Kovalam is Kerala's most famous beach, just 16 km south of Thiruvananthapuram. Thirty years ago it was a hippy idyll: a picture-perfect crescent of sand, a fishing village providing fresh fish, fruit and toddy. Today it is heavily developed and commercialised, but it has managed, against the odds, to retain some of the charm that made it popular in the first place.
The beach is divided into three sections by rocky promontories. The southernmost Lighthouse Beach is the most popular, with a long stretch of sand, restaurants and shops climbing the cliff behind it. Hawah Beach in the middle is where the fishing boats still launch in the early morning. The northern Samudra Beach is quieter and more laid-back.
Swimming is good here. The water is warm, the waves are manageable, and you can walk a fair distance from shore without losing your footing. Ayurvedic massage centres are everywhere, and the seafood at the cliffside restaurants is excellent, especially the grilled lobster and king prawns brought in fresh from the boats.
The Vizhinjam fishing village immediately to the south is where the working life behind the tourist scene happens — it is one of the oldest fishing communities on this coast, with an 8th-century rock temple that most visitors miss. The Halcyon Castle on the northern headland, built in 1932 as a Maharaja's seaside retreat, is the most architecturally interesting pre-tourism building in the area.
Kovalam gets crowded in season. If you want a quieter beach experience, consider Varkala to the north instead.