Among European carriers there is Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Finn Air, Air France, Al Italia, Virgin Atlantic, Swiss Air, Austrian Airlines and Swiss Air. American carriers include Delta Airlines, American Airlines and United Airlines. The Asian carriers include Emirates, Sri Lankan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Kuwait Airways, Oman Air, Malaysian Airlines, Gulf Air, and Qatar Airways.

October to March is the best time to visit Kerala. At this time Kerala experiences a mild winter which means there is none of the humidity of the monsoons and no sweltering heat of the summer months. The daytime is bright and sunny, the skies are clear and mellow wind wafts in from the sea around sundown. This is the best time to drift on a houseboat in the backwaters of Kumakarom or Alleppey, soak up the sun on the Kovalam beach, take a jetty ride to the Jewish synagogue in Cochin, set out on a jungle safari in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary or simply cool your heels off in Munnar. No better time to enjoy Kerala’s vivid scenery.

Varkala is the best choice as it ticks both the categories. It is a laid-back getaway with cliffs fronting a turbulent sea, a lineup of coconut groves, regular yoga session planned by the hotels and resorts, cafes serving the fresh catch of the day, afforded by the setting are several Ayurveda clinics and resorts that specialise in Ayurvedic therapies complete with their resident doctors and nutritionists.

Only three cities in Kerala have Uber; namely Trivandrum, Cochin and Thrissur. A typical intercity Uber trip is between Cochin to any part of Kerala. In such an arrangement, you need to pay the return kilometre rate like in a regular taxi. You can also book an Uber ride from Alleppey and Kottayam provided it is headed to Cochin alone.

There are houseboats meant for a day trip and there are overnight houseboats. The latter can further be categorised into Deluxe, Premium and Luxury categories. Make sure you are booking a houseboat stay with a reputed provider or the houseboats belong to a prominent hotel chain. There will be a full crew attending to you and you won’t have any discomfort, save for the minor insects that creep up on-board. Make sure you have researched your provider well before zeroing on an overnight stay.

July to September is the rainy season in Kerala when the state draws its shutters and goes indoors. The beaches are empty, the attractions are abandoned in this season, even the local shacks shut shop. If you at all have to visit in monsoon to see the backwaters in their rain-soaked glory, visit late September when the heavy rains have subsided.

Parthas Textiles outlet in Trivandrum, Pulimoottil Silks in Thrissur, Ethnic Weaves in Trivandrum, Seematti in Kottayam, Kalyan Sarees in Kannur, Kalyan Kendra in Kozhikode, Jayalakshmi Silks in Kochi, are among the popular hubs to buy a gorgeous Kerala silk saree.

The backwaters of Kumarakom offer the perfect retreat to honeymooning couples. Add to it the presence of the mighty Vembanad Lake that makes the sunsets here more colourful and the scenery more dramatic. Munnar too is a cosy getaway for honeymooners, but nothing like the backwaters to enjoy a few days of serene country scenery with the soft gurgle of waters always in the background.

Houseboats typically do not come with stocked bars as serving alcohol anywhere in Kerala requires a special liquor licence. But houseboats let you bring in your own alcohol; sometimes they even pick up beer locally and serve it to you. There is no law against enjoying your own alcohol on a houseboat.

The fabled Nehru Trophy Boat Race or the snake boat race takes place on the Punnamada Lake near Alleppey. It happens annually in August on its second Saturday. The sight of watching more than 100 rowers navigate on their punted canoes through this approximately 2 km stretch competing with each other as they make it to the finishing line, is a sight to behold.