Varkala

Insider’s
Guide
 tents
1. Introduction 2

2. Raff & Hayley

GG Tailors 3
Velliyazhchakavu Toddy Shop 4
Palm Tree Heritage 5
Con— 3. Rakhul
Dwaraka

4. Ram
6

The Juice Shop 7

Ponmudi Hill Station 8

5. Amith
Om Luna Azul Cafe 9

6. Anu
Villa Maya, Trivandrum 10

7. Jithu
River Temple 11

8. Sujith
Janardhanaswamy Temple 12

9. Praveen
Edava 13

10. Akhil
Ustad Hotel & Afzal Hotel 14

11. Ed & Sofie

Fort Cochin 15
Alcohol Shop 16

12. Adam & Rach

Jengo’s 17
Kollam-ish 18
Egg Puff 18
Papanasam Beach 19
Benny’s 20

13. Tara
All the Sweets 21

1
1. Introduction

This is Soul & Surf’s take on a local be experiencing something real. And
area guide. A real insider’s guide to our that’s why we all travel, right?
Varkala.
So here is our version of the Lonely
We don’t want or need to add to the Planet for you. Anecdotes, tips and a
noise and give you another Lonely peek into a life less ordinary.
Planet-style tourist guide. You can look
that up anywhere. This guide won’t
necessarily tell you about the best,
flashiest restaurants, or where to go
to get the best sunset (although those
things are obviously brilliant and you
should do those things too).

This is straight from the mouths of the

people that actually live here, work here,
have spent a lot of time here. It’s where
the staff run away to when they have
a day off, or when we finish up for the
season and give ourselves a little treat.
Where the local kids go to eat the best
dosas. Where we spend our time when
we are in these places. Most of this stuff
is close to home – the everyday that we
take for granted in these special corners
of the world.

And it’s the little gems we’ve found

and assimilated over the years that are
away from the tourists, off the beaten
path. These special spots sometimes
won’t have the best decor, wifi or the
best service (or any service at all). You
may not be able to find them easily, the
people that work there may not speak
English to you, you might get lost,
you might get something completely
different to what you ordered. But you’ll

2
2. Raff & Hayley

Raff is Soul & Surf Kerala’s boss, who now splits his time between Varkala and Sri Lanka. He
is also the boss of the Sri Lanka hotel, phew. Busy guy. He is married to Hayley and they have
a dog called Kumi, who stayed in Varkala to look after the place. Hayley is an amazing yoga
sprite who taught for five years in Kerala before moving to Lanka with Raff.

Raff

GG Tailors
A lot of people ask me where I get my
shirts from. Well, I’m going to let you in
on a little secret. Love a shirt or a dress?
Want another one tailor-made for a
fraction of the price you would spend on
Saville Row? GG’s your man.

I like to give them a sample and then

pick a fabric I like to get something
made up for myself. Shorts and shirts are
his speciality. You can find them at the
Black Beach end of Varkala’s North Cliff.

3
Velliyazhchakavu Toddy Shop
Literally translates to ‘Friday Temple
Toddy Shop’ – honestly this is one of
my favourite places to recommend and
something that is so off the beaten track
that it took me about three years of
living in Varkala to discover it.

And I only found out about it because

my friend’s uncle’s brother-in-law in
some tiny village outside of Trivandrum
accidentally let the secret out. I love
taking the whole India team here for the
occasional treat of spicy Keralan curries
that you probably won’t see on menus in
regular restaurants.

The jungle fowl and duck roast curries

are my favourite. Also, you can’t not
mention the eponymous Kerala Toddy
when you talk about these hidden
places. Locally brewed, fresh coconut
wine that is tapped fresh in the morning
and left to ferment for a few hours in an
earthen pot. I’ve heard the toddy tapper
has to climb up the tree and tap the bark
exactly 108 times to get the best toddy.
Not for the faint of heart but for some
reason (I wonder why) it always seems
to put a smile on my face... I usually
“I usually
can’t count to 108 after an afternoon at
the toddy shop.
can’t count
to 108 after
an afternoon
at the toddy
shop.”
4
Hayley

Palm Tree Heritage, Odayam Beach

I’ll only tell you about this spot if you
promise not to tell anyone else, okay?

