Haven't Been to these Five Indian Beaches? Pack those Sunshades Now!

Radhanagar Beach, Havelock Island

If there’s a sunset worth witnessing, it's at the Radhanagar Beach in the Andamans. This one tops my list of beaches to visit. The other one that’s equally good is the Jolly Buoy beach. Once rated as the best beach in Asia by Time magazine, Radhanagar Beach features a stretch of beautiful white sands and lovely blue waters. The beach, on the other side, merges into a lush green forest offering shade from a brightly shining sun. While one stretch of this beautiful beach offers enough reasons for you to take a plunge in its turquoise waters, there’s another stretch with coral reefs, perfect for some under-sea fun like snorkelling. I strongly recommend you stay here but if you have other plans, make sure to catch the last bus off the island to your resort or to your ferry port. I know for sure that you'll wait for the last bus. The sunsets at Radhanagar Beach are going to keep you glued to the beach till sundown.

Anjuna and Vagator, Goa

The sleepy laidback beach of Vagator, adjoining the bustling flea markets of Anjuna, offers the best of both worlds. You can practically shuffle your position from one to the other depending upon what you want – hanging out amid tourists from all across the world at Anjuna or sleeping out on the serene Vagator Beach, with just a lonely shack in sight.  I like my peace and my friends have pretty much grown out of their “long haired, long bearded, hippy-jewellery-clad” selves. So Vagator it was, for all of us. Dramatically red cliff with crystal blue waters, Vagator is divided into two zones; the one having all kinds of curio and trinket stalls - Big Vagator - and the one treating visitors to pure sand, sun and the coolness of the sea – Little Vagator. It’s a pleasure to be here. At last, there’s one place in the hippie-clad tourist-busted city of Goa that is not crowded.

On the other hand Anjuna is a mess. The cacophonous Wednesday flea market lasts from dawn till dusk and only adds to the noise. However still, if you haven’t yet grown out of the 70’s, the flea market offers great bargains on all kinds of hip jewellery and apparels.

Agatti Island Beach, Lakshadweep

​

Some of the most beautiful beaches of India can be found in Lakshadweep. You'll find more foreigners than Indians on the island that features pristine beaches, like Kadmat, Kavaratti, Kalpeni, and Bangaram - perfect for the ones who love solitude. The beaches of Agatti offer the best of everything. Bright sunny days, white palm-fringed sandy stretches, gushing waves shampooing the shores, and the best of water sports - it’s a heaven out there. To top it all, they aren’t as popular as the ones on the mainland. Expect peace and pure beauty. With scuba diving, deep sea fishing, waterskiing, kayaking and a host of other things to do, there's no way you can experience a single dull moment on the beach. The island also has some beautiful lagoons you'll love to spend a day at.

Kovalam, Kerala

Words can't describe the beauty of Kovalam beach, a beautiful stretch in Kerala where sand meets the sea, and the skies come together to play a riot of colours adding to the subtle magic. The evening witnesses the skies create pure magic as the sun paints everything orange while disappearing in a partly overcast sky. The beach is spread out on a 17 mile long stretch of land and is divided into three distinct areas. The Lighthouse beach is called so for it holds a 35-metre high lighthouse perched on the Kurumkal Hill. The beach is the most-developed of the three, with a few not-so-pushy snack vendors. You'll find most of the foreign crowd here. A 5-minute walk away from the Lighthouse is another beautiful stretch of sand called the Hawa Beach. This is probably one of those few beaches in India that used to tolerate topless sunbathing. It was well-appreciated more than tolerated, so to say, before the custom was banned. These two are the most popular. But not necessarily the best if its peace and aloneness you are looking for on your getaway. As I said, I love my peace and found the Samudra beach to be the most composed of them all – a tad dull though.

Mandarmani, Chennai

Mandarmani has lent a breath of fresh air to the lineup of crowded, “so popular you can never have a peaceful time alone” beaches of India. The beach is so wide that the gushing waves seem like splash of water dropped on the floor by a child. Sunsets at the beach are incredibly beautiful. It is fast gaining popularity and it wouldn’t be long before you have to find space to spread out your beach bed or take a stroll through the waves. It's that beautiful! A little ahead where the beach ends is a river delta. There is a fishing settlement nearby. The scenery is even more beautiful from here. I suggest you book a day’s stay at one of the resorts located in this region and experience the beach like is should be experienced.

Stay tuned as I’ll soon review some of the best international beaches and beach destinations I have visited.