trivandrum

Hi all

will be flying into Trivandrum on our way to Kovalam next Jan. Is it worth staying in Trivandrum for a night or two before going onto Kovalam.

Kovalam is hardly 15 minutes - 30 minutes from Trivandrum..

You can very well stay at Kovalam and come to Trivandrum for few hours..

Yep! Kovalam is like Trivandrum's beach!

I have a feeling that the airport is even closer to Kovalam than it is to the city --- but I could be way wrong

Dont stop in Trivandrum---except for lunch if you want(there is a great Kerala thali place we went to--cant remember name) as others said just go straight to Kovalam!

I will be there for a few days in October....yipeeee!

I am not sure about the relative distance..but it hardly took us 5-10 minutes in a cab..to reach City from the Airport..

From Varkala to Airport it took us an hour in a cab..but we started at very early AM..(4 Am I guess)..

The South Indian lunch meal place (most definitely a top 10 listing out of the many thousands in South India) is at Hotel Aryaniwas 500 metres from the train station. Use the downstairs restaurant. The door men will try to shift you to the air con restaurant upstairs where it is freezing cold and the waiters are too attentive. A meal is around Rs. 40. Dinner is not as good (often too greasy), but still fine. If you like authentic Indian food you probably won't find much in Kovalam.

You can go on day trips into Trivandrum from Kovalam. Take a rickshaw or jump on a bus from Kovalam Junction. The rickshaw drivers will try to rip you off. Definitely do not pay more than Rs. 200 for the ride (even that is too much). You pay Rs. 10 per kilometre in a rickshaw in Kerala (or Rs. 5 forth and back).

Trivandrum is great (as opposed to Kovalam).

I think the place we ate when last there was called Annapurna.

A good standard S. Indian veggie place.