AS pale Brits step outside Trivandrum airport in south India, they open up like flowers in the sunshine, writes Sylvia Kingsley.

Matching smiles with the locals and beams from Jumbos on posters saying "Don't buy ivory it looks better on elephants", images of winter fade fast.

Bumping along red-earth roads into Kovalam's beach resort, you capture the colours of India in one glance.

Bright pink and mauve shacks dazzle in the sun, surrounded by luxuriant scenery; vivid saris are laid out to dry on the grass and, children, dogs and goats run in all directions.

Kerala, meaning Coconut, because of the abundant crop, is a long ribbon of a country between mountains and the Arabian Sea, a bewitching and beautiful state of scattered palm-fringed beaches, and a vast network of enchanting backwaters of canals, lagoons and lakes, stretching from one end to the other.

Cool Hill Stations and wildlife beckon in the north to add variety to this leisurely part of India, which once attracted many nations with its valuable pungent spices, ivory and woods.

Often called the Venice of the Tropics, Kerala is still just lightly brushed by tourism, but word is getting around and more hotels come along annually.

Kovalam, with its acres of clean sand, cliffs and headland setting is a prime attraction, offering all kinds of watersports, catamarans, fishing and accommodation, from budget to luxury.

You can get delicious meals for around £2 at beach restaurants, and £3 in hotels; eat fresh papaya all day and take three-hour walks along Ashok's Beach to watch fishermen bring in the catch.

Relaxed and uncrowded, Kovalam has a colourful street bazaar and a series of cubby-hole shops running down to the sea that can stitch up a shirt or dress for a few pounds in a day.

Once the seat of the Rajas of Travancore, a Royal Palace still stands in the grounds of the Ashok Beach resort, where you can rent a comfortable suite if you wish, with the Royal flags flying outside.

After you've rested a few days, take a rice boat cruise. From one to five days, you can sit back on your adapted boat, with its mod cons, and drift past life on the river bank, while a friendly foursome crew turn out typical Keralan food, all served on huge banana leaves. A finger-lickin' experience they call it, or plates and cutlery if you wish.

You can accompany the cook on route to markets to buy fresh fish, pomfret, snapper and tuna, which is cooked with many herbs, vegetables we've never heard of, and many tasty memories to recall.

Onion and pumpkin curries, special breads and freshly-picked fruits complete the boat's menus and you don't miss eggs and toast at all. Should you like some, the crew will oblige.

Drifting through canals filled with blue hyacinths, watching children or cows being scrubbed down or sent off to school are all part of the scene. So is the occasional water buffalo cooling off in the shallows.

Music wafts out from temples at all hours, keeping fishermen awake, and sepia dawns and fading sunsets leave indelible memories like old watercolour paintings.

Stopping off at riverside villages to watch a festival, meet the people, see rope and boats being made, stretches the legs and adds fun.

Made of bamboo and jackfruit tree wood, rice boats were once the only form of transport to carry people and cargo through Kerala. Now they have many uses. Arriving by boat at the Coconut Lagoon is magic. A collection of old Keralan houses have been imaginatively sited between lagoons and the sea in a spell binding setting.

Your cottage here will have an open-air bathroom with a coconut tree reaching to the sky.

Tours through local villages are arranged from here, including a trip to the bird sanctuary to see some unusual specimens at Kumarakom.

Kathakali (mime dancing) whiles away an evening and Indian musicians playing under the stars is an attractive feature.

By day, you can be pummelled with sandalwood oil and turmeric powder at the Ayurvedic Massage Parlour, for a life enchanting experience.

Ayurvedic or Science of Life Centres are all over Kerala. It is a natural form of medicine developed thousands of years ago, using herbs and oils. Coconut Lagoon grows its own herbs outside the parlour and they are picked daily.

Robinson Crusoe overlooked Marari Beach on his travels, but it must have been by accident. Near the coastal town of Allepey, this unending stretch of fine sand, like white silk, fronts a turquoise sea and a complex of luxury cottages in a natural setting of magnificent trees and lily ponds, with boats and hammocks and an unmatchable sunset. It would be heaven to get marooned here!

Marari's Ayurvedic Centre has one particular trained masseur who uses his feet for body massage, for conditions where extra pressure is required.

If you tire of bliss, you can hire a cycle or take an hour's boat or car ride to the capital, Cochin.

A city with a cosmopolitan history, you can spend hours wandering among the narrow streets looking for antiques and silks, or watch the ancient style of Chinese net fishing along the waterfront.

Back to Kovalam's picturesque resort, I had a cotton housecoat run up for all of £6 in a day. Then, a back-strengthening treatment of hot herbs at the Soft Touch Ayurvedic Parlour to help on the flight back.

Next time, I'll have an outdoor massage overlooking the sea. One visit is not enough for Kerala.

Reproduced from Limited Edition magazine, exclusive guides to living in Hertfordshire, Middlesex and the London Borough of Barnet (01923 216295).

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