Kovalam, about 16 km from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala State, is an internationally renowned beach resort, Kovalam has been a favourite haunt of tourists for decades. Kovalam has three crescent beaches formed by rocks projecting into the Arabian Sea. The southernmost of these is known as the Lighthouse Beach. Kovalam is a sheltered natural bay, its shark free waters is fringed with coconut groves and miles of fine sand. It offers facilities like good accommodation to suit all budgets and a range of sea food restaurants facing the beach. A massive rocky promontory on the beach has created a beautiful bay of calm waters ideal for sea bathing. The leisure options at this beach are plenty and diverse - sunbathing, swimming, herbal body toning massages, special cultural programmes, Catamaran cruising etc. The tropical sun acts so fast that one can see the faint blush of coppery tan on the skin in a matter of minutes. Life on the beach begins late in the day and carries on well into the night.