India - British Expat Forum

After a couple of months in Delhi, I've come to the conclusion that the only way to stay sane in this city is going to be to get out, regularly.

Are there any decent beaches that Delhi-ites can get to for a long weekend? Preferably suitable for kite/windsurfing...

Or is my best bet to get out of the country altogether and go to Thailand instead?

Hi, and welcome to the British Expat Forum

Things may have changed since Kay and I left Delhi in 2004, but back then India wasn't generally favoured as a beach resort (with the possible exception of Goa), for several reasons:

1) The lack of any beach resorts with decent facilities at a reasonable price - Indian hotels tend to be either five-star (at least nominally) with prices to match, or budget dives, and there's not much in between.

2) The culture. For the most part, India's pretty socially conservative (though not to the extent of Islamic countries), and doesn't really do the sun, sea & sand stuff - with, as I say, the partial exception of Goa.

3) The substantial distances involved - as you'll already know, Delhi's a looong way inland! And, on a related point:

4) The cost involved with internal flights - although Jet Airways were quite a bit cheaper than Indian Airlines, they were still a lot more expensive than comparable carriers within the EU. Things may have changed in the last five years; I'm not sure.

5) The beer's not much cop.

So we used to go to Thailand. The flight involved is longer, of course - just over four hours instead of, say, two-and-a-half (and the timing's horrendous - the flights to Bangkok take off after midnight and arrive there at dawn). But the Thais certainly know how to do beach holidays - including the kite/windsurfing you're after.

Dave, thanks for the response. I'm starting to think that regular trips out of India, rather than just out of Delhi, are the key to maintaining my mental health anyway! Also, I'm wondering whether I'd want to go into the water anywhere within 200km of a population centre.

I suspect that the situation regarding domestic flights has improved. I was very impressed with Indigo (better than most European and all North American short-haul flights I've taken)... Spicejet was on a par with Easyjet or Ryanair (i.e. a bit rubbish, but got me where I wanted to go eventually). Prices were a little lower than I'd expect in Europe, but apparently there's a lot of variation with demand.

The beer's not that bad... at least it's cheap, and comes in big bottles!

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The beer's not that bad... at least it's cheap, and comes in big bottles!

We used to drink the locally brewed Foster's whenever we were out and about, if we could get it. We tried Kingfisher when we first arrived, but were put off by the sight of the glycerine swirling around in the glasses...

Glad to hear that the domestic flights have improved. They were quite an ordeal when we were there, particularly the IA in-flight meals. And of course the ridiculously paranoid yet haphazard security measures (eg if they found one cigarette lighter on you while searching, they gleefully confiscated it - totally ignoring all the other ones you might have about your person).

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'm wondering whether I'd want to go into the water anywhere within 200km of a population centre.

Excellent point!

They used to take quite a robust attitude towards sewage disposal in Thailand too, but in recent years the resorts have spent substantial amounts of money on treatment plants etc - though it would still be as well to check out the individual resorts before choosing one. After all, treatment plants need maintenance.