I lived in Varkala for nearly 5 years and

this place became my little holiday nook
once a week if I could wangle it that
much. Hardly anyone knows about this
tiny little beach as it’s between two of
the more popular beaches in the area, so
nobody really goes there. Which to my
delight often felt like it was my own slice
of paradise.

There are a couple of hotels set up there

but Palm Tree Heritage is my favourite.
I’d recommend going early afternoon,
having some lunch and swinging in a
hammock until sunset with a good book
– and boy, does sunset deliver!

“Which to my
delight often
felt like it was
my own slice
of paradise.”
5
3. Rakhul

Rakhul started working in the kitchen cafe at Soul & Surf, and it soon became apparent
that we really, really needed him to be customer-facing. If you are ever lucky enough to meet
Rakhul, ask him if he will do an impression of you.

Dwaraka
A Malayali cannot live without beef fry.
Wherever I go, the first thing I always
check: where I can get that traditional
South Indian combo – (nadan) parotta
and beef fry.

So I found this restaurant with help from

some other parotta lovers – it’s Dwarka
Restaurant, towards Mission Hospital
in Varkala town. It still makes me laugh
- when I went there, first time ever, I
took my seat waiting for someone who
can take my order. Suddenly someone
comes over, looks at me and shouts at
me, “Parotta and beef fry!” (He could
even see from my eyes why I was there.)

I’ve known these dishes for more than

25 years I reckon, but I’m always excited
everytime when I go in the restaurant.
If you’re in Varkala I can highly
recommend beef pieces, cooked in fresh
ground spices and sauteed with onions,
chillies and coconut. I’m sure you won’t “He could even
be disappointed with this awesome
combo – parotta beef fry! see from my
eyes why I was
there.”
6
4. Ram

Ram has worked with us since he was a young boy and made his way up from waiting tables
to being the manager of our cafe. He’s got the biggest smile you’ll see and it gets even bigger
when he’s riding his motorcycle around Varkala.

The juice place near the railway

station in Varkala town
Whenever I need a break I go to this
juice place. The reason for that is
because the juice maker presents his
juices so well, and the bang for the buck
is usually good here.

“The juice
place near the
railway station
in Varkala
town”
7
Ponmudi Hill Station
I also like riding my bike very much.
Sometimes when I feel like it I make my
way to Ponmudi which is a hill station
nearby.

Once I was stopped by a forest ranger

because there was a herd of wild
elephants up ahead (although I wasn’t
lucky enough to see any of them). When
I go there I usually like to also visit
Meenmutty, which is a waterfall.

“The ride is of
course really
beautiful, but
we also see
many different
kind of birds
and animal
species.”
8
5. Amith

Amith’s family is from Kerala but he’s lived his whole life in Bombay, until he left it behind to
come work at Soul & Surf. Probably one of the nicest people in the world. Of course we would
say that. The one thing you will never forget after you’ve met him is his infectious laughter.

Om Luna Azul Cafe

It’s a house that’s converted into a
restaurant and is run by this lovely
couple. The lady always has a smile
on her face and is uniquely from both
Mumbai and Varkala. Their appams in
the morning are my favourite.

Just sitting there with a glass of chai

makes you feel like you were right at
home. Their food is exquisite and it’s my
favourite restaurant in Varkala.

“Just sitting
there with a
glass of chai
makes you feel
like you were
right at home.”
9
6. Anu

Anu has always been the man in the kitchen for Soul & Surf and has worked alongside Sofie
and our guest chefs to come up with the Soul Food menu. He’s grown so much over the years as
a chef and now it makes us really proud that he hosts his own special culinary pop-up events
for a lucky few diners on a regular basis.

Villa Maya, Trivandrum

Being a chef myself I’ve always

appreciated when I come across new
ideas. For me one of the best meals you
can get in the South of Kerala is at Villa
Maya.

Their grilled Yellowfin Tuna and stuffed

crab in a shell are some examples of
their creativity on show. And you’ve got
to try the Meen Kodambuli which is a
crowd favourite.

The ambience there is pretty great too.

