With Kovalam opening its beaches to tourists since November, there has been a constant flow of visitors, especially during the weekends. The vendors who used to make a living selling beach umbrellas and chairs are finally getting back to business. Same goes for the boat owners, restaurants, and roadside shops.
The Kovalam tourist guide
About 18 kilometres from the State capital and 90 kilometres from Kanyakumari, you can see some of the most beautiful and clean beaches in Kerala. There are three beaches in Kovalam divided by rocky ledges - the lighthouse beach, Grow Beach and the Hawah beach.
The first obvious thing to do is venture into the beach. The Grow beach is said to be the most famous among the crescent beaches in Kovalam. At the lighthouse beach, it is recommended to go for a morning walk, which will also lead you to Hawah beach (which is a favourite of the foreign tourists) and then get a great view of the Arabian sea from the rock garden.
The second plan would be to try water sports - speed boat rides, accompany the fishermen to watch deep sea fishing and scuba diving (contact Bond Safari).
Other must do things include, visiting the top of lighthouse (ever since the attack on a tourist recently more police officials have been allotted) and getting a great view of the Arabian sea, exploring the Marine Research Aquarium and last but certainly not the least dig into a variety of seafood.
You have a great many number of hotels and resorts to choose from and can indulge in various ayurvedic massages.
Some of the other interesting places to visit while in Kovalam include, Vellayani Lake, Kovalam Art Gallery, Valiyathura Pier, Neyyar Dam, Aruvikkara Dam, Thiruvallam Parasurama Temple, and Vizhinjam Rock Cut Cave Temple.