I have a mild case of tonsillitis this week. That, coupled with the incredibly strong antibiotics the doctor gave me, has left me feeling a little under the weather. So, in all of this down time I have now and I keep mentioning them, I thought I would finally make a post about the Andaman Islands, where we honeymooned.
The Andaman Islands are known mostly for their diving and snorkeling excursions, but it’s also a good place to simply relax. We spent most of our time on Havelock Island. Havelock is about 2.5 hours away by ferry from the capital, Port Blair. We were on Havelock for five nights and Port Blair for two. We didn’t do too much in Port Blair – I was violently ill the first night there and the second night we had decided to just relax at our resort. In short – we had all of our fun at Havelock. Here are some of the best parts (if you haven’t already seen these photos on my Facebook):
The mangrove cruise, where we kayaked through the sea and estuaries to get the low-down on mangroves, was the favorite part of our trip. We dragged ourselves out of bed at 5:30 am, put our upper bodies through a strenuous workout, and loved every second of it. I am serious on the workout part. Even Zac, who is the buffest person I know, had to say a few times, “I need a break. Can you handle it for a couple minutes?” Looking back, I realize, with humor, that the whole kayaking thing is also a good test for newlyweds. You have to be communicating and working together in order for the kayak to move in the right direction. However, at one point, our kayak was just not moving the right way no matter how hard we tried to turn it, and we floated right under some thick mangrove branches. Aside from having to lie down in the kayak, I had my hat and sunglasses knocked off and Zac sustained a few scrapes. The rest of our cruise was peaceful; the water was so calm and quiet, even the sea was quiet that early in the morning. An added bonus to the cruise – we saw a brown-winged kingfisher, which is one of the rarest birds to see (no pics of it though).
Aside from kayaking, we didn’t do much activity, just walked around the different shops and ate a lot of grilled fish.
I also fed a stray kitty when we were at Swapan’s.
Speaking of strays, I have to mention there is a stark difference between the two sides of the island where we stayed. One side is definitely the “budget” side and the other is a “you’ve got money” side. The budget side is normally where the backpacker divers stay, and the beaches have a lot of stray animals running around. This side of the island also has an extreme low-tide (thanks to the 2004 tsunami) from early afternoon until nighttime. There is more action on the budget side however. The two biggest villages are within walking distance from almost all the resorts. We stayed at two resorts on this side, Island Vinnie’s and Eco Villa Palm Beach Resort, with the latter being our favorite.
We had to break up our two nights at Eco Villa with a night spent at Barefoot at Havelock Jungle Resort, arguably the best resort on the island and for good reason. This resort is only a couple minute’s walk to the Best Beach in Asia – Radhanagar Beach. There are no stray animals on this side of the island (I wish to remain blissfully ignorant of how they keep it that way), and it is soooo clean. At Barefoot, we booked the nicest room they have – the Nicobari Villa, of which they only have one.
While we were at Barefoot, we also received our glorious three-day Ayurvedic massages in two days. One of mine included something called “Chocolate Therapy,” and it’s exactly what it sounds like. They slather you from face to feet in a chocolate pack (after the massage), and it was so refreshing. I smelled delicious.
In between our massages, we went to Radhanagar Beach and got in the water for a little while. And by “got in the water” I mean, Zac went up to his knees, and I went as far as I could before my fear of sharks kicked in.
Also, in between massages, we ate at Barefoot’s restaurant, which was the best overall. The restaurant itself was open air (like most of the eateries on the island) and it had cushions to sit on instead of chairs.
Overall, Barefoot was our favorite, and I would recommend it to anyone who is going to Havelock strictly for relaxation. If you’re not going to do any hardcore diving or snorkeling, don’t waste your time with any of the other places, spend the extra money and stay at Barefoot. It’s worth it. Another suggestion – if you’re planning on having any interaction with Rajan the elephant at Barefoot, book that waaayyy ahead of time.
Here’s a few more of my favorite pics from our honeymoon.
I have already planned our next trip which will happen in December – the Himalayas and a few other parts of North India. But I’ll try not to post about that until we actually book it. 🙂
An American in Kerala 