Sunday, 11 December 2016

Quality Over Quantity: How India's Lakshadweep Islands Overpromise






First things first: Lakshadweep is absolutely gorgeous.

This little-known archipelago lies 300 miles west of Kerala, at India's southern tip. The Lakshadweep Islands formed atop the same undersea ridge that also produced the Maldives, to the south. They're the country's only coral atolls, and they're spectacular, with broad sandy beaches, cool ocean breezes, and first-rate snorkeling in the reefs.

But Lakshadweep overpromises by a factor of 2,500.

"Lakshadweep" comes from Sanskrit words meaning "one hundred thousand islands," which implies endless tiny islets to explore. I don't know if the ancient discoverers of Lakshadweep were bad at geography or great at marketing, but the sad fact is that there are not one hundred thousand islands in the archipelago. There aren't ten thousand. There aren't even a hundred. In fact, there are just 39 islands in the "one hundred thousand islands," and that's if you're generous and count every little reef.

Lakshadweep is the undiscovered jewel of the Arabian Sea.

Only ten of the Lakshadweep Islands are even inhabited, which is roughly 99,990 fewer than billed, and of those, only three have resorts developed for foreign visitors. That's actually good news for the knowledgeable traveler, though. It means that the sun-dappled lagoons and majestic palm trees of Lakshadweep are far off the tourist trail, receiving only 17,000 visitors or so every year. Unlike in the Maldives, you'll probably have the beach all to yourself.

| Hotels | Flights | Tours | Mice | Event Management |
E-mail:-therosehospitality@gmail.com



No comments: