News Latest Information on Travelling to Andaman Islands?

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All asymptomatic fully vaccinated persons coming to these islands from mainland are exempted from the requirement of carrying RT-PCR negative test report,irrespective of the type of vaccine received and country of origin. Such fullyvaccinated individuals shall produce the final vaccination certificate at the origin airport, sea port in the mainland and at Port Blair Airport / sea port.
Alt asymptomatic children below 5 years of age are exempted from carrying RT-PCR negative test report and further RT-PCR testing at Port Blair Airport.
All other passengers viz. unvaccinated and partially vaccinated passengers (those who have taken only 1S1 dose of COVID vaccine) shall have to produce RT-PCR negative test report to travel to Port Blair from the mainland, as is the practice now. Such an RT-PCR test should have been taken within 48 hours prior to commencement of journey from the origin airport connecting Port Blair. Such passengers will also have to undergo additional RT-PCR test on arrival at Port Blair. Such passengers shall remain in self-quarantine till the arrival of the test report.
If a passenger on arrival is tested positive then, the prescribed quarantine protocol is to be followed.
All Airlines shall ensure strict compliance of this order and observance of COVID Appropriate Behaviour. Any non-compliance shall invite action under Disaster Management Act and other applicable laws.

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General Guidelines defined for traveling to Andaman Islands during COVID :

The Tourism Activities are permitted only in South Andaman & North & Middle Andaman District except Nicobar District.
Persons above 65 years of age, persons with home co-morbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years advised not to travel for tourism purposes.
Tourists/Visitors who are at higher risk due to some medical history are advised to take extra precautions.
Tourists/visitors shall minimize contact with other staff and visitors as far as possible and zero contact policy should be followed at all tourist destinations.
All tourists/visitors shall be briefed by the hotel concerned about do’s & don’ts to be mandatorily followed during their stay and movements.
While travelling tourists/visitors should wear a face mask and carry their own sanitizer and wet wipes for personal use.
At all tourist destinations, staff must wear face masks and wash/sanitize hands regularly while performing their duties.
Arogya Setu App shall be mandatory for all incoming tourists/visitors.
Respiratory etiquettes to be strictly followed. This involves strict practice of covering one’s mouth and nose while coughing/sneezing with a tissue handkerchief/flexed elbow and disposing off used tissues properly after use.
The tourists/visitors on arrival at Port Blair airport have to undergo mandatory Covid-19 screening with RTPCR test free of cost. Thereafter the tourists/ visitors are allowed to move to their respective hotels. However, they will have to be under quarantine at Port Blair in their hotel rooms until the result of RTPCR tests are received. In case of RTPCR positive test results, the tourists/visitors shall remain in institutional quarantine in hotels notified by the Hoteliers Association in consent with the A&%N Administration, on rate as specified or to the designated hospital/ Covid 19 care centre on case to case basis.

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What are the guidelines for testing for tourists coming to Andaman after August 03 2021?

On arrival at Port Blair :

1. The tourists need to carry COVID-19 negative test report from mainland based 1CMR approved lab using Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR). However, the sample for RTPCR test should have been taken within 48 hours prior to starting the journey from the origin station. (For e.g. if the tourist takes a flight from Delhi at 0600 hrs. on 1st September, 2021, the sample for RTPCR test should have been taken not before 0600 hrs. on 30th August, 2021).

2. The tourists/visitors on arrival at Port Blair airport have to undergo mandatory Covid-19 screening with RTPCR test free of cost. Thereafter the tourists/visitors are allowed to move to their respective hotels. However, they will have to be under quarantine at Port Blair in their hotel rooms until the result of RTPCR tests are received. In case of RTPCR positive test results, the tourists/visitors shall remain in
institutional quarantine in hotels notified by the Hoteliers Association in consent with the A&N Administration, on rates as specified or to the designated hospital/ Covid-19 care centre on case-to-case basis.

3. Tourists may also have to undergo random Rapid Antigen Test conducted from time to time on payment basis as prescribed by A8N Administration.

What if the tourists test positive after arriving at the Andaman Islands?

If the tourists tests positive during their stay in the Islands, he/she will need to undergo institutional isolation as per existing health protocols. The
cost of such isolation for govt. facility will be paid by the tourists as fixed by the administration from time to time.

If the patient wants to stay at hotels, he/she can stay in the hotels if all the conditions below are met:

a) Patients are not symptomatic and not more than 60 years old.
b) Request/ undertaking is made by patient in writing.
c)lf allowed by doctors.

Hotels will make necessary arrangements to designate a part of their rooms for institutional isolation for this purpose.

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Regular flights to Port Blair (the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands) are operational now.
There are direct flights from Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Delhi.
Public transports like cabs, taxis, and bus services are also functional.

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Travellers should carefully follow social distancing norms and wear masks as well. Also, before making any booking, they should refer to the latest travel news on the government website of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

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Cost of a Beach Wedding in Havelock Island

Date : 06 Dec 2021

Categories: Andaman Travels Travel Guide

How about a wedding celebration with no roof, no walls, and no hall? Sounds crazy, right?