It’s an old building which is kept really
well, and from the outside it looks like a
castle. The sounds of traditional music
playing through the speakers nicely
dovetails against the soothing sounds of
flowing water that you hear around the
restaurant.

I was buzzing once I came out as I had

all of this energy in me to go back and
start experimenting with food for my
own satisfaction.

10
7. Jithu

One of the three Varkala OGs aka The Boys, Jithu started hanging out at Soul & Surf after
our Sunday kids surf club. He took to surfing so quickly and loved it so much that we mutually
knew he should join the team as soon as he graduated from university. With that warm
welcoming smile and those ridiculously good skills in the water, he definitely embodies our
idea of what surfing should be... fun.

River Temple
I very much like surfing at the local point
break (Edava) – although nothing quite
matches the experience of surfing with
a couple of friends at this river mouth.
Plush with marine life, the beauty that
surrounds you is magnificent. This
was the place where I caught my first
right hander barrel and one of my first
instructors Adam was right in front of me
when I did. It was a sick experience.

Adam and Rachel are instructors from the

UK who taught me and my two brothers
how to surf, and they would once in a
while take us to this spot to surf with
us and it was one of the best feelings.
One such time when we were all surfing
together, the sunset was just so good that
we all were left in awe. I wait for the spot
to start working every year.

11
8. Sujith

The second of the Varkala OGs aka The Boys, Sujith (lovingly called The Indian Justin Beiber)
also joined us after university and came through the Sunday Surf Club that we run for the
local kids. Today along with his cousins Praveen and Jithu he is very much involved with
helping the sport reach more and more kids around Varkala.

Janardhanaswamy Temple

My earliest memory of going to the

temple was at the age of eight. I have
been going there regularly ever since.
I would spend hours inside talking to
whoever was inside and to pray. I can feel
the amazing power that the temple has
on me.

Apart from surfing, I have grown up

spending my days at this temple. No
matter what situation I am in, the
Janardhanaswamy temple makes me feel
better about it.

“No matter
what situation
I am in, the
Janardhana—
swamy temple
makes me feel
better about it.”
12
9. Praveen

The third and definitely not the least of the Varkala OGs aka The Boys, Praveen like Sujith
and Jithu came to us through the Sunday Surf Club too. He’s the first and only longboarder in
Varkala and we love that!

Edava
I like the ride to Edava. It’s a really
nice feeling to ride there early in the
mornings. I usually like to go to the spot
at dawn and watch the sun rising. It
never fails to amaze me and it’s beautiful
because it calms you. I will sometimes
go there late and not get into the line up
without having a glass of chai first.

Once the surfers start coming in it’s great

to have a chat with some of the guys I
get along with. Communication is such
a great aspect of being able to surf with
others. It’s the best because everyone is
happy and keen to have a laugh.

13
10. Akhil

Akhil used to be a web developer and coder in his previous life but couldn’t resist life by
the beach in Varkala. Originally hailing from Kovalam he travelled and lived all around
Kerala and the world until he decided to join us as a cafe manager before becoming our hotel
manager. We love his attitude and ability to get even the hardest things done with a smile on
his face. Ask him and he’ll say, “It’s all part of the managing thingie”. If you want to be his
best friend, take him out for a prawn fry or a biryani.

Ustad Hotel & Afzal Hotel

These restaurants are my favourite
restaurant in my hometown, 10 minutes
drive from my home. It’s literally next to
the Vizhinjam coast. Whenever I’m at
home I always have dinner at one of these
places.

In Ustad, I always love to have mussels

fry and prawn fry – those are my
favourite dishes over there. In Afzal, they
are famous for the really spicy chicken fry
and a tiny parotta. Once or twice a month
I go over there to have that spicy chicken
fry and parotta.

14
11. Ed & Sofie

Are Soul & Surf’s founders who found themselves in Varkala in 2009 and thought… I wonder
if we could open a little surf & yoga stay here? They now divide their time between home-town
Brighton and a mix of India, Sri Lanka & Portugal.

