Yes, you heard it right – a staycation at Kovalam Beach Chennai. No, I am not talking about the famous Kovalam beach of Kerala which we missed visiting on our road trip across Kerala last year. Nevertheless, recently I came to know there is one more Kovalam Beach near Chennai. Maybe it misses the dramatic facade of the half rocky and half sandy Kovalam beach of Kerala. But what more than makes up for that is the fact that it is a blue flag beach. Which means it is one of the cleanest beaches of India. And also very well equipped with basic amenities, just like the Eden Beach in Pondicherry. That we had visited last year on our trip to Pondicherry last year.
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Bangalore to Kovalam Beach Chennai
Bangalore to Chennai via Hosur
Usually we drive from Bangalore via Krishnagiri. The route that we have taken on all our previous trips to this side, partially or fully, including the couple of times we have visited Kodaikanal, our trip early this year to Dhanushkodi and Rameshwaram, several trips to Madurai including one that covered Chettinad and Thanjavur, on our Kerala road trip as well as on our road trip to Pondicherry last year has been this one :
Bangalore -> Hosur -> Krishnagiri -> Chennai Highway -> Vellore -> Chennai -> ECR Road
Breakfast & lunch options on Krishnagiri Route
There are plenty of breakfast options on this route via Hosur. We usually start early whenever we take this route. To beat the city traffic as soon as possible. And then stop at Krishnagiri for breakfast. There is a big joint here with several food outlets including a south Indian joint where we stop for Idlis and Dosa. A MacDonalds, a cafe coffee day and some refreshment shops. There is another food court a little further that we tried on our Kerala trip last year. Even that had several food options.
For lunch, we usually don’t stop on the way when driving to Chennai or on our previous trip to Mahabalipuram. Since, we reach our destination by 1-2pm. So, mostly we end up having lunch at our destination. While returning back to Bangalore, we always find it a struggle to find good lunch places on the way. If you know of any, plz do suggest.
Conditions of highway on Krishnagiri Route
This route is very good for most parts. But we live in east Bangalore. Which means, it takes a lot of time for us to reach Hosur itself, crossing all the city traffic. And also, while returning, most of the time, there is a huge queue at the toll at Hosur. In fact, when we were returning from our week long Kerala trip itinerary last year, it took more than an hour to cross just the Hosur toll. Imagine the amount of traffic that must be building up on this route.
Bangalore to Chennai via Hoskote and Kolar
Off late, google maps was suggesting us an alternate route :
Bangalore -> Hoskote -> Kolar -> Chittoor -> Vellore -> Chennai -> ECR Road
Although we had little hesitation trying this route in the past. Since we didn’t know much about the road conditions on this route and the overall highway quality. But, finally on our recent trip to Kovalam Beach Chennai we decided to give this route a shot. Since, it is so close to where we live, we didn’t have to cross the city at all. Within 20 minutes of starting from our home, we were on the Hoskote – Kolar highway, which is in excellent condition.
Breakfast and lunch options on the Hoskote Kolar Road
Years back when we did a day trip to Kolar and Avani, we really struggled for food. There were hardly any proper food joints. Fast forward to now and the whole stretch from Bangalore till Avani is full of food joints of all types. So there is no dreath of place for breakfast on this route. We stopped at this food court for our breakfast. It has several joints selling all kind of food under one roof. So, it must be turning into a very vibrant place as the day progresses.
However, we stopped here very early in the morning. And only one joint was open. But it was sufficient for us. As we decided to stick to our usual breakfast ritual on the roads – idlis and dosas. Which were available, and very yummy.
For lunch, we were not sure of the options on the way. Since, we were taking this route from Bangalore to Chennai via Hoskote and Kolar for the first time. So, we had packed our own lunch from home. However, we did reach our resort by 1:00pm. So, from next time onwards, we won’t have to worry about lunch that much on this route. And on our way back, we stopped at a cafe coffee day near Chittoor. Although we could see many different small food joints on this route.
Conditions of highway on Kolar Route
To be honest, the highway on the route from Bangalore to Chennai via Kolar is much better than what I had expected. We already knew that we are going to encounter excellent 6 lane highway till Avani. Since we are a regular on this route for small city breaks from Bangalore. However, even after Avani, as we enter Andhra Pradesh, the route continues to be 4 lane highway for most part, and in good condition. Only after Chittoor , there is an undivided stretch of around 40-50km that might slow you down a bit. But again, can’t complain of the road conditions as it’s excellent.
