Exhilarating weekend at Varkala
Varkala, as said is Kerela's hidden gem. Its a suburb located at Thiruvananthapuram district. Varkala offers a long scenic strech of cliff facing Arabian sea with plathora of shacks, hotels and shops. If you are in love with beaches and awesome food with beer then its a must visit.
How to reach there? Varkala is well connected by trains and buses. Closest airport to it is Trivandrum Airport and it is apx 50km away from Varkala. If you like to travel comfortably you should probabily do this. And what's the point of arriving your weekend getaway all tired! Once you are Varkala Airport you can find a lot of cabs at the airport to take you to the city. Or one can opt for a Zoomcar and drive all along the amazing 40km strech.
We were greeted by blue sky and a pleasant combination of warm and windy weather.
Where to stay? Varkala offers a variety of stays like airbnb, cottage, hotels and lodges. I will not advice to be very picky on the stay but rather focus on proximity to the cliff, as there is where the fun happens. I stayed at Sunview beach resort. It had ample parking space and attached restaurant for your 24x7 seafood craving (a lot of vegetarian options are available in Varkala too).
What to do? Varkala is not a place where to plan. Instead you should drop all your plans and go with the flow. Mix with the people in Varkala - locals, tourists. Each one of those have amazing stories to share. If you live at the cliff, the beach is super easy to go. And you have access to most of the shack and shops for all your need. At night Varkala turns into an amazing party place. Shacks turns into clubs with great music and drinks.
Travel tips:
- >Carry ample cash - Not all shops accepts cards and ATMS are faraway.
- >Summer clothes is a must - It can be really hot and humid at times. Jeans is a No No!
- >Go for an AC room - Same as above.
- >Rent a vehicle - Depending on cabs and autos can be tiresome.
- >Not all beaches are great - You need not go to all the beaches in Varkala. Spoiler alert - cliff one is the best one.