India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (150 page)

Another very pleasant dining venue is The Leela’s loungy beachside restaurant,
Tides
(
0471/248-0101;
noon–3pm and 7–10:30 or 11pm), which does a feisty selection of Malaysian, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Thai dishes, best appreciated under the stars in the alfresco section (there’s a covered option during the monsoon); in winter there’s also a great barbeque where you can choose from a selection of freshly caught seafood (fish Rs 1,500/kg, tiger prawns and lobster Rs 3,000/kg) dusted with mouthwatering organic lemon-butter; Rs 1,600 gets you a feast-sized seafood platter served with
naan
bread. Top it all off with chocolate samosas, or water chestnuts in coconut cream.

Note:
During the season, there’s entertainment most nights—try avoiding the live bands cranking out Western covers, but some nights there are Kerala martial arts displays or, better still, Indian classical music.

In & Around Kovalam Beach

Not as great on location as the Leela, but worth a mention is the
Taj Green Cove Resort
(
0471/248-7733;
www.tajhotels.com
), offering 59 rooms in a number of blocks set amid 4 hectares (10 acres) of tropically landscaped gardens on the Kovalam Cliffside (some 300m/984 ft. from the beach). Cottages have traditional Kerala-style thatched roofs and are hidden among palm trees—maintaining privacy from the outside, but still offering good views. Rooms aren’t as beautiful as the handsome open-plan lobby-lounge area promises, but they have large picture windows framing either the sea or garden views. Make sure to ask for a sea-view room—at Rs 14,000 a mere Rs 2,000 more than a standard garden view unit (but both much more expensive during the hectic period between Christmas and mid-Jan). Both of the Taj’s restaurants,
Jasmine Bay,
an alfresco space at the edge of the hotel’s popular infinity pool, and
Curries,
serve good food, but the place to dine (in season) will be at the new seafood restaurant on the beach. The resort also has a great-looking non-Ayurvedic Jiva spa, but it’s not nearly in the same league as the fabulous spa at The Leela Kempinski (reviewed below), nor as personal as the “light” Ayurvedic treatments on offer at Lagoona Davina (also below)

Lagoona Davina
Described as “barefoot chic,” this small, lagoon-facing property was converted into a laid-back boutique sanctuary by adventurer Davina Taylor Phillips over a decade ago. While the tourism boom has spawned encroaching development, the views of the lagoon and beach—where fishermen pull in nets every morning in a kind of synchronized dance—are still splendid. Rooms are small and bathrooms very basic, but there are lovely touches throughout, like hand-loomed linens, silk tented ceilings, a personally selected assortment of toiletries, and the caftans and camisoles Davina has made for you to live in while you’re here. Guests in the main “guest house” (a low-slung, single-story rectangular building facing the lagoon) and more spacious Maharaja rooms also enjoy the services of a personal room attendant; also available are the services of a tailor, and special floating dinners for two. It’s a place for yoga and meditative calm, although there’s now a “business suite” with a computer for anyone who finds it too scary to take a real break from the office. There’s also one fully tented room.
Note:
Although the beach is close by, it’s not good for swimming. Also, it’s eco-friendly, so no air-conditioning. And relaxation-friendly, so no children.

Pachalloor, Trivandrum 695 027.
0471/238-0049
or -4857. Fax 0471/246-2935.
www.lagoonadavina.com
. 18 units, all with shower only. Nov–Apr Rs 4,300 Rajasthan tents and cottage rooms, Rs 4,500 business suite, Rs 5,000–Rs 5,900 sea view double and Maharaja double; May–Oct Rs 2,500 Rajasthan tents and cottage rooms and business suites, Rs 2,800–Rs 3,200 sea view double and Maharaja double. Rates exclude 15% tax. MC, V. Surcharge on credit card payments. No children under 16.
Amenities:
Restaurant, small library w/indoor games; Ayurvedic massage; boating; cultural programs (seasonal); meditation; outdoor pool; tailor; yoga. In room: Internet (USB modem provided; 3 hr./day free).

The Leela Kempinski Kovalam Beach
If you’re looking for five-star resort-style amenities and snappy service, along with stunning views over the Lakshadweep Sea, this is the place to be. Like most Kovalam beach resorts, it is built into a cliff face, but to Leela’s advantage, the resort is well connected with the well-maintained beach, thanks to elevators and golf carts that traverse the hill between reception and sea (well suited to the infirm and lazy). The original hotel rooms—the “Beach View” category—are a little too like living in a large hotel, with low-ceilinged rooms ranged along corridors; also hotel like, but sumptuously so, are the much more luxuriously appointed rooms in the Sea View Club wing—views here are simply sensational, with little balconies perched virtually above the crashing water. We’ve always preferred the freestanding “Pavilion” bungalows right next to the beach; these are slated to be transformed into two-bedroom private pool villas—until then, they’re the best value.
Note:
The Leela’s Divya spa is arguably the best and most spectacularly situated spa in India—sign up for a muscle-tingling Kalari Massage, performed in an open-air room with ocean for a soundtrack, and ask for the version with two therapists.

Kovalam Beach, Thiruvananthapuram 695 527.
0471/248-0101.
Fax 0471/248-1522.
www.theleela.com
. [email protected]. 182 units. Oct–Apr 15 Rs 13,000 garden view pavilion double, Rs 15,000 beach view superior double, Rs 17,000 beach view deluxe double, Rs 24,000 Club double, Rs 35,000–Rs 65,000 suite; Apr 16–Sept Rs 11,000 garden view pavilion double, Rs 13,000 beach view superior double, Rs 15,000 beach view deluxe double, Rs 22,000 Club double, Rs 30,000–Rs 55,000 suite. Rates exclude 15% tax. Rates much higher Dec 23–Jan 3 when a 5-night minimum is enforced and extremely expensive gala dinners are compulsory. AE, MC, V.
Amenities:
3 restaurants, various lounges, 2 bars; airport transfers (Rs 1,200); badminton; bikes; children’s activities; club wing; concierge; cooking classes; cultural performances; golf (at Trivandrum Golf Club); 2 health clubs; jogging track; library; 3 pools; room service; snooker; Ayurvedic and wellness spa; table tennis; tennis court; yoga. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (Rs 150/hr.; Rs 750/12 hr.); butler service in club wing.