Andamans Holiday - Part I : Emerald Islands

The first thing I learnt about the Andamans when I started exploring it as a possible candidate for a family vacation destination is that nobody really knows how many islands there are - but everyone agrees that less than 10% are inhabited. The total area is about 6400 sq kms, so that's a lot of real estate in limbo :-)

What swayed me was this description from the A&N Tourism site : "Here the white beaches on the edge of a meandering coastline have palm trees that sway to the rhythm of the Sea. The beat of tribal drums haunt the stillness and technicolour fish steer their way through crystal clear water." Just the thing for a family fed up of pollution and noisy traffic jams in bustling Bangalore ... so that was that - I announced to the family that the Andamans was to be our destination for Family Vacation circa 2008.

Then came the decision on the choice of 'home away from home'. After a couple of googling sessions (How did we survive in the days before Internet & Google ?), I discovered Barefoot Resorts based on Havelock Island (http://www.nivalink.com/jungleresortandamans/index.html)

and was smitten. The fact that it was within hopping distance of what Time Magazine once described as the "Most Beautiful Beach in Asia" raised its suitability a few notches. Its most famous resident - a swimming elephant - made it a 'one of a kind' place. A couple of mails later, our reservations to stay at Barefoot were done.

Getting there is quite easy - flight options from Kolkata and Chennai to Port Blair (even LCCs like Deccan operate flights to Port Blair) and then by ferry to Havelock. Total travel time from Bangalore : 4.5 hrs (8 hrs if you include waiting time at the airports). The alternative is to travel by ship, which can be boarded from either Chennai, Vizag or Kolkata, but travel time goes up a factor of 10.

To be continued : Arrival at Barefoot - Part II