2 Nights and 3 days in Mararikulam/ Allepey with a Toddler.

Back with a blog of a vacation I had taken some 2 years ago, This was a part of a 10 day road trip we took across towns of Tamil Nadu and Kerala starting from Chennai and back to Chennai, These 2 nights and 3 days in Mararikulam of Allapuzha district is a part of the vacation and a memory that still sticks with me.

If you ask me about Kerala on the whole its a very child friendly vacation spot, This state has an exotic combination of mountains, beaches and backwaters with greenery as far as the eye can see. Well afterall there is a reason this is called gods own country.

During this roadtrip of ours we covered Guruvayoor, Athirapilly, Kochi and Allapuzha. Allapuzha and Kumarakom in Kerala are two towns situated on the backwaters of the Arrabian sea by the banks of the Vembanad lake. Though once a source of drinking water for the people of these towns our boat man was pretty sad to let us know that these waters are not potable anymore, thanks to extreme commercialization and too much of tourism. Having said that no amount of tourism has been able to dull the charm of this town.

Where to stay:

On our vacation there we stayed in the Azure tides Marari resort in a beautiful beach front room. With their own private beach with prestine white sand and blue waters. This

worked out best for as we were with a 1.5 year old toddler who would just not sit still or keep quite. We also got the best of both a beautiful beach and the soothing backwaters in a single visit.

Its pretty easy to hire a shikara boat and explore the backwaters for a couple of hours in the afternoon or evening when the climate also cools down for a bit.

While staying in a houseboat still remains the most popular option in Allapey they are so many choices out there right from budget hotels in the middle of the town to resorts on the banks of the backwaters and some amazing beach resorts where the lake meets the ocean.

Their Private beach is so clean and secluded and yet so safe!!

Our Shikara boat ride:

Post breakfast on our day 2 in Marari we headed to the Allepey town to start exploring the back waters by a Shikara boat, We got a contact of a person from our resort itself and decided to go ahead with him. A boat which can comfortably fit in about 4 to 5 adults would cost you about Rs 3000 for around 2 hours, For a small extra fee they would also be happy to take you around for longer, stop by for some yummy meals or snacks and show you some hidden gems. As expected Dhriti was not impressed with the boat ride and was ready to jump out of the boat if we did not give her a phone, so she basically spent all the time binging on cocomelon while we explored the stunning backwaters and the life around.

In popular culture:

Allepey has been the location for a host of Indian movies and songs while the song Jia Jale from Dil se and the Tamil Movie Vinnaithandi Varuvaya tops the list for me. I really cant hep but imagine being Jessy from VTV, This region is also home to the famouse snake boat rate conducted annually around the time of Onam festival in Kerala , Started after Pandit Jawarlal Nehru once visited this region and showed very keen interest in these snake boats, These are huge boats which are rowed by several men sitting one behind the other on the Punnamada lake in this region, The winner everyyear gets a silver trophy designed just like the snake boats, This also happens to be one of the most popular tourist draws to this region every year.

Best time to visit:

If you want to visit the beaches and back waters, october to February is the best time as the cllimate is warm and mild with occasional rains and bearable temperature. The mountains of Kerala are also pretty decent during this time of the year as it does not get too cold and gives you ample opportinity to spend outdoors. The months of March to June form the peak summer and gets pretty hot and humid in the coastal regions and backwaters but are a little less crowded and you can try visitng if you do not mind the heat. Its best to avoid visiting any part of Kerala during the months of June to October and its the peak of monsoon and remains predominantly wet, washing out pretty much all your sightseeing plans.

How to get there:

Allepey is easily accesible from most of the major cities in Kerala with kochi being the closest airport and Allepey has its own railway station too but the drive by road from Kochi to Allepey or Trivandrum to Allepey is both scenice and easily doable.

This pretty much sums up Allepey a charming backwater destination which is a must add to your Kerala vacation or just as a quick get away for the weekend. Who would not want to set sail on a slow boat ride across the backwaters as they observe life moving on on its either side dotted with small houses and restaurants and shops as well. Imagine living in one of these houses and getting on a boat to the mainland every single time you want to get some thing or run some errands.