BudgetTravel

Most restaurants in Kovalam tend to offer the same Western and Indian classics, with satisfying three-course meals running as little as $1. Service can move at a glacial pace because small kitchens are not equipped to handle a lot of orders. Away from the beach, overlooking paddies, Lonely Planet restaurant offers outstanding vegetarian food, and $2 to $3 goes a long way.

The alternate beach: Varkala

When it comes to lodging, how about a little splurge? At the elegant Taj Garden Retreat (Janardhanapuram, 470/2603000, fax 470/2602296, tajhotels.com), rates change with the seasons but generally start at $70 and include abundant breakfast and dinner buffets. Too expensive? Come just for the buffet dinner (phone to reserve) for $8, when classical dancers perform in the terraced garden. For more affordable options, the Nikhil Beach Resort (Beach Rd., 470/2605191, nikhil-resort.com) features an Internet cafe, and tidy rooms for $10 to $20. The only hotel on the beach, Marine Palace (Papanasam Beach, 470/2603204), has cheap rooms ($4 to $15), but the only running water is cold and its yard is occasionally filled with junk. Their tandoori restaurant overlooks the sea. Molto bene is the best description of the Italian-run Mamma Chompos (Beach Rd., 470/2603995), which has pleasant, modern, clean rooms for $5 to $7, plus a pizzeria.

Atop the cliffs, the quiet, homey Thiruvambadi Beach Resort (Thiruvambadi Beach Rd., 470/2601028, thiruvambadihotels.com) has attractive rooms with baths for $15. Most rooms have balconies, some have beautifully carved headboards and doors, plus there is a pleasant rooftop restaurant. Just off a littered walkway, Jicky's (above Oottupura Restaurant, near the helipad; 470/2606994) has clean and cheap rooms ($3 to $5) with baths. Yoga classes are offered here. Many families also rent rooms in their homes starting at $2. Duck their scouts at the train and bus stations, and instead find your own room by asking around at the cafes and checking signs posted outside private homes.

For food, Oottupura, where locals talk religion with you, is my top choice for a variety of cheap dishes under $1. Delectables include a superior masala dosa (a stuffed rice-and-lentil-flour crepe) and crispy cheese pakoras (fritters). Try them with a sweet and salty fresh lime and soda.

A day trip to Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)

Another must-see is the vast Padmananabhapuram Palace (40 miles from the capital, 30 miles from Kovalam, in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu), the ancient capital of the maharajahs of Travancore, in its meticulously maintained teak and granite splendor. Features include fabulous murals, floral rosewood carvings, and an amazing mirror-like floor. Tour is 10¢; take the crowded Kanniyakumari bus from Thiruvananthapuram or Kovalam to Thuckalai, then rickshaw or walk for a mile. Or join the 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. KTDC tour (471/2318976) for $4; includes lunch.

Kaleidoscopic Kochi

For an intimate view beyond the main city, take KTDC's "Village Backwaters Tour" in a pole-driven canoe to glimpse village life (three hours, $7, includes transfers; ticket information at the KTDC Tourist Reception Center, near Taj Residency Hotel, 484/2353234).

Kathakali is renowned in Kochi, and the See India Foundation (Kalathiparambil Rd., near Ernakulam Junction train station, 484/2369471) gives a two-hour show that will enlighten you about Indian history, Hinduism, and the intricacies of this dance drama ($2). Wrap it up here by seeing kalaripayattu, Kerala's ancient martial art, at the ENS Kalari Centre (484/2700810), located eight miles west of Kochi at Nettoor.

As for lodging, the most interesting choices are found in Fort Kochi, the older section on the city's southern peninsula, where the architecture is influenced by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. The Fort House (2/6A Calvathy Rd., 484/2217066, fax 484/2216886) offers a few spotless, simply furnished rooms for $20, including breakfast. In a quiet part of town, the Kapithan Inn (near Santa Cruz Cathedral; 484/2216560, kapithaninn.com) is a tidy, family-run guesthouse with tasteful rooms for $12 to $15. Very atmospheric, the Old Courtyard (1/371 Princess St., 484/2216302, oldcourtyard.com) has rooms with canopied beds and high-beamed ceilings for $20 to $50. The neighboring town of Ernakulam (located across the bay on the mainland) is renowned for its budget rooms. Biju's Tourist Home (corner of Canon Shed and Market Rds., 484/2381881) is somewhat seedy but popular and friendly; rooms cost $5 to $13, with baths. Hakoba (Shanmugham Rd., 484/2353933) has $4 to $8 rooms-some with smashing sea views and a restaurant. Sleek and modern, the Grand (M.G. Rd., 484/2382061, grandhotelkerala.com) charges $30.

For food in Fort Kochi, the stylish Kashi Art Cafe, (Burgher St.), housed in a restored Dutch heritage house, has wheat-bread sandwiches, cakes, and pies, and real coffee (rare in tea-drinking Kerala, where coffee is grown!). Breakfast and lunch specials run $1 to $1.10. In Ernakulam, the glass-enclosed Bubble Cafe, (Taj Residency Hotel, Marine Dr.) offers bountiful East-West buffets; $5 breakfast, $8 lunch. For people-watching, grab a window seat at spiffy Bimbi's (Shanmugham Rd.), where superb dosas, amazing ice cream, and a range of Indian dishes run 25¢ to 50¢. Southern Star (above Bimbi's) features Indian and Chinese specialties, enormous portions; entrees under $2.

Backwater bargain cruise

Finally, here is the reason many tourists seek out Kerala. Exceedingly popular and an incredible buy is an eight-hour backwater cruise between Kollam (Quilon) and Alappuzha (Alleppey) aboard a double-decker ferry through canals, lagoons, and villages. Including lunch and afternoon tea, it costs just $4. Several operations offer nearly identical cruises. One example is the District Tourist Promotion Council in Kollam (DTPC; 477/2253308, dtpc-quilontourism.com). Tickets are available at various hotels and tourist offices in both Kollam and Alappuzha.