Then as you enter Tamil Nadu, again you get 4 lane divided highway. The Bangalore – Chennai expressway work is also in progress on this route. Last year when we had visited Radisson Blu Mahabalipuram for a staycation, we had a bad experience on this stretch with several diversions. Also, this time around, from here on, we were partially on the expressway and partially on the diversion.But it was a lot better compared to last time. But nevertheless, we reached our resort in time. By the way, once this expressway work completes, one can cover the distance from Bangalore to Chennai in a mere 4 hours!! How cool would that be! I am waiting for the expressway work to complete ASAP. Then it will be definitely one of the best road trips around Bangalore to take. And also one of the best in India.
Facilities on Kovalam Beach
We reached the Kovalam Beach near Chennai by 1:00pm. To be honest, it was way too hot at this point of time to stay outside. So, we checked-in into our resort. Had our lunch and waited for the sun to show some mercy. Then around 5:30pm after the high tea at the resort, we headed for the beach. The Kovalam Beach near Chennai is a blue flag beach – one of the cleanest and most well maintained beaches of India. In summary below are the facilities present on this beach –
- Restrooms
- Changing Rooms
- Watch Tower
- Kids Play Area with swings and slides etc.
- Boating – usually the local fishermen will be more than happy to take you on a boating trip in the ocean
- Fishing – you can help the local fishermen in their fishing endeavours and learn the art
Just like Eden Beach – the first blue flag beach we visited in India last year on our 4 days trip to Pondicherry, the Kovalam Beach near Chennai is also neat and clean. With a very clean beach. And with all the facilities, the kids enjoy it even more. In fact, the next day morning, when I was on a morning walk, I could see people coming to the beach and kids enjoying the park as early as 6:30am in the morning!! However, the waves here are not as gentle as the ones near the Eden Beach. Or, it could also be because we visited here on a full moon day. When the tides are anyways expected to be stronger than usual. Nevertheless, the beach definitely calls for a quick and nice staycation.
Resorts near Kovalam Beach Chennai
There are several resorts in this stretch of ECR road. Last year, we had an excellent stay at Radisson Blu Temple Bay Mahabalipuram. Which is very near to the town of Mahabalipuram. If you are interested to explore places in Mahabalipuram, you should definitely stay here once. However, this one is not very near to Kovalam Beach.
This time around, we stayed at Taj Fisherman’s Cove Chennai. Which is right on the Kovalam Beach. Being a Taj Property, it definitely has a lot of greenery, recreational activities and a great spread of food. And also, it has a slice of beach that the resort calls as it’s own “private beach” where the crowd was much less than the adjacent Kovalam Beach. However, I must say, my experience was not as great as it had been in Radisson Blu. The temperatures were high outside and inspite of that, our room was not ready until 2 hours beyond the checkin time. Service wise, everything was delayed including the in room dining. However, staff were very courteous. So, overall not a bad experience, but not one that you would expect when staying in a Taj property whose hospitality is world known.
I will brief you more on my stay in another post. There are some other properties around as well which you can enjoy near Kovalam Beach. Some of these include :
Intercontinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort
Use this link from our partner website booking.com to book a stay when you travel to this area (most of the hotels on Chennai – OMR road are listed under Mahabalipuram). If you book with them, we will earn a small commission with no additional cost to you. Thank you for considering it !!
Best time to visit Kovalam Beach near Chennai
Although everyone says that the best time to visit the Kovalam Beach near Chennai or even Pondicherry or Mahabalipuram is the winter season from November till February. But as per my experience since past few years, I will say that the monsoons season is rather better. December and January are usually hot. And also, cyclones have become a common affair during this time. While in the monsoon season, when it is clouded the temperature also drops to bearable levels. And overall it is really pleasant. Overall, this season is still considered an off season for this region. So, you are likely to get good hotels at very good deal.
Other resources related to the Chennai – Mahabalipuram – Pondicherry region
We have done quiet a few trips in this region over the past years. Although many combine visiting Chennai – Mahabalipuram – Pondicherry together. We could not do it anytime. However, we have more than compensated for that. By exploring each one of these areas thoroughly. Here’s some links to our previous blog posts that will be helpful to you in case you are planning a trip to one or all of these places :
An armchair tour of Auroville Pondicherry
Must try cute cafes of Pondicherry
Eden Beach – the blue flag beach of Pondicherry
A free walking tour of the white town in Pondicherry
The five top beaches of Pondicherry
Our 4 days Pondicherry trip itinerary
Things to do on a trip to Mahabalipuram
India Sea Shell Museum Mahabalipuram
Maritime Heritage Museum Mahabalipuram
Lighthouse Heritage Museum Mahabalipuram
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