Varkala, Kerala

We began our trip chilling by the pool in a touristy beach town on the east coast of India, and we're ending it chilling by the pool on the west coast, in Varkala, Kerala, a town the Rough Guide describes as having a "vaguely cheesy new age scene" centered on several yoga ashrams. For us, the lure was an incredible beach on the Arabian sea, and a hotel with a great pool, one that is set in a private courtyard and is nicely shaded by mid-afternoon. (Hotel Raja Park). Not bad for $18 a night.