Varkala : The Cliff Beach
Varkala is a small coastal town in God’s own country, Kerala. It is a lesser known but an ideal and beautiful place perfect for your party weekends like North Goa and at the same time serene and peaceful like South Goa. It combines all the image you had of Goa minus the crowd.
Very silent and at the same town an excellent party place for the youth. Best time to visit if you are looking for relaxation and peace is between September to March. This place turns into a hardcore disc at the time of new year. You will encounter with a lot of people in December out of which 70% are foreign tourists.
The city has a tinge of freshness in its breeze courtesy the untouched beaches and less crowd. The city is full of beautiful home stays and resorts. But remember to book everything well in advance, because, at peak times, you will get robbed for even small rooms. You can get a car or two-wheeler on rent to roam around the city.
One must visit the Papanasam Beach, Varkala Beach, Kappil Lake and lighthouses in the area. Varkala has a lot of architecture too, to attract tourists such as the Janardhana Swamy Temple, Anjengo Fort, Vishnu temple and Sivagiri Mutt.
The Varkala beach, the main attraction, is a whole one-day long affair to spent. Starting with relaxing on the beach for hours and then moving onto a lot of activities offered ranging from surfing to paragliding.Surfing is full on practiced on the sea with help even for the newbies. The beach is clean and not at all restricted.
The beach is about a mile long walk worth for evening walks and mesmerizing sunsets. The beach is lined with a cliff on the side with a long stretch of shops, cafes, restaurants and spas. One has to climb from the passages provided in the middle of the beach to reach the cliff.
The cliff is an exotic place to hang outlined up with high-level restaurants and cafes. The area is lined with restaurants serving different cuisines ranging from continental to Italian theme. Places offer a variety of Seafood with many fishes even on display outside.
The cliff has a spectacular view of the beach and the sea. The continuous world songs and melodious tunes played by cafes and restaurants kick in the mood. There are some exotic spas providing massages all day long. The place is also lined up with various shops of clothing and fine jewelry.
The place is all lit by dusk, and there is when merriment kicks in. On new years eve, some of the shacks organize fabulous parties worth visiting for. At 12 am, there is a great display of fireworks at the north cliff. People also lit up various chandeliers flying over the sea.
Rather than going for the usual Goa where you could find half of Indian population, ditch it for Varkala and experience the new magic of the untouched place.
