ukpat

Hello. We are doing a family trip to India at Christmas. We would like to fly into Mumbai and spend a few days there, then go on to either Goa or Kerala. Does anyone have a recommendation which might be better at that time? It would be DH and myself, plus 5 "kids" - DS - 17, DD - 20, DD's boyfriend - 21, DS - 22 and DD - 25. We only have 9 nights. We have been to northern India before but never been anywhere in the south. this is sort of a last minute trip, so have done limited research and just want to figure out where to focus. Ideally, we would like a bit of sightseeing and a lot of beach time. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Also, if you know of any interesting side trips from Goa or Kerala that would be really helpful. Just want you to know - I'm not asking for anyone to do the work for me, I just need to know where to focus my efforts as far as which beach area might be a better place to visit. Thanks so much for any input, it's much appreciated!!

Cicerone

That’s a hard choice I have to say. Both are really interesting and lovely. Perhaps toss a coin. The other thing is that if you want hotel accommodations THIS Christmas, you had better book ASAP. That is high, high season. Tourists from Europe and also Indians themselves go down at that time.

Goa has wonderful churches and great food, and the Catholic overlay on the Indian culture is quite interesting IMO. Kerala has the backwater canals (for sure rent a houseboat for at least one night). It has some churches too, but more spread out than the concentration of fantastic churches in the historic quarter of old Goa where you can see several centuries on foot in a few hours. For side trips from Goa, I think just going out into the lush countryside is lovely, and there are some Portuguese mansions further afield which I have not seen. Kerala would offer the opportunity to go to Periyar national park for wildlife viewing which would be a nice side trip. So perhaps with such a big group, Kerala may have the light edge. It also may not be quite as booked as Goa for next month.

If you go to Goa, I have heard from many Indians that the drive from Mumbai down to Goa along the coast is one of the prettiest anywhere, so perhaps you could hire a van with driver and make that drive. You can stop places like the fort near Sindhuburg. I think the drive takes about 8-9 hours, so I would probably say to break it up with a night somewhere.

Have to say I am not a big fan of Mumbai for tourists, but at least in December the weather is nice. You could consider going to a place like Matheran, up in the hills above Mumbai, which has a very old colonial feel, and would be quite cool in December. You can horseback ride and explore forests. You could also consider going to Aurangabad to see the caves, an easy 2-3 day trip from Mumbai by air.

Of course with 9 nights, you could actually go to BOTH Goa and Kerala...

thursdaysd

Goa, especially at Christmas, is basically a package tourist/backpacker resort that happens to be in India. Panjim and Old Goa are interesting exceptions, and there are some colonial houses, but they're not on the beach.

I spent Christmas in Kerala back in 2001 (see http://wilhelmswords.com/asia2001/index.html ) and you will have a more "Indian" experience there. However, you are going in the highest of high seasons - I was booking for South India in December a couple of months ago and having difficulties. I don't really think of Kerala as a beach place, but I'm not a beach person, and there are beaches there.

ukpat

Cicerone and thursdaysd - thank you so much for your thoughtful replies. It looks like Kerala would be the better choice for us so I will focus my research on that area and try to get things booked ASAP (thanks for the heads up!). I mentioned this was last minute, I hope it's not too late.
Again, thank you for your help.

CaliNurse

Hi ukpat,

From your post, ou are most intersted in which area will provide the best beach holiday "A lot of beach time." Since it sounds like beaches are for the majority of your time, i'll skip the usual recommendations of houseboats and backwater homestays and tea plantation/hills /wildlife parks in Kerala.

One idea, if you want a quieter beach environment, is to check the beaches along the Kerala coast north of Calicut around Kannur. Chera Rock, Ezhara, Kannur Beach House,--check out their websites and tripadvisor reviews and see what you think..From there, it is possible to go inland for briefer trips to the Wayanad area.

Another possiblity are the beaches closer to Cochin and Alleppey.Marari Beach Resort and A Beach Symphony, are some of the hotels there. There are easy day trips from this area to the backwaters. Again, check the sties and thr tripadvisor comments.

For any of of these, make sure families groups (even with older kids, like yours) would feel welcome, as some (eg perhaps a Beach Symphony) may focus more on couples.

Finally, although you specify "beach"--if the swimming is more important rather than it being off a beach, rather than a pool, the beach itself, there are resorts along Vembanad Lake, eg Coconut Lagoon, or Taj, where the scenery is of a beautful lake, but the swimming itself is in a pool.

You don't specify your desired budget, but there is a wide price range, from budget to high-end.

Nywoman

Kovalam is a very nice beach town, near Trivandrum. We felt it was perfect ending to our traveling around India.

ukpat

Thanks CaliNurse and Nywoman. CaliNurse - you've given me so much to think about! I love the idea of a houseboat, and a lake may be fine. My kids always SAY they want the beach but then they always end up staying at the pool while DH and I go to the beach.
Thank you all again for all your helpful suggestions.

julia1

Kerala bills itself as 'God's Own Country' and I'd say that's pretty accurate after two weeks there, starting at Cocoa Bay Resort near Kumarakom, known as 'one of the most beautiful villages in the world', a cluster of little islands on Vembanad Lake, the largest backwater in Kerala, with expanses of mangrove forests, paddy fields and coconut groves interspersed amongst the waterways and canals. Here are some photos, if you're interested:

Sunset over the lake from the pool at Cocoa Bay Resort: http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534916.html

Early morning on the lake: http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534821.html

Coming and going by pole boat on the canals: http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534840.html

Exploring the canals by small motor launch: http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534921.html

Houseboats with comfortable, air-conditioned cabins and en suite bathrooms, a pilot, a steward and a cook: http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534804.html
http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534817.html
http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534816.html
http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534818.html

If you have time, I'd recommend a few days in Cochin for an interesting contrast. Stay in Fort Cochin, the historical area. Lots to see and do, easy for first-time visitors.

I stayed in a small resort right on the waterway: http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534880.html

Here's the street in front of the hotel, filled with tea, coffee and spice merchants: http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534876.html
http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534863.html

Many beautiful old colonial-era buildings: http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534856.html

And of course the wonderful old Chinese fishing nets:
http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534913.html
http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534911.html

Everywhere you will find friendly and generous people, gorgeous food and a feast for the eyes.

magical

Lovely pictures, julia1.
Makes me want to return for another visit and this time stay longer to catch the variety of dawn and dusk scenes.
How long was your stay in Kerala?

Thanks for sharing

CaliNurse

Hi Julia,Beautiful photos of beautiful Kerala.
What i name of the place on the where you stayed (on the watersay) and the village in the photos? Was this an area within Cochin?
What is name of company you used for houseboat rental
(For my "future trip" file!!

CaliNurse

sorry for typos above

"stayed in a small resort right on the waterway"--name/location?

"street in front of the hotel" name? place?
Also company used for houseboat rental--sounds like you were happy with them.

thank you!!

julia1

Thank you for your comments, magical & CaliNurse. I was in Kerala for just over 2 weeks. During that time, in addition to Cochin and Kumarakom, I also spent time in Thekkady (Periyar Tiger Reserve) and Munnar (in the Western Ghats) and visited a few small villages in Tamil Nadu.

The small resort on the backwaters is Cocobay Resort, located on Lake Vembanad in Kumarakom. Website: www.cocobayresort.net It's about 70 km from Cochin airport.

Houseboat rental was arranged through the resort.

In Cochin, we stayed at Fort House Hotel, on the waterfront in the area known as Fort Cochin. Website: www.hotelforthouse.com Lovely cool spacious rooms with verandahs overlooking a central courtyard. Breakfast served on tables set up on the lakeside dock.

daneryland

No doubt both places are wonderful but I would definitely recommend Kerala if one has to select between Kerala and Goa. It has an amazing natural beauty with wonderful sight seeing places. It is a fantastic place with greenery all around. There is a lot to see in Kerala including beaches, wildlife, gardens , the paddy fields, museums, backwaters, coconut trees............

myholidaytrip

Kerala is known as the paradise on the earth. There are many beautiful destinations in Kerala to visit :

* Munnar is the beautiful hill station which is covered with tea gardens all around. It gives a lush green scenic view which attracts tourists from far and near. Its natural beauty is the major attraction. You can visit other wonderful destination in Munnar of which echo point and top station are breathtaking.

* Echo Point is about 15 km from Munnar. Go and scream out there and you will get your voice back after a minute which is so interesting.

* Top station is the other lovely place which is about 32 km from Munnar. It is the highest pont. It is on the Kerala Tamil Nadu border. You can feel as if you are holding clouds in your hands. There are also other beautiful palces to visit in Kerala.

* Kerala backwaters : Do not miss the Alleppey houseboats. They will give you a memorable experience. It provides all modern facilities like deluxe rooms, kitchen, washrooms, balcony and all other comforts.

Zambezi

Kerala. I'm turned off by what Goa has become through tourism development and the migration of many Indians from elsewhere on the subcontinent into a region they consider a more desirable place to live than where they are. ZZ