cochin

Cochin, Munnar & Tekkady can be two days each, where as allepey and kumarakom can be a day each. (you may want to skip kumarakom)

Cochin-Munnar-Tekkady can be covered in a cab about 3k approx. (have not travelled but inquired. A good idea is to check with places where you stay, if they provide a pick up facility from the airport). You can also check the cochin airport site and get cab fares for destinations.

Tekkady to Kumarakom/Alleppey can be done in a local transport as well. Else you can go to Kottayam and then take a ferry/boat.

Kovalam may not be a good idea since it will be more or travel than staying there if you want to cover all of these in a limited time. Cochin has back waters as well as beaches, if you may want to explore.

gaurav_methi · May 8th, 2008, 10:53

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your valuable inputs. I recently completed the Kerala Trip. I would like to share my experiences.

The timing was 26/Apr - 03/May.
The route I took was Cochin > Munnar > Aleppy > Kumarakom > Aleppy > Kovalam

I took an all inclusive package from a Travel agaent based in Cochin.

01 Night stay at Cochin (www.avenueregent.com)
03 Nights stay at Munnar (http://www.ktdc.com/Teacounty.htm)
01 Night stay at One-Bedroom AC Deluxe Houseboat for Kumarakom-Alleppey sector (http://www.river-escapes.com)
02 Nights stay at Kovalam (www.thetravancoreheritage.com)
All transfers & sightseeing as per the itinerary using excellent chauffeur driven Air-Conditioned Ambassador.

The weather was nice as it had just stopped raining on 27/Apr after a week of unexpected rainfall.

In Cochin we visited the Chinese Fishing nets and the Dutch Palace;
In Munnar we had a full body massage and visited Eravikulam National Park, The Matupetty Dam and Lake (Speed Boating), There is a nice waterfall on the way to Munnar, also visited the Echo Point and the Mount carmel church and the Tea Museum.
In Aleppy we checked in the houseboat and went upto Kumarkom and back to aleppy with overnight stay at houseboat(kettuvallam), also rowed in the small canoe for and hour and a half.
In Kovalam, we only stayed at the resort and enjoyed the beach which was adjacent to resort.

Cheers!
Gaurav.

patnayak · Jun 25th, 2008, 17:38

Hi Gaurav,
I was also planning the same kind of trip.Would you please tell the cost of your entire trip excluding airfare or train fare to cochin.And also it would be beneficial if you could give the website of the tour operator.
Thanx
Swabhiman

rebeccam · Jun 26th, 2008, 00:47

Hi Gaurav, thank you for writing back with your trip report/description. It's easy after the trip to just forget about that...so thank you for taking the time!
Glad you had a good trip.
I agree with Patnayak--it would be good if you could post the name of the tour agent who helped you and provided the excellent driver. one place, more in another?
Again, thanks for your time.

snonymous · Jun 26th, 2008, 11:04

Patnayak
In addition to the info you get from Gaurav, you can also get competitive quotes from several Kerala travel agents, if you post your proposed itinerary on the Message boards at Keralatourism.org If you post your email address there, they will communicate with you directly, which saves the hassle of sifting through their Message board every day.

After posting there, and sifting through several quotes from various operators, we finally booked through Murugan at inspirekerala.com and had an excellent holiday in May.

patnayak · Jun 26th, 2008, 14:19

Thank you snonymous for your valuable inputs.Would you please give the details(Itinary) of your trip.I am looking forward to plan my Honeymoon trip to kerala.Also mention the trips expenses.

snonymous · Jun 26th, 2008, 19:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by patnayak

Thank you snonymous for your valuable inputs.Would you please give the details(Itinary) of your trip.I am looking forward to plan my Honeymoon trip to kerala.Also mention the trips expenses.

Hello Patnayak
Ours was to Thekkady, Munnar and Thattekadu with every jungle en route thrown in! If you have the inclination, you can read about my trip itinerary at:
My Kerala holiday - May 2008
or also at this site where Ive posted it with a selection of my photos:
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...3220/tpod.html

Re: Expenditure: Depends. If you are renting a car + driver throughout, factor in approx. INR 1500 per day for Indica type car, and obviously a lot more for anything fancier, plus the rates will be higher now due to the fuel price hike.

