Where to Stay and Eat on Kudle and Om Beaches
Accommodation and Eating Out on Gokarna’s Most Popular Beaches
Apr 12, 2009
Gokarna used to be a sleepy pilgrimage town on Karnataka's coast, but it has now developed into a newa alternative to Goa. Gone are the days when the only visitors to the beaches here were backpackers who did not mind staying in a bamboo hut without toilets.
There are four beaches around Gokarna as well as the main beach in town. Nearest to town is Kudle Beach, followed by Om, Half Moon and Paradise Beach towards the South. Out of the four beaches the first two are the most popular and have most accommodation and eating options.
Where to Stay on Kudle Beach
A less than half an hour walk from Gokarna town over the cliffs leads to Kudle Beach. Kudle has plenty of places to stay from cheap bamboo huts with common toilets and showers, to the Gokarna International hotel that is the most expensive place to stay on Kudle. The Spanish Place has individual cottages in a beautiful quiet garden. Some of the other cafes on Kudle Beach also have rooms. Shiva Prasad is set back from the beach, and has very basic but cheap rooms with common toilets and outdoor shower. It also has a parking space where it is possible to leave a motorbike or a scooter for INR20/day.
Prices for accommodation vary wildly depending on the season. Bamboo huts can start from INR100/night, Gokarna International can cost ten times more. Always confirm the price before moving in. The busiest seasons are Christmas and New Year, and the Shivaratri festival fills Gokarna with Hindu pilgrims in February.
Kudle can also be reached by taking a rickshaw from town towards Om Beach and walking the rest of the way along a rocky path from the rickshaw stop.
Where to Eat on Kudle Beach
Most of the cafes on the beach have very similar menus and offer all the usual travellers’ favourites and imitations of Western food: pancakes, pasta, pizza and sandwiches and lots of Israeli food. The old La Pizzeria has great pizzas and the Sunset Café does good pasta dishes. Service is incredibly slow in many places especially towards the end of the season, but most customers here are too chilled out to care.
Where to Stay on Om Beach
A road has been built some years ago from Gokarna to Om Beach and this makes Om a popular destination for daytrippers. During weekends Indian tourists on a daytrip to Om Beach arrive by busloads. A walk from Kudle to Om Beach takes about 15 minutes.
The Om Beach Resort is the newest and most expensive place to stay on Om and is owned by the Jungle Lodges and Resorts chain. It offers packages that also include food. The Namaste Café is probably the oldest place to stay here but has new rooms and cottages costing up to INR600/night. It also offers secure parking and has a security guard. The rest of the accommodation consists mainly of bamboo huts on the beach.
Where to Eat on Om Beach
As on Kudle, most of the cafes offer the same menu. Probably the best place on Om Beach to eat is the Namaste Café with its extensive menu, and the place gets very popular especially in the evenings. The menu includes fresh seafood and the grilled kingfish is particularly good.
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