Varkala was an idyllic place to stay in Kerala. It was recommended to me by a friend and I wasn’t disappointed by adding it to my itinerary. My only regret was that I couldn’t stay longer due to a retreat I had booked near Kovalam.  I spent three nights in Varkala and I could easily have spent a week.  With its beautiful red cliffs, it’s long stretching beaches and the sound of breaking waves, Varkala had a vibe where you could park up and lose yourself day after day.

Varkala was my first beach experience in India and having read about the warnings of some of their beaches, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Being a beach lover, I was ready to enjoy sinking my toes into some sand and thankfully it was like spending time on any other beach I’d been too.  The water was clean and the beach was predominantly clear of rubbish. Sure there were roaming eyes and walkers, but there were patrols whistling them away and I was able to really relax and enjoy being by the Arabian sea.

Skip a yoga class as the stretching coastline makes walking easy and accessible, but make sure you head out in the morning to beat the afternoon heat. If you walk heading north towards Black Beach and Kappil Beach pack your swimsuit and lunch to enjoy some quieter beaches and spend the day there, or you can relax on the main beach and shop along the cliff top in one of its numerous hippy stalls. There are plenty of restaurants scattered along the cliff all much of the same and you can’t go wrong with your choice.  And make sure you end your day sipping on a beer or a cocktail or two watching the majestic sunsets and enjoying the starry nights.

Images shot on a Fujifilm XT100 & iPhone4s  ©Not The Jealous Kind 2015