OT - Holiday in India
#17
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: LHR
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Posts: 8,665
Same comments about Kerala apply for the beach. It hot but humid and lush unlike Dubai.
You can fly south the Seychelles for somewhere more idillic - someone started up a separate thread on this.
You can try the far north like the mountains in Sikkim or Darjeeling if you want to see a bit of cooler climate - see the Himalayan mountains or even Everest. Educational for the kids ?
You are a very good dad !
#18
Join Date: May 2008
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http://www.tajhotels.com/Leisure/Fis...0Cove,CHENNAI/
Last edited by BA1A; Oct 24, 2008 at 2:56 am
#19
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Lithgow, NSW
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Posts: 1,049
#21
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: MAA
Programs: BA bronze, Marriott silver
Posts: 2,804
Chennai - well, if you dont mind slumming it in what passes for "AC 1st class" on Indian Railways, there are lots of things you can do within a night's train ride (or an hour or so on an ATR or 737).
Try these places -
Madurai - Massive temple there (staggering size, really.. you could fit Lords and the Emirates stadium into a small corner of the temple grounds, there's elephants and such..)
Kanyakumari / Cape Comorin - southernmost tip of India
to name just two.
And if you dont want to stick around in India afterwards, there's always SIN / BKK / KUL, all 3..4 hours from MAA, and fun places to be at any time of the year (though maybe not BKK with the current political situation there)
Try these places -
Madurai - Massive temple there (staggering size, really.. you could fit Lords and the Emirates stadium into a small corner of the temple grounds, there's elephants and such..)
Kanyakumari / Cape Comorin - southernmost tip of India
to name just two.
And if you dont want to stick around in India afterwards, there's always SIN / BKK / KUL, all 3..4 hours from MAA, and fun places to be at any time of the year (though maybe not BKK with the current political situation there)
#22
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: MAA
Programs: BA bronze, Marriott silver
Posts: 2,804
Bah. I spent my 1st wedding anniversary a few years back at Fisherman's Cove.
Lovely beaches and all, pretty decent seafood (though the best seafood in MAA is not at the cove .. at places like Ente Keralam or Kumarakom in the city, if you have a delicate - aka foreign - digestive system .. or seedy little dives with names like Samco, Topsee and Buharis if you dont mind risking a stomach upset afterwards..)
Only thing that absolutely spoilt it for me was my wife finding a giant cockroach in our room's toilet early one morning ..
Lovely beaches and all, pretty decent seafood (though the best seafood in MAA is not at the cove .. at places like Ente Keralam or Kumarakom in the city, if you have a delicate - aka foreign - digestive system .. or seedy little dives with names like Samco, Topsee and Buharis if you dont mind risking a stomach upset afterwards..)
Only thing that absolutely spoilt it for me was my wife finding a giant cockroach in our room's toilet early one morning ..
^ from me too for Pondicherry or Puducherry as it is now officially called. I used to live in Chennai and always headed out to stay at Fisherman's Cove at weekends to escape the city and get some r&r. So you could stay there for a few days on the way to Pondicherry. A great place to unwind, plenty of activities to do if you want to or if not you can just laze around the pool or the beach, great food, and hardly any shopping (they can do all that in Chennai) except one small hotel gift shop
http://www.tajhotels.com/Leisure/Fis...0Cove,CHENNAI/
http://www.tajhotels.com/Leisure/Fis...0Cove,CHENNAI/
#23
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Norristown, PA
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Posts: 72
Konkan beaches
I would suggest trying Konkan...the west shoreline of Maharshtra state south of Mumbai all the way up to Goa. Have been there seveal times. Stay away from Mumabai and Goa and you are in one of most Idyllic beaches in India. It hasn't been commercialized much yet. You can either chose a local beach with no major name brand hotels and be all by yourselves at the beach or run to Ganpatiphule and Harihareshwar and find some good name brand places to stay and more people. Local /ethnic food (Konkani) is a delicacy and there are number places that can serve you great food...from shacks to good restaurants.
#24
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Scotland
Programs: BA silver
Posts: 1,850
we did the Golden Triangle tour last October and also a short time in Mumbai and then went on to Goa. The days of trance parties are past. If you are looking for a quietish place then I would stick with the south of Goa.
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2008
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 62
Well thanks again for the suggestions - we did spend some time at Devi Garh as recommended and it was absolutely superb.
Watching the sun setting over the Aravali hills whilst sipping a cocktail in the bar really was an incredible experience. My only 'complaint' is that the rooms are pretty small (for something described as 'suites') but overall it's a superb hotel.
Unfortunately I happened to be rather ill for 26 hours of the stay which was a pity although at least I had a very nice environment in which to be ill!
I can't believe I almost didn't go back to Udaipur - I had completely forgotten what a spectacular place it is.
Watching the sun setting over the Aravali hills whilst sipping a cocktail in the bar really was an incredible experience. My only 'complaint' is that the rooms are pretty small (for something described as 'suites') but overall it's a superb hotel.
Unfortunately I happened to be rather ill for 26 hours of the stay which was a pity although at least I had a very nice environment in which to be ill!
I can't believe I almost didn't go back to Udaipur - I had completely forgotten what a spectacular place it is.
#27
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