Inspirekerala charged us exactly the same rates for the hotels as if we had done it ourselves, based on their website tariffs. I suppose they get an agents commission which makes it worth their while. Most of these hotels are with B/D thrown in so you will not be spending that much more for food. Hotels are at all budget ranges, so it really depends on what you choose.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask if you want any more details.

sanand · Jun 30th, 2008, 21:16

hello snonymous,

went though your articles and posts..It was one of the reason that i decided to go to Kerala for my upcoming honeymoon ( between 29nov and 6 dec)!
I must say you have a great way of describing the places that you have been to.

snonymous · Jul 1st, 2008, 11:12

Thanks Sanand. The places I visited were actually better than what I described. Have a wonderful honeymoon !

patnayak · Jul 2nd, 2008, 14:28

Thanx snonymous .I was also planning indica for travel.Received some quotes from some travel agencies.Would be shortlisting one.Did you stay in the periyar forest?

Apr 9th, 2008, 21:25	#1
gaurav_methi Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 5	7N/8D Kerala Trip - Suggestions required... Hi Everyone, I have been going through a lot of posts on the forum, however, the more I read, the more I get confused. Could anyone please suggest an iternary for me? My requirements are as follows: 1. 7 Nights/8 Days stay in Kerala 2. Would like to visit only 3-4 places. 3. Would definitely like to have the following covered: Sandy beach, Backwaters & Hill Station 4. Entry from one airport and exit from another - so that I do not waste time in travelling the loop again. 5. Max one night stay in Houseboat. What I need from the group: 1. The places I should visit (My guess is Kochi > Munnar > Alappuzha > Kovalam > Thiruvananthapuram should meet my requirements) 2. Duration of stay at least required to enjoy the places. 3. Backwater circuit ? (My guess - Kumarakom > Alappuzha) 4. Any particular houseboat company/boat suggeted (or to be avoided) 5. Suggested hotels at these places (I would definitely like to go for Double A/C rooms) Overall I wish to have a relaxing stay and not a hectic travelling one. Thanks in advance Gaurav.

Apr 10th, 2008, 10:51	#2
rebeccam Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Oakland, California, USA Posts: 120	Budget?? Hi Gaurav, "(I would definitely like to go for Double A/C rooms)" Any particular budget you wish to keep to for nightly accomodation? You can certainly find airconditioning in some homestays, houseboats, or hotels, but it may cost more. Knowing your budget may seem to personal a quetion, but it will certianly help IMers with making recommendations. As for your 7 day trip, if I were dong that, it would be as you wrote: Cochin--Alleppey--houseboat to Kumarokom--drive to hill station (Munnar)--beach along south coast--Trivandrum. Alternatively, you could do your hill station in the north, e.g. Wayanad, then back to beach north of Calicut, and fly home from Calicut. However, please note these suggestions are based only on research and suggestins I've read or heard--I won't actually be there til December! Good luck and fun as you plan!

May 1st, 2008, 10:40	#6
jinglebelll Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 12	Suggested itinerery Hi, you can choose either of the two itinerary 1. Coimbatore - munnar - tekkady - kumarakom (via kottayam)-alleppey - cochin 2. Cochin - munnar - tekkady - kumarakom (via kottayam)-alleppey - cochin Cochin, Munnar & Tekkady can be two days each, where as allepey and kumarakom can be a day each. (you may want to skip kumarakom) Cochin-Munnar-Tekkady can be covered in a cab about 3k approx. (have not travelled but inquired. A good idea is to check with places where you stay, if they provide a pick up facility from the airport). You can also check the cochin airport site and get cab fares for destinations. Tekkady to Kumarakom/Alleppey can be done in a local transport as well. Else you can go to Kottayam and then take a ferry/boat. Kovalam may not be a good idea since it will be more or travel than staying there if you want to cover all of these in a limited time. Cochin has back waters as well as beaches, if you may want to explore.

