Culture

Varkala: Your Gateway To Calm

By Raghav Sarma

Posted on November 3, 2025

Waves break against the cliffs and echo upward, carried by a breeze that smells faintly of salt and wet earth. That’s how Varkala greets you, not first with the view but with the sound. Set along Kerala’s southern coast, it’s a meeting point of worlds that coexist without friction. Devotees climbing the temple steps cross paths with backpackers from across the world, and both seem perfectly at home.

A scenic coastal drive of about 75 minutes (41 km) from Thiruvananthapuram airport, Varkala doesn’t shout its identity. The town builds itself around contrasts — sea and sky, ritual and leisure, sound and silence. Everything here unfolds at a slower rhythm. One that asks you to match its pace. It isn’t a place built around spectacle. And it’s this unhurried way of life that makes it so quietly compelling for travellers seeking calm. The cliffs, the beaches, and the breeze do the heavy lifting, while everything else moves at a pace that seems designed to lower your shoulders and unclench your jaw.

Quiet Luxury Between The Cliffs And The Sea

Perched perfectly between the energy of the North Cliff and the calm of the South is Gateway Varkala. A short walk from Papanasam Beach, the luxury retreat offers an immersive experience that captures the rhythm of the coastal town with grace.

From its lawns, the horizon stretches clean and wide, with eagles soaring in the sky and palm trees swaying with the wind. The property is small in its footprint and set within dense greenery, but feels open and generous. Every room looks out either onto the gardens or straight to the sea. It’s the kind of place where small details matter. Morning light filters through the trees and into the corridors, the sound of birds blending with the soft crash of waves, and staff are welcoming in a way that feels composed and intentional rather than rehearsed.

Days stretch slowly here, and evening drinks by the poolside provide a perfect setup to take in the stunning sunsets of Varkala and watch the lights shimmer against the darkening sea. The property is designed to keep you close to nature without effort; with open lobbies and breezy corridors, gardens where birds settle at dusk, and quiet corners that make you want to read, or maybe not read at all. If the mood strikes, there’s the option of checking-in at the Ayurvedic Centre offering traditional Kerala treatments using local techniques and ingredients, or even a round of tennis on the outdoor court. 

Gateway Varkala doesn’t distract from the landscape. It settles into it, and invites you to do the same.

North Cliff And South Cliff: A Tale Of Two Shores

Varkala’s cliffs aren’t just geography; they shape how the town feels. The North Cliff is where most visitors first land. A narrow strip of road runs along the edge, packed with cafés, souvenir shops, and guesthouses stacked close together. There’s a lot of energy here. Seafood, open-air bars, and a long row of shops selling everything from cotton clothes to handmade trinkets. It’s easy to get caught up in the bustle, but there’s also a sense that the area has tipped slightly into over-commercialised territory. The charm is there, but sometimes you have to look past the neon signs to find it.

Head a few minutes south, and the tone changes completely. The South Cliff is quieter, less crowded, and the atmospherics are steeped in local rhythm and coastal simplicity. The cafés are smaller and the menus shorter, but the quality stands out. There’s more space, and the focus here seems less on selling and more on experiencing, with spas, yoga studios, and small restaurants that value calm over crowd.

Gateway Varkala sits neatly between these two moods, giving you easy access to both. You can spend a morning at the south cliff’s laid-back cafés, return for an unhurried lunch at the hotel, then wander up to the north cliff for an evening stroll along the busy stretch.

The Coastal Rhythm

Everything is within walking distance in Varkala. Located just a few minutes away from the hotel, Papanasam Beach draws a steady flock of visitors, from locals coming for rituals and travellers watching the sea with quiet fascination. The name itself holds meaning; the waters here are believed to wash away sins. The Janardhana Swamy Temple, with its centuries-old architecture and steady stream of devotees, also lies just a short walk inland.

Varkala’s edges hold their own small treasures too. Kappil Beach, just north of town, is where the sea and backwaters drift within whispering distance of each other. The drive there runs alongside calm water lined with palms, a sharp contrast to the choppy sea beyond. A little further up, Edava Beach sits quiet and unbothered, just sand, sea, and the occasional fisherman’s boat. It’s the place to go when you want to experience nothing but the sound of stillness.

For those with a taste for short excursions, Jatayu Earth Center, home to the world’s largest bird sculpture, is about an hour away, offering both mythology and panoramic views. Closer still is Sivagiri Mutt, a spiritual retreat that carries the legacy of reformer Sree Narayana Guru. Each of these places adds another layer to the region’s identity, connecting Varkala’s relaxed coast to Kerala’s deeper cultural roots.

Flavours Of The Coast

Food in Varkala carries its own easy rhythm. At the Gateway Hotel, meals are unhurried and grounded in Kerala’s kitchen traditions. The hotel’s own restaurant leans into local cooking — the menu is dominated by fresh seafood preparations, appams with stew, and a variety of curries. Coconut, curry leaves, and local spices form the backbone of most dishes. International flavours find a place here too, but it’s the local food that truly defines the experience — best savoured slowly, without rush. The setting matters as well, and the hotel offers open-air dining with a direct view of the sea on clear evenings.

Step outside and the local café culture comes alive. Cafe Trip Is Life is a local favourite, set right on the cliff edge, serving creative fusion dishes that mix regional ingredients with global touches. The view is unmatched, with stunning sunsets that seem to last longer than usual. Cafe Sarwaa, a few minutes away, takes a simpler approach. Healthy food, fresh juices, and a breezy terrace overlooking the sea. Both places share the easy confidence that defines Varkala: food made honestly, with a sense of place.

Other local spots, such as God’s Own Country Kitchen and Darjeeling Cafe on the North Cliff, and a few smaller family-run restaurants near the temple road, serve simple Kerala fare including thalis and seafood curries on banana leaves. No catchy signs or branding, just home cooking and friendly conversation.

Gateway To Calm

Varkala doesn’t push you to plan or chase. It invites you to observe and feel. To walk barefoot on sand that still feels untouched, to pause between conversations, to watch clouds shift above the cliffs. In a coastline increasingly shaped by tourism, Varkala manages to keep a sense of restraint. It feels lived-in, not packaged, and that’s what makes it linger.

The town also presents a unique contrast: one cliff alive with energy, goods and people; the other leaning into subtlety. The South Cliff, with its spas, yoga studios and gentle cafés, offers a quieter step. It doesn’t offer less — it offers another kind of presence, one that does not require more.

The Gateway Hotel at Varkala aligns with that slower beat. It doesn’t demand that time be filled or crowds engaged; it asks that you arrive quietly, pull a chair, grab a book, and watch the sun go down. Nature is front and centre here: the horizon, the palms, the breeze, the shape of the land and sea meeting, a constant presence rather than a distraction.

Part of the IHCL Group, Gateway Varkala carries forward its legacy of warmth, service, and hospitality — delivered to the same exacting standards, yet with a gentleness that mirrors the rhythm of the coastal town.

Varkala offers this unique alignment between activity and ease, between discovery and rest, and the hotel perfectly embodies it. Here the tone is set by rhythm rather than show; it’s a place to step out of the schedule, not check boxes. It speaks softly, yet it is heard — no spectacle needed, just a coast, two cliffs, and a luxury retreat that understands pause, and the time to simply be.

Content Partnership: Part of the stay for this travel feature was hosted by Gateway Varkala.