[carboy]

[ Not driving ]

I am planning to take a vacation in Kanyakumari end of the month.
I think the nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram. Suggestions on how to get comfortably from Thiruvananthapuram to Kanyakumari. And hotel options in Kanyakumari - anybody has any ideas, let me know.
Budget is flexible. Nead a clean place.

Also what other places near Kanyakumari are worth visiting. Looking for both tourist attractions & also temples.

[hvkumar]

Kanyakumari is 85 kms from Trivandrum, which can take anywhere between 2-3 hours, being a congested traffic corridor.

You can take buses from Trivandrum, or a taxi (preferred).

Lots of hotels in KK to chose from.

Trip plan could be:
Trivandrum-Kanyakumari, keep aside half a day to visit the Vivekananda Rock, the Devi temple and the beach
Kanyakumari-Suchindram (big Shiva temple, with gigantic Hanuman)-Padmanabhapuram (Maharah of Travancore's old palace)-Kovalam-Trivandrum.

Ideally, if you arrive in TVM in the morning, you could drive direct to KK< stay overnight and return to TVM the next day, and depending on your return flight schedule stay that night in TVM or leave by evening flight.

[carboy]

Thanks for your reply.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Kanyakumari is 85 kms from Trivandrum, which can take anywhere between 2-3 hours, being a congested traffic corridor.

You can take buses from Trivandrum, or a taxi (preferred).

Where, how can I book taxis - can I easily get one on reaching there - how much will it cost?

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Lots of hotels in KK to chose from.

Should I book in advance - I am planning for during the Christmas, New Year time frame?

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Trip plan could be:
Trivandrum-Kanyakumari, keep aside half a day to visit the Vivekananda Rock, the Devi temple and the beach

All these are in Kanyakumari?

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Kanyakumari-Suchindram (big Shiva temple, with gigantic Hanuman)-

Distance between KK & Suchindram & how to get there?

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Padmanabhapuram (Maharah of Travancore's old palace)-Kovalam-Trivandrum.

What the rough distances involved -> Suchindram to Padmanabhapuram & Padmanabhapuram & Kovalam & Kovalam to Trivandrum.
And how get between each of these places?
Should I book a day taxi which would take me from each of these places &
get me back to Trivandrum?

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Ideally, if you arrive in TVM in the morning, you could drive direct to KK< stay overnight and return to TVM the next day, and depending on your return flight schedule stay that night in TVM or leave by evening flight.

Not in a hurry -overall I am ok with spending 3-6 days overall from either Bombay-Pune to back to Bombay-Pune. What's the best relaxed but not
boring itenary for these time frames?


Also are there any airports other than Trivandarum from which one could go to Kanyakumari.

[carboy]

Also thinking of one more thing.

I would fly from Pune to Chennai - spend a day or two in Chennai - fly from there to Trivandram. If I plan this what are good places to visit in Chennai (touristy places & temples).
And where is a good place to stay in Chennai considering this?

[csentil]

Touristy places in Chennai?

1. Marina Beach
2. Mahabalipuram (40 odd kms from Chennai) on the sea coast.
3. Triplicane Parthasarathy Temple
4. Mylapore Kapaleeshwarar Temple
5. Saravana Bhavan
6. Madras Crocodile Bank (on the way to Mahabs)

What's your budget for hotel stay?

[carboy]

Originally Posted by csentil

Touristy places in Chennai?

1. Marina Beach
2. Mahabalipuram (40 odd kms from Chennai) on the sea coast.
3. Triplicane Parthasarathy Temple
4. Mylapore Kapaleeshwarar Temple
5. Saravana Bhavan
6. Madras Crocodile Bank (on the way to Mahabs)

What's your budget for hotel stay?

I want it as cheap as possible - but my maximum of Rs. 4000.
Cleanliness & Hygiene of the hotel is the main criteria.
2nd criteria is location.

Also the cheapest flights arrive rather late in the night at Chennai - say 1:00 am etc. Will I get a decent hotel near enough to the hotel I come at this time & will there be safe transport from the airport?

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by carboy

Where, how can I book taxis - can I easily get one on reaching there - how much will it cost?

INDICA TAXI WOULD COST 6-7 PER KM AND A TAVERA 9-10. CAN HELP YOU LOCATE A SUITABLE TAXI OPERATION IN TVM - PLEASE PM ME

Should I book in advance - I am planning for during the Christmas, New Year time frame?

LOTS OF HOTELS IN KK, BUT YES, CONSIDERING THE HOLIDAY SEASON, MAYBE A GOOD IDEA TO DO THAT

All these are in Kanyakumari?

ALL THE 3 PLACES - VIVEKANANDA ROCK (A SMALL BOAT RIDE), GANDHI MANTAP, DEVI TEMPLE (ON THE BEACH) AND THE BEACH ITSELF, ALL IN TEH SAME 200 SQ.M!

Distance between KK & Suchindram & how to get there?

ON THE WAY TO TRIVANDRUM, 13 KMS FROM KK AND 5 KMS BEFORE THE NEXT LARGE TOWN NAGERCOIL. YOUR TAXI OPERATOR WILL KNOW HOW TO GET THERE, IT IS A POPULAR STOPOVER

What the rough distances involved -> Suchindram to Padmanabhapuram & Padmanabhapuram & Kovalam & Kovalam to Trivandrum.
And how get between each of these places?

