Kerala is one of the most popular travel destinations in South India. We have already summarized why this is rightly the case in our last article. In addition to the famous backwaters, the tea plantations near Munnar, Kerala also has a number of beautiful beaches where you can unwind.
One of these beaches, if not the most beautiful, is Marari Beach, which we would now like to tell you about in more detail.
How do you get to Marari Beach?
Marari Beach is located near Mararikulam on the west coast of India and is only about 40 km from Kochi Airport (also called Cochin) and only 15 km from Alleppey, the starting point of the backwaters tours.
The quickest and easiest way to get to Marari Beach from Cochin International Airport is by taxi. The journey takes about 1:15 hours and costs 3500 Rs (about 38€). You can easily book an air-conditioned taxi at the airport exit for a fixed price.
The Indian taxi driver was really nice. After we couldn’t find our resort straight away, he wanted to let us out until we found it. We wandered through the small alleys for half an hour until the nice taxi driver finally had to call our host. We definitely wouldn’t have found the accommodation, hidden in a backyard, without help.
The much cheaper, but also more complicated alternative is to take the train from Kochi to Mararikkulam and then take the tuk tuk to Marari Beach. For the thrifty among you: the trip only costs around 60 cents – for 2 people.
The beach: Marari Beach
After we arrived, we immediately put on lighter clothes and walked barefoot to the beach just a few meters away.
The pictures on the internet looked promising. However, it is often the case that the first images in the Google search result show the very best images. Usually edited and in an “ideal state” and perhaps even far from reality.
But this beach exceeded our expectations. Marari Beach is miles long and surrounded by palm trees. There is hardly anything going on the natural sandy beach during the day. Fortunately, there are no crowds of tourists, as is the case in Kovallam.
Brightly painted fishing boats lie on the beach and are the ideal photo subject. There are also a few small beach huts on the beach. But more on that below.
The beach was also totally clean. We were really surprised by that, because Shankar had told us something different about Goa.
Marari Beach was exactly what we were looking for for the first few days: a beautiful, natural beach, without a lot of hustle and bustle. Relax on the beach and spend a few days relaxing, winding down, reading a book and jumping into the sea every now and then.
Speaking of the sea: It has a strong surf and sometimes really strong waves. If you’re not careful, you’ll get really washed away.
Right on the beach you’ll also find loungers with parasols that locals rent out for around 100 Rs per day (1.20€). You definitely need a parasol, otherwise it won’t be long before you burn in the Indian sun.
In a bikini on the beach & sellers
As in other Asian or Arabic countries, locals don’t go to the beach or into the sea in swimwear. Since Indian men are often considered pushy, I thought I would write a few lines about this.
I never felt uncomfortable in a bikini, or was watched or even stared at. But maybe it was because Shankar was always by my side.
When I go for a walk on the beach or eat in a beach bar, I prefer to put something on. I just feel more comfortable that way.
And there are no vendors on the beach either.
In the evening on Marari Beach
In the evening, life gradually returns. People stream onto the beach from all corners: to eat, laugh, play and take selfies. There is a lot going on here in the evenings, especially at the weekend.
We absolutely love this kind of thing. We could sit on the beach for hours and watch people. Every now and then we even had to serve as a photo subject.
Oh, and the sunsets are just wonderful every evening.
Hotels and homestays on Marari Beach
In addition to numerous mid-range and luxury hotels, there are also some very nice homestays on Marari Beach. Such as the one run by Das and his wife Binci, where we spent 4 nights.
You can find the guesthouse here: Marari Das Beach Villa*
The simple homestay is just a few meters from the beach. It is relatively difficult to find from the main road because you first have to walk through a few backyards.
The homestay has a total of 3 rooms with their own shower. The rooms are spacious, very clean and have a comfortable bed. A fan is also available in the room. For the price of €35 for two people including breakfast, it is also an unbeatable price.
The food that Binci cooks was actually the best we had in South India. Very traditional South Indian cuisine is served here – so much that you usually couldn’t finish it all. Binci will cook for you at lunch or dinner if you wish. We can only recommend that you eat dinner in your homestay, because there is not much going on on the beach after sunset.
For breakfast, there are a few pieces of toast with jam, a shake, tea and a traditional Indian breakfast.
We can only recommend the Guesthouse Marari Das Beach Villa from the bottom of our hearts.
Beach bars & food
There are a few small beach huts on the beach where you can eat and drink something. We liked it best with Santhos and his wife, who are really super nice. You could even take a look into the small kitchen and watch them cook.
At lunchtime we had a vegetarian menu for 100 rupees and drank a Coke at sunset in the evening.
For a fruit shake, Santhos had to waddle home with the blender, because there is no electricity in the huts on the beach.
Santhos also organizes everything for you. From backwater tours to tuk tuk rides.
Conclusion
We can really only warmly recommend Marari Beach if you want to spend a few totally relaxing days. The beach is very clean, the people are incredibly nice and friendly. For me, the beach is definitely one of my favorite beaches in India.