A two-day, one night city break to

Fort Cochin
Over the years of living in Varkala Sofie
and I needed a break, now and again,
from our quiet rural area and craved a
bit of city sophistication. For many years
Cochin was the only place within striking
distance we could find a decent glass of
wine and a fancy meal.

We’d get the 6.00 am commuter train

which got us to Ernakulum by 9am,
then get a rickshaw across to the old
fort and be ready to go. We’d drop our
bags at our hotel and then head down to
Jew Town (that’s it’s name, honest) and
get involved in the antiques and spice
warehouses. Speak to Sunny at Crafters
Antiques, tell him we sent you, and he’ll
unlock the hidden warehouses full of
amazing antiquities from all over India.

We tend to stay at Spencer Home which

is a really reasonable guest house a few
doors down from Malabar House, and
a tenth of the price. We’d go to The Old
Lighthouse Bristow Hotel for sunset
drinks overlooking the beach and watch
the locals watching sunset. Once the sun
is down we’d head for dinner at Malabar

15
House and opt for the degustation menu
in the courtyard watching incredible
Indian classical music performances.
We’d either go back to Malabar House for
their delicious egg & bacon dosa, or to
Kasi Art Cafe.

Then we’ll go to a couple of the art

galleries, before popping down to
Crafters to pick up all the stuff we’d
reserved, then get a taxi across to
Ernakulum to get the late afternoon train
back to Varkala. At Soul & Surf most of
the fabrics, all of the antiques, even some
of the light fittings and taps come from
Kochi.

Now you know.

Buying alcohol from the

government shop in town
There only used to be one booze shop
in the whole of Varkala town. It’s still
there, on the right side of the road before
you get to the golden-man roundabout.
Tucked between respectable looking shoe
shops it’s down a filthy, dark alleyway
seething with small drunk Keralan men.

You all queue and wrestle and jostle

together to see who can wave their
rupees the most urgently at the servers,
who understandably separate themselves
from the chaos with metal grilles. It’s like
buying crack-cocaine in Tottenham…
apart from the small drunk Keralan men.

16
12. Adam & Rachel

Adam & Rach joined us back in 2013, back when Soul & Surf was still in black & white. From
humble beginnings baking cakes and working as surf coaches they’ve scaled the heady Soul &
Surf heights.

Adam

Jengo’s
I like to drive down to Jengo’s and see
the change in scenery and buildings – I
like the houses here, they look really
different from the ones in Varkala and
Edava. It is around 30/45 mins away by
scooter. It’s a beautiful drive. That’s also
where Dennis lives.

Who is Dennis?
Dennis is a man who used to run
dolphin tours from Main Beach and
I used to buy resin from him to fix
surfboards at Soul & Surf. And he
lived in the village next to Anjengos
(Anchuthengu). It was also fun to look
at the surf down there, pre-jetty (rest
in peace, Jengo’s waves). You can also
go to the old dutch fort (Anjengo’s
Fort) which is nice to walk around.
Once we went spearfishing down here
with Jasper (a surf coach who worked
with us at the time) and he caught all
the fish for our dinner. Rachel was too
scared to use the speargun at the fish,
and I had terrible aim.

17
Kollam-ish
We used to like going out on the scooter.
If we had a day off and there was no
surf, or we were a bit surfed out, it was
nice to jump on the scooter, take a drive
out of Varkala and head north towards
Kollam. The closer to Kollam you get, the
road gets really interesting – you’ve got
the ocean on the left, backwaters and
paddy fields on the right and a mostly
very quiet drive. Really nice to see a part
of Kerala that is so close to home, but
is away from the tourist spots of North
Cliff. DO put sunscreen on your upper
thighs because its very easy to burn
them when you’re out on the scooter.

Egg Puff
I used to like going to Cake Park in
Varkala town (next door to Dwarka) to
get curried egg puffs. Sometimes I would
buy two with the intention of bringing
one back for Rach, but most of the time
I would eat them both before I got back.
Don’t tell her.

