Tale of a virgin beach situated on the Indian East Coast far from the hustle-bustle of urban life. A lovely resort by the beach adds Midas touch – Mypadu Beach. A wonderland for spending a lovely weekend in the company of the sea. A satellite launch center of ISRO at few hours of a drive – this and many more at Nellore.
Welcome back once again!! I would like to begin this post with a big thank you for all the candid responses to my previous post.
Today I bring to you yet another story of a beach that is beautifully calm, clean, and devoid of the usual crowd. The blue beauty lies on the east coast of the country and here is the story of Mypadu Beach.
The idea of a holiday is a collage of scenic vistas, mouth-watering local cuisine. pleasure walks, a bit of adventure. A holiday sometimes can also be an option of soaking into the calm beauty of a place – devoid of usual touristy affairs and just doing nothing – be in joyful company and enjoy the quietness. Well, this was the thought which was going over me for the next holiday. I shared this idea with three of my friends at work. The idea clicked instantly in the group – the immediate next question to this thought was to discover the so-called place which is calm, offer a little beauty and yet closer to Hyderabad (well we couldn’t manage leaves so the bottom line was to do it all over the weekend).
The search with all the parameters in mind started, from hills to beaches to forests. We stumbled upon on lot many places but none were matching all of the so-called parameters. One of those searches bought out a place called Mypadu Beach – a quite lesser-known beach little outside Andhra Pradesh’s coastal town of Nellore. With no other convincing option, we gave this place due consideration. We were trying to convince ourselves more about the place, with very few reviews and pictures on the web this seems a bit tough. Few more clicks revealed that there’s a property of state tourism right on the beach. This revelation sort of struck well with the very idea of this holiday – the place, its calmness.
We booked two double bedded rooms at AP Tourism’s Haritha Resort. The resort is the only accommodation option at the beach gets booked more on the weekends. We got ourselves booked in advance by a fortnight. Reaching the place is a lot easier (one of the key reasons for choosing it) as Nellore is accessible by rail as well as by road. National Highway 16 (earlier NH-5) connecting Chennai and Kolkata passes through Nellore. The railway station of the town falls on the Chennai – New Delhi/Howrah main lines and hence can be literally reached from anywhere in India!!
Well, there are 4-5 daily trains connecting Hyderabad to Nellore. However, with less than 2 weeks remaining (time just went by the time we decided and booked accommodation) we could only manage tickets on a holiday special train. A journey lasted for close to 12 hours (the regular ones take close to 9 hours, a special treatment to ours!!) took us to Nellore town.
A distance of 22 odd kilometers from Nellore railway station through a picturesque narrow road dotted with numerous prawn hatcheries and tall coconut trees leads to the pristine Mypadu Beach. The travel is not so uncalled when one sees a sight like this
The sweet little property of Andhra Pradesh Tourism – the only option for food, beverage, and stay adds beauty to the beach. The so-called resort is bang on the beach and gives a good 180° view of the beach. The property sits precisely in coconut grove kind of a set up with single/double storey rooms lined up in a nearly circular pattern allowing beach view from all the rooms. The tastefully designed garden in front of the rooms has a little play area for children and benches facing the sea. Talking about benches there were these strategically placed small boats pointing right towards the sea, what a wonderful idea of sea viewing. Few clicks of the property
On a sunny day, the beach with its golden sand and the bluish water looks absolutely splendid. The endless spread of blue waters at a distance seems to be slowly hugging the skies. A walk along the beach is like stepping into a calm and serene world, away from the usual hustle-bustle of city life. Alongside the milky-white subtle waves teetering on and off the beach paints many stories. Well, the sight indeed brings the idea of a no-frills beach holiday to life. Few shots from the beach
We were quite happy with the beach, the resort, and its restaurant. The limited weekend time just flew away. For those with little extra time in hand, there are quite a few headways out of Nellore suited for day excursions. A brief summary of the places:-
Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) – One of two satellite launch center of ISRO located in Sriharikota, a barrier island off the Bay of Bengal coast. The Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) probe lifted-off from here. A spectacular sight any given day. With prior permission, one can be on a part of the guided tour of the facility.
Pulicat Lake – the second-largest water lake (lagoon) in India, after Chilika Lake. The lake encompasses the Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary. The sanctuary is most famous for the many greater flamingos.
Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary – Located 10 KM away from Pulicat Lake, home to different species of resident and migrating birds. Pelican birds fly from other countries to here, a place for a delightful sight of birds.
The nearest base-point for these places is the town of Sullurpeta, 100 KM away from Nellore towards Chennai (around 83 KM from Chennai). Being on the Chennai-Howrah mainline train is the best way to reach the place. If driving the national highway leading to Chennai is a pleasure to drive. The town is also frequented by buses of state transports of both Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. For commute local buses or autos are available.
Following is the distance summary from Sullurpeta
Sriharikota(20KM), Pulicat Lake(7KM), Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary (15KM)
On the closing note, the best time to visit this place is the post-monsoon season i.e. from October – February. The tourism board roped in local youth to offer short Jet Ski rides – cost Rs 200 for a 3-minute ride (well this was the rate when we visited in November 2014).
Just a word of caution, the Bay Of Bengal coastal region is home to severe cyclone(s) especially during November end – December period. If venturing during this period, check the local weather report before planning out things.
This brings us to the end, hope you enjoyed reading – the silent waves of Mypadu Beach.