PADMANABHAPURAM PALACE IS A SMALL 1 KM DETOUR OFF THE KK-NAGERCOIL-TVM HIGHWAY, TAXI GUYS WILL KNOW. KOVALAM CAN BE ACCESSED FROM THE SAME HIGHWAY, NEAR TVM, AROUND 10 KMS BEFORE TVM, YOU TAKE A LEFT TURN AND VISIT THE BEACH

Should I book a day taxi which would take me from each of these places &
get me back to Trivandrum?

HIRE A TAXI FROM TRIVANDRUM TO AND FRO

Not in a hurry -overall I am ok with spending 3-6 days overall from either Bombay-Pune to back to Bombay-Pune. What's the best relaxed but not
boring itenary for these time frames?


Also are there any airports other than Trivandarum from which one could go to Kanyakumari.

TVM IS THE CLOSEST AIRPORT. YOU CAN ALSO TAKE A TRAIN FROM TVM TO KK

[Iluvcars]

Originally Posted by carboy

What the rough distances involved -> Suchindram to Padmanabhapuram & Padmanabhapuram & Kovalam & Kovalam to Trivandrum.

If you're travelling by bus:
From Suchindram you got to come to Nagercoil (plenty of buses are available). From Nagercoil board any bus that goes to Thiruvananthapuram (TVPM) a.k.a Trivandrum and alight at Thuckalay. Thuckalay is around 17 KMs from Nagercoil enroute TVPM.
From Thuckalay, Padmanabhapuram is around 2 KMs but off the highway. Your best bet should be the omnipresent auto-rickshaw. I *guess* he'll charge you around Rs. 40 (yes for a 2 KM trip!). Padmanabhapuram palace will be closed to tourist on Mondays (but confirm that please).
On the other hand if you're travelling by car:
From Suchindram get on to NH-47 and drive to TVPM. Almost opposite to the police station in Thuckalay (which is on NH-47) you can see a small road (some call it SH!) to Padmanabhapuram. As I said, the palace is about 2 KMs from Thuckalay. The palace is inside a fort. You can't see the palace by the side of the road. So if you have gone past some 2 - 3 KMs (from Thuckalay) you've gone past the palace too.
I don't recommend any restaurants in Padmanabhapuram. Thuckalay has (rather had) a couple of 'OK' restaurants - veg and non-veg.

[carboy]

What about Rameshwaram - is that anywhere in the vicinity - can it be combined with a trip to Madras or Kanyakumari.

[hvkumar]

Rameswaram is too far off, cannot be combined with this trip.

[MileCruncher]

It was long time back but we had stayed at Vivekananda Ashram at KK. Clean place (well thats what it used to be). That time there used to be TN State Transport Superfast Night Service buses between KK and Rameswaram.

[starter]

Hi Carboy,
I am just back from a week long kanyakumari trip.
I stayed at hotel Sea view at Kanyakumari. It is a neat place. At present, the place is pretty crowded due to Shabarimala season. You can get a taxi for about 250 to 300 Rs to go to Suchindrum, Nagercoil and come back. You can do both of these in half a day. Once you are done with Kanyakumari, you can take a taxi to travel the rest of the places. I took a Tata Indigo for 4 days. I went to Rameshwaram, Dhanushkodi, Madurai, Kodai and back to Madurai. I paid 6000 Rs inclusive of everything. I stayed at Hill Top at Kodai. A very very good hotel. Let me know if there is anymore information you would need.
Cheers,
Deepak

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Taxi rates in Kerala are Rs. 6/- per running kilometer for non-a/c, and add between 1 to 2 Rs. per running KM for ac. (Usually Indica). They also insist on a minimum Rs. 100/- per hour of hiring.

Means, in 5 hours, you either drive 500/6 = 84 KM so that they get 100 Rs., per hour or you you pay them Rs. 500/-. Some operators charge 110 per hour. (no - if you drive 50 KM and wait for 5 hours, you still pay 500; not 500 + per km charge).

Distance will be charged on a "return to starting point" basis. Means full charge for a one way trip.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Rameswaram is too far off, cannot be combined with this trip.

Is it too far from Chennai, Trivandrum & KK?
What about the Church at Velankani -> is it near enough from any of these places? Upto 5-6 hours taxi from any of these places is OK?

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

It was long time back but we had stayed at Vivekananda Ashram at KK. Clean place (well thats what it used to be). That time there used to be TN State Transport Superfast Night Service buses between KK and Rameswaram.

How long does it take?

Originally Posted by starter

Hi Carboy,
I am just back from a week long kanyakumari trip.
I stayed at hotel Sea view at Kanyakumari. It is a neat place. At present, the place is pretty crowded due to Shabarimala season. You can get a taxi for about 250 to 300 Rs to go to Suchindrum, Nagercoil and come back. You can do both of these in half a day. Once you are done with Kanyakumari, you can take a taxi to travel the rest of the places. I took a Tata Indigo for 4 days. I went to Rameshwaram, Dhanushkodi, Madurai, Kodai and back to Madurai. I paid 6000 Rs inclusive of everything. I stayed at Hill Top at Kodai. A very very good hotel. Let me know if there is anymore information you would need.
Cheers,
Deepak

Tx, I'll PM You with more Questions if it's ok?

[hvkumar]

Rameswaram is approximately 300 kms from Trivandrum and 150 from Madurai. The direct road from KK to Rameswaram - a terrible road - is 350 kms. Velankanni is further north of Rameswaram and if you go via Madurai, it should be 500 kms from KK.