May 8th, 2008, 10:53	#7
gaurav_methi Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 5	Kerala trip - completed: Thanks Hi Everyone, Thanks for your valuable inputs. I recently completed the Kerala Trip. I would like to share my experiences. The timing was 26/Apr - 03/May. The route I took was Cochin > Munnar > Aleppy > Kumarakom > Aleppy > Kovalam I took an all inclusive package from a Travel agaent based in Cochin. 01 Night stay at Cochin (www.avenueregent.com) 03 Nights stay at Munnar (http://www.ktdc.com/Teacounty.htm) 01 Night stay at One-Bedroom AC Deluxe Houseboat for Kumarakom-Alleppey sector (http://www.river-escapes.com) 02 Nights stay at Kovalam (www.thetravancoreheritage.com) All transfers & sightseeing as per the itinerary using excellent chauffeur driven Air-Conditioned Ambassador. The weather was nice as it had just stopped raining on 27/Apr after a week of unexpected rainfall. In Cochin we visited the Chinese Fishing nets and the Dutch Palace; In Munnar we had a full body massage and visited Eravikulam National Park, The Matupetty Dam and Lake (Speed Boating), There is a nice waterfall on the way to Munnar, also visited the Echo Point and the Mount carmel church and the Tea Museum. In Aleppy we checked in the houseboat and went upto Kumarkom and back to aleppy with overnight stay at houseboat(kettuvallam), also rowed in the small canoe for and hour and a half. In Kovalam, we only stayed at the resort and enjoyed the beach which was adjacent to resort. Cheers! Gaurav.

Jun 26th, 2008, 00:47	#9
rebeccam Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Oakland, California, USA Posts: 120	Thanks for getting back to us! Hi Gaurav, thank you for writing back with your trip report/description. It's easy after the trip to just forget about that...so thank you for taking the time! Glad you had a good trip. I agree with Patnayak--it would be good if you could post the name of the tour agent who helped you and provided the excellent driver. one place, more in another? Again, thanks for your time.

Apr 16th, 2008, 14:43	#4
gaurav_methi Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 5	Thanks snonymous and rebeccam

Apr 21st, 2008, 07:39	#5
vandy Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: perth-australia Posts: 673	Hi there, Considering you only have 7 days, I suggest you forget Kovalam,its too far away, have heard there's a reasonable beach called Cherai which is a short ferry ride across the harbour fro Fort cochin. My suggestion is Hire a car & driver in Cochin and then head to Munnar for a couple of days,driver will stay with you & show you around Munnar,then head for Allepey or Kumarakom for O'night Houseboat Journey and then get Driver to take you back to Cochin. Look in Hotels section for Accom Reviews. Approx costs for car(reccom Indica) & driver for this around 4000rps, houseboat 5000rps max,strongly suggest you inspect houseboat yourself before hiring. vandy

Jun 25th, 2008, 17:38	#8
patnayak Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bhubaneswar, Orissa Posts: 30	Hi Gaurav, I was also planning the same kind of trip.Would you please tell the cost of your entire trip excluding airfare or train fare to cochin.And also it would be beneficial if you could give the website of the tour operator. Thanx Swabhiman

Jun 26th, 2008, 11:04	#10
snonymous Maha Guru Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 765	Patnayak In addition to the info you get from Gaurav, you can also get competitive quotes from several Kerala travel agents, if you post your proposed itinerary on the Message boards at Keralatourism.org If you post your email address there, they will communicate with you directly, which saves the hassle of sifting through their Message board every day. After posting there, and sifting through several quotes from various operators, we finally booked through Murugan at inspirekerala.com and had an excellent holiday in May.

Jun 26th, 2008, 14:19	#11
patnayak Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bhubaneswar, Orissa Posts: 30	Thank you snonymous for your valuable inputs.Would you please give the details(Itinary) of your trip.I am looking forward to plan my Honeymoon trip to kerala.Also mention the trips expenses.

Jun 30th, 2008, 21:16	#13
sanand Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: pune Posts: 8	hello snonymous, went though your articles and posts..It was one of the reason that i decided to go to Kerala for my upcoming honeymoon ( between 29nov and 6 dec)! I must say you have a great way of describing the places that you have been to.

Jul 1st, 2008, 11:12	#14
snonymous Maha Guru Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 765	Thanks Sanand. The places I visited were actually better than what I described. Have a wonderful honeymoon !

Jul 2nd, 2008, 14:28	#15
patnayak Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bhubaneswar, Orissa Posts: 30	Thanx snonymous .I was also planning indica for travel.Received some quotes from some travel agencies.Would be shortlisting one.Did you stay in the periyar forest?

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