18
Rachel

Papanasam Beach - ‘Destroyer of

Sins’
Once upon a time, Soul & Surf had
a surf school separate from the
hotel, underneath Marine Palace on
Papanasam Beach. This beach is in
between South Cliff (where Soul &
Surf is) and Main Beach, and often gets
missed out as people rush through to
get to North Cliff. If you wander down
just before sunset you will see the pūjā
ceremonies, with offerings made to the
sea. It is a deeply spiritual place, with
ashes collected from the cremation
grounds immersed in the sea here – the
belief being that the sins of the deceased
will be washed away, with the ritual
providing the soul with moksha or
eternal salvation.
“The sins of
I used to assist Adam on surf lessons
down here, back in the day, and we got
the deceased
to know the locals on this little stretch
of beach. We also got to hang out with
will be washed
Praveen, Sujith and Jithu, and would
sneak little surfs or body surfs in with
away, with the
them when we could. It has its own little
community, and we spent a lot of time
ritual providing
eating, swimming and sharing chai with
the beach boys and shop owners.
the soul
with moksha
I remember a very random afternoon
- I was hiding from the sun after a surf or eternal
lesson, and mooching around a little
clothing and bric a brac store on the salvation. ”
19
corner, sifting through a box of fabrics.
After quietly watching me for a few
minutes, the owner of the store offered
me a chai and sweets, some reiki and
for my fortune to be told. I spent more
than two hours in that little store, and
made a friend who I always pop in and
see when I return to Varkala. Also check
out the two jewellery shops on the road
up to the temple. Adam bought my
engagement ring from Latif’s shop (the
one on the right), and we always pop in
to say hi, have chai with him, and gawp
at all the lovely silver.

Benny’s
Also hidden in between South & North
Cliff, Benny’s is on a little stretch of road
that runs behind Janardhanaswamy
Temple. The cafe is not actually called
Benny’s (IDK what it’s actually called,
but everyone calls it Benny’s). Benny
(also not his real name) is a diamond,
a lovely, kind man who makes the best
iced coffee IN THE WORLD. He will not
tell you his secret ingredient, but he is
always smiling and always up for a chat.
He also sells toiletries, incense, natural
soaps, and owns a little bookshop next
door.

I used to wander down here in the

mornings after breakfast, take a book to
read and order an iced coffee. I would
never get to read the book, because I’d
while away hours chatting to Benny or
the other regulars.

20
12. Tara

Tara has been an integral part of our team for quite some time. She has stepped into diverse
roles for us as head of vibes one year and our main yoga teacher since she first came to India
to join us in the cafe. She also has learned Malayalam quicker than everyone else on the team
(apart from our Malayalis).

All the Sweets

I am a homebody. Let’s face it, I’d rather
lounge in the “known” than venture too
far away, especially when the known is
just so lush. That said, I will always step
out for sweets, and I happen to adore
Keralan sweets.

So I feel qualified, as a result of my

dedication to and regularity in the
Varkala sweets circuit, to provide a few
delectable insights. First of all, Keralan
sweets are very different from the
Northern Indian sweets we typically
associate with the Indian sweet tooth.

It should come as no surprise that, in

the rice belt of India, almost all the
traditional Keralan sweets are rice-based,
and often pair with coconut jaggery, and
ground coconut. However, despite how
incredibly delicious Keralan sweets are,
they’re becoming harder to find in the
modern Keralan bakery culture. And, as
one soon learns, they are only available at
specific timings.

21
So here’s the scoop:
Place: Kithoos Bakery
Location: Varkala Town (opposite police
station)
Order: Kozhukatta [steamed sweet
coconut rice dumpling (gluten free)]
Timing: Before 12pm(ish)

Place: Café HBR

Location: Varkala Beach Rd (at
Hindustan Beach Resort)
Order: Elayappam [banana leaf wrapped
steamed sweet rice & banana dumpling
(gluten-free)]
Timing: Between 3pm-5pm(ish)

Place: Chai Shop

Location: Ubiquitous
Order: Uniappam [deep fried coconut
rice, jaggery & banana ball (gluten-free)]
and/or
Pazham Pori [battered & deep fried
banana (contains gluten)]
and/or
Pazham Unda [deep fried banana cake
ball (contains gluten)]
Timing: Between 3pm-5pm(ish)

“I will always
step out for
sweets, and
I happen to
adore Keralan
sweets.”
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