Review: Soul & Surf Yoga Retreat, Varkala, India

You should go to munnar and thekkady in India. There's lots of tea plantations and wildlife

Maybe they're affordable by Europe/US standards, but both the rooms and the activities are exorbinant for India. I guess you're paying to have your hand held, though...

I know you might find it cheap, but we one can do a Varkala vacation in about 75 USD with of course, private rooms (no-AC), decent food, drinks, bike rental etc.

This used to be a really isolated holiday spot, accessible only by chopper ( hope you noticed the helipad at the entrance) and now its finally picking up. Good for traveler and the economy. Glad you enjoyed!

£116 per night for an air con beach room in India is considered good value?! Isnt India one of the cheapest countries in the world?!

Daniel - great report and really enjoyed reading about your activities.

This is very refreshing to read a travel review that actually involves local activities, interaction with local people, etc. - as opposed to reading a review of a flight, a reserved transportation to a hotel, a meal at the hotel or in the hotel room, and then a reserved transportation back to the airport - all without stepping foot outside the airport or hotel!!

@Ben I think Daniel is comparing it with world standards. It's obviously not.

Nice review. Though those prices seem very steep. You can get better for far less...especially in a place like Thiruvananthapuram.

@Ben - not really. Maintaining a standard of living and lifestyle similar to one in the US for a middle class family in the big Indian cities is more difficult. Real-estate, vehicle costs, fuel costs, electricity/water, etc. are more expensive than almost every location where I have lived within the US. The cost of food and produce are increasing exorbitantly daily as well (Costco in the US is cheaper to shop at). This is based on living in New Delhi (Gurgaon) between 2009 and 2012 and having a wife of Indian origin. In addition, sales and income taxes are high.

Yes - you can seek cheaper versions but it's not always at your doorstep if you live in a middle-to-upper class society.

@ Daniel - definitely visit Rajasthan in the winter. It's my favorite state in India.

wow! I am living in Bangalore. Welcome to India. It's great to see different thing from this blog. Very exciting.

Southern India is so gorgeous. I tell poeopke it looks like the South Pacific and they can't believe it. Most tourists stay up north in the Golden Triangle or venture down to Mumbai, but few experience Kerala, which is a real shame.

This just makes me crave to return again. So glad I opted for the 10 year visa.

Wtf dude you got completely ripped off oh my f*cking god as an Indian i am so shocked to see the prices you mentioned and on top of that to state that they are "affordable" oh my god my blood pressure is rising!

@Donald @Kent - are they still issuing the 10 year visas for all OECD citizens? I am planning spending 6 months in India in 2018, and plan like to return regularly after that. Last time I visited was in 2015 and was not offered the choice of 10 years.

Oh c'mon, Daniel, it's South India! Coffee and tea in the heat is part of the experience! 🙂

I should point out that those prices, especially the activities, are actually quite high by Indian standards. You can get an hour long Ayurvedic massage in Kerala for $5-10. Even the Grand Hyatt in Goa is only about $160 a night. If you're planning on visiting India again, I'd suggest either going through a local Indian travel agent, or just booking direct, rather than through a foreign travel agency. You'll get a much better price.

@Kent Miller - New Delhi and Mumbai aren't particularly representative of the rest of the country, especially South India. I lived in Hyderabad about the same time you lived in Delhi, and enjoyed buying a bag of tomatoes for about 10 cents. A place like Varkala is likely even cheaper.

Haha how funny to be reading this today...I was just in Varkala last weekend!! (I am studying abroad in Kochi)
And yes, as everyone else has already pointed out, that place is extremely overpriced. I stayed at lovely, lovely little hotel called Keratheeram on the south end of the cliffs and for two of us it was 800 rupees a night. If I am reading that menu correctly - (it is listed in euros? Why?) a room for two people (WITHOUT A/C!!) is around 5000 rupees/night. That's just crazy. $25 usd for an hour ride is also ridiculous. You could have taken an uber for about 500 rupees (~$8usd) And an Ayurvedic massage is usually around 1000-1500 rupees. Anyway you didn't feel ripped off and you enjoyed your stay which is all that matters...I absolutely loved varkala, will definitely be going back 🙂

Thought I was on Hippie-in-Heels' blog, imagine my surprise when I clicked through to onemileatatime!

More on south India, please!

@MeanMeosh - Completely agree with you. It depends on what the expectations are. Just like any resort-type accommodation, prices will be high, especially when frequented by non-locals. My impression of India was that one can get anything if they can afford it, just like any other destination (i.e. ultra-high luxury properties like Oberois to the wonderful and affordable home-stays with a local family). My only point is that things are not as cheap as one may expect.

On a different note, glad to see a post here on South India. Kerala is beautiful and easy to navigate through.

The place looks far too expensive based on the photos. But then, when you have a place pricing in pounds you know they are pricing it for the Brit tourist!

Great photos and writeup! India is great. I would love to see more subcontinent content on OMAAT.

However, as others have said, those prices are very expensive. Especially in low season.

Daniel! I was so excited to see this report. I spent a week at Soul & Surf's outpost in Sri Lanka and it was certainly the best vacation of my long life. I have to say that, based on your photos, the Sri Lanka S&S is more upscale than the India property.

@Lauren don't you know the difference between the Euro € and the Pound £ ??????!!! Good grief.

Ben huney...need to act a little less arrogant.

@evan never heard of either of them.

The $ is the admiration of the whole world I believe.

@Lauren - Daniel has got dual citizenship, Swedish and American (after his dad, the US one). Maybe he was using his european passport for this trip. This may explain the menu in Euros 😉

Anyway. Disregarding the prices, I really enjoyed the review.

Don't take me wrong, I still love reading Lucky's reviews, updates... But also find it refreshing to read other bloggers/contributors travel experiences, with their different travel goals (Travis and his family, Daniel the always young guy, Tiffany-the lady on here, etc.)

Wow, what an awesome review, I am now considering going here. Seems like a nice relaxing retreat & very reasonably priced. Thanks Lucky!!! 🙂