A great deal. Review on Visakhapatnam

It is probably not fair that I review this city as I have been living here for the past 20 years, but when I saw that no one has written anything about the city I love the most, and since this is a city which has got so much to enjoy, my patriotism for my city has brought me to write in (Ahem!)

Location- Located equidistantly (about 800 kms away) from Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, also called as Vizag is truly a jewel on the east coast (As the preview says) and is well connected by land/ air/ water (if someone wants to swim into the city!) and is a beautiful virgin beach on the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh (someone asked me if vizag is in Andamans, hence, the specification!)

Attractions- After the new government of Chandrababu Naidu took over Andhra, they have laid special stress on making Vizag into one of the best tourist places in the city. The beach is considered the second best on the east coast (After Gopalpur-on-sea in orissa) and the best part is the 25 km long marine drive where the road snakes all the way along the sea. I dont want to sound like a tourist guide ( I probably am already!) and hence, for further details, logon to https://vizagcityonline.com and click on the attractions link.

When to visit- NOW!! I mean, this is the best season to visit Vizag, as it is flanked by hills (Eastern Ghats) and the offset of monsoon is the best period to visit. September to February is the peak tourist season, after which as in any sea beach, the humidity goes over 85-90, making it difficult for people who are not used to this climatic conditions.

Who should visit- Anyone looking for a getaway. Vizag is a calm and serene place with all the amenities of a metro, but not the hustle-bustle. Let me warn you up front. There is virtually no night life in the city and after 10 pm, the only thing to do is go home!! No pubs, discos etc., but you wont find the difference. The place is specially favoured by honeymooners and stressed out executives taking a break.

Languages- Telugu is the local language, but most of the people here speak English and Hindi too. Conversation is not a problem as because of the confluence of various cultures (thanks to all the PSU's with transferrable jobs), it is a must to know english to get around.

Food- A mixture on North and South Indian cuisines. Sea food is not as popular as in Goa, but is available all the same. In fact, as Vizag is not exactly in South India, u'll get anything here from International to Thai cuisine!

Transport within Vizag- Car is the best way to get around, as most of the best tourist destinations are about 50-100 kms around. However, affordable auto's and cheap public transport also is very feasible. AP Tourism runs very good daily/ weekly package tours as well.

Packages- Vizag is one of those cities wherein we have 5 star hotels for 3 star price, eg. we have the Taj and Welcom hotels where a room does'nt cost more than 3000/-! And, this season, usually all 3 star hotels- the Taj ( http://www.tajhotels.com), the Park ( http://www.theparkhotels.com) and Welcom group (link available on https://vizagcityonline.com) offer tremendous packages which it all the affordable!

How to get here- Vizag is connected by air from Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata by daily flights and is on the main railway line from Kolkata to Chennai. Also, Andhra now has undertaken massive renovation of roads and the whole stretch of National highway would be restored in a couple of months time.

I know, I know, I sound as if I am getting a commission out of your trip here, anyway, the only shortcoming I found on MS was that there were very little reviews on places. Since all of us are from so many locations, I thought it would be mutually helpful, or atleast informative to post up reviews about places visited, which would make the MS community closer and more exciting.

Note- in the review details, i've mentioned the best possible tour one can undertake.

Happy tourin'