We have been to Port Blair (Andmaan &Nicobar Islands ) from 14-Jan-12 to 19-Jan-12 and as I thought it was / will be an unforgettable journey for both of us. I always planned to go on a less crowded and not so sought after place for our trips.
For newly married who want to go to a place for honeymoon which is far less crowded and are beach lovers(Not Goa) then this is the place for them which they will always remember. I also did my study about the places where I can go and also read some reviews about Andaman where some were encouraging while some were not. Still I finalized to go to Andaman islands. I am not mentioning about Nicobar Islands because it is decently far from Andaman islands and I heard it requires some legal proceedings to go there as it is still a bit unexplored area with tribal inhabiting the same. For people who plan to go there my review might be of some help and out here I am mentioning a purely personal experience and it surely is a long one.
We took a flight on 14th early morning by an Air India aircraft from Delhi. The journey was for about approx 5 hours with a halt at Bhubaneswar. Breakfast was served in the plane. We started at 5:30 a.m. in the morning from Delhi and reached Port Blair around 10:30 a.m. Unlike winter in Delhi in January, Port Blair had quite a humid weather even in January although kind of pleasant. We went on a package deal so most of the things were organized for us and we didn’t have to take any hassles. We stayed at Hotel Sentinel which is a 4 star property , although is not a sea facing hotel but I found quite good enough for stay in terms of price with decent amenities and a courteous staff. We found the food average at the Hotel Restaurant. Breakfast and dinner were covered in our package but it is a little expensive if not covered in the package with Rs. 350 for the lunch/dinner per person served in a buffet system (prices might have changed by now).
On the day of arrival we went to a few places like Samudrika Naval Museum where there is nothing much to see but sea shells and a variety of fishes , sea vegetation etc. You can get over with it may be in an hour or so unless you don’t have a great love for sea shells or fishes. After that we went to another museum which displays some primitive culture of Andmaan islands which could possibly take another half or may be an hour time to explore. At the end of the day we went to famous Cellular Jail. It is definitely worth a place to visit as just the remains of the cellular jail gives you an experience how the things would have been when it was operative. From the roof of the Cellular jail you can get a spectacular view of the andmaan sea. Also the Light Show at the cellular jail in the evening is another unforgettable event where the whole story of cellular jail is narrated through lights. If you want to buy some souvenirs then near Hotel Sentinel (near Phoneix bay) there are state owned handicraft showrooms where you can buy some fantastic souvenirs made of wood or coconut shell at some very reasonable rates but they close early in the evening around 6.30 p.m. For local shopping you can go to Aberdin Market again near Hotel Sentinel.
The next day we took a trip to 3 different islands the whole day long on a steamer. We went to Ross island, Viper Island and North bay island. People who get sea sick easily are advised to take some lemon toffees, or cold drinks etc, with them as the whole day on a steamer sailing in the sea with a sea water smell can make them uncomfortable. Although you will get cold drinks and water on the ground floor of the steamer but it is better to take your own water. You can have a quick tour at Ross & Viper island and appreciate the beauty and take pictures but then there is nothing much to explore. Also you have to pay a small fee if you are carrying camera or camcorder to these islands. The last island of the day was North bay where you can indulge in quite some water sports includes Snorkeling, water scooter , speed boat ride or you can also just simply swim in the sea water. Make sure that you should wear slippers with straps so that it doesn’t flow when you get down from the boat or swim. Shoes are not recommended. You can also get casual clothes on rent if you don’t want to swim or dont want to do water sports in the clothes that you are wearing and can even get a locker to keep your stuff. Still it is better to take your own clothes, sunscreen and a polythene to save your wallet, camera etc from moisture/water. Water sports is kind of expensive with Snorkeling for 15 feet for half an hour will cost you around Rs. 500, water scooter for 2 trips will be for Rs. 700 and so for speed boat but given the fact that it is the main source of income for them and it is what you will not do every day may be will not make you feel that you paid too much. (Prices might have changed by now). Don’t forget to take pictures of the mesmerizing sunset at North bay island. Don’t wear jeans or a trouser or a cloth with small or many pockets as after a swim it becomes a pain to get the sand out of the pockets.
After staying for 2 days in Port Blair we went on a stay for 3 days to Havelock Islands which is about 2 hours cruise ride from Port Blair and we stayed in a resort called Symphony Palms. Another lifetime unforgettable experience that we had at Havelock island. Staying in a wooden cottage just next to sea is all I can ask for where we actually got a sense of pure leisure. Now at Havelock you will not have too many places to visit, all that one can do is remain at the sea side all day long or can go to couple of beaches on Havelock , can indulge in swimming or sea sports or can explore the island. Radhanagar Beach is an amazingly clean beach with an amazing sunset where you can take a fantastic swim in sea waves as high as 7+ foot and the other beach is Kala Pathar beach which is quite lonesome in the middle of the tropical forest where you can see water in 3 different colours. Don’t forget to take a extra set of clothes if you go to Radhanagar Beach as the temptation to swim will be too high. Don’t wear jeans or a trouser or a cloth with small or many pockets as after a swim it becomes a pain to get the sand out of the pockets. Although you will find autos in Havelock island but the best way of transportation in the entire island is to take a scooter (Honda activa) which costed us on rent a refundable security deposit of Rs. 1000 and a rent of Rs. 250-300 for 24 hours + the price of petrol. It is advised to fill the scooter with reasonable amount of petrol for the island drive (spread in the radius of 20-25 kms) as there are no petrol pumps on Havelock island the way we see in our cities and the ones which are there didn’t guarantee of petrol availability. You will find a small market on the island where you could possibly get all the items that you may require for your 2-3 day stay.
Mobile networks that work best on Havelock island is BSNL , surprisingly even in the middle of the sea we were able to talk to others on mobile. Other networks that works are reliance and airtel but not completely. You can also find SBI & PNB ATMs at Havelock island. If you have an interest in scuba diving then you can do it for Rs. 4500 for half an hour or little more where you can go for it in early morning with professionals and can also get clicked inside the ocean with the full gear. (prices might have changed by now).