Some of the most typical assumptions about Indian weddings are:

Hundreds of guests
In a banquet hall. Or in Goa, if you want to a beach wedding.
Lakhs and crores spent.

And if you don’t want to be a part of this ‘not so happening’ wedding culture, then head to the gorgeous Havelock Island (now known as Swaraj Dweep) for the beach wedding of your dreams. This island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is one of the loveliest places in the country and getting married here is the dream of every lovebird.

A beach wedding in Havelock Island is something that every Indian (and foreign) couple dreams of. Finalising the wedding venue and being happy about it as well is something that has become a bit tricky now, given the number of choices. More often, the bride and the groom end up saying “Let’s just fly to a secluded island and exchange rings in front of people we love the most!” Of course, nobody wants to bear the expenses of those distant cousins and other relatives whom you have never met. Well, an intimate beach wedding on the sandy beach of Havelock Island is your best bet in this case.

Food is one of the most important aspects of a wedding. Your family members and friends are definitely going to talk about it for years if it is mouth-watering. Havelock Island Beach Resort has an on-site restaurant, Sea Dragon, that serves multi-cuisine food like Indian, Chinese, etc. The dishes are rated extremely delicious by the guests staying here. You should try seafood while you are here. A view of the sea, friendly staff and lip-smacking food- there is no other place that brings all these together like the resort’s bar- Nemo Café and Bar. This delightful café has grown to be one of the most incredible places for enjoying a quiet dinner by the seashore. Its cosy setting includes comfortable sitting, lovely ambient lighting, and soothing music.

Beach Wedding in Havelock Island

A beach wedding in Havelock Island: Pros & cons

Pros

The most important and the biggest point in favor of a beach wedding in Swaraj Dweep is that the whole ceremony is extremely beautiful. There are tall green palm trees, silky sand, crashing waves, and a lot more. Everything is breathtaking. The landscape of your venue is straight from a fairytale. Imagine the kind of wedding photographs you will be getting. These will be your memories for a lifetime.

It is a blessing in disguise that there is low phone and internet connectivity on the island. Places like Goa where everyone is glued to their mobile screens are not so good in this regard as people are more invested in Facebook and Instagram rather than the ceremonies. When you are disconnected from the outside social media world, you are able to cherish each and every moment even more.

Cons

The remoteness of Havelock Island is the tough part, and the journey can be difficult for some of you. For the majority of things, you will have to depend on your booked resort for making all the arrangements and controlling everything remotely. You have to be flexible about your preferences as there isn’t too much flexibility and choice. Fortunately, there is one luxurious property on the island that is incredibly helpful at every stage- Havelock Island Beach Resort (HIBR).

Havelock Island Beach Resort offers an array of amenities to its prestigious guests by providing an ideal mix of value, comfort, and convenience. It offers the best of the Andaman tropical vibes and a refreshing ambience. The guests are offered an experience like no other with all the advanced amenities and services that are required for a relaxing stay in the Andamans. The resort offers rooms under four categories- Deluxe Cottage, Suite Cottage (Sea Facing Beach Front), Family Suite Cottage, and Luxury Suite (Sea Facing Beach Front Cottage). Well-furnished and beautifully decorated, the rooms offer total comfort to all guests. A LED television with satellite channels is also there for entertainment. In addition to that, the rooms also have a mini-fridge and tea maker. The interior decorations are appealing and soothing to travellers.

Picking the vendors

Havelock Island Beach Resort is a great pick. The beachfront property is the perfect combo of luxury and comfort. It will arrange the best wedding photographers for you who will cover all your wedding functions closely. In an intimate wedding, their crew will be like having friends who know how to shoot the wedding. Along with candid shots (of course!), you will also get mesmerizing drone shots of the venue and much more.

Skillful makeup artists will also be available for the bride and others so that you can look like a fairy on earth.

Why a beach wedding in Swaraj Dweep?

Whether you want a close wedding in the lap of nature or both of you are avid travellers who are always looking to experience something unique, getting married under the blue sky in open is undoubtedly the best choice that you can make. Be ready for something unexpected, unexplored, and out of the box at the same time.

Beach Wedding in Swaraj Dweep

Let’s get down to the business. What does a gorgeous beach wedding like this in Havelock Island cost?

A beach wedding on this splendid island is not so much of a costly affair. It will cost less than INR 10 lakhs for a one-day wedding celebration. In case you are spending on everyone’s air travel and accommodation, then your budget will surely increase.

If you want to host other functions also before and after the wedding, then the expenses will be like this:

Particulars	Cost
DJ (Indian)- 3 nights DJ (International)- 3 nights	Rs.25,000-Rs.50,000 per night Rs.1 lakh-2 lakhs per night
Decorations	Rs.3 lakhs-Rs.7 lakhs (depending on your choice of accessories, flowers, drapes, etc.)
Rain dance	Rs.50,000
Pool party	Rs.1 lakh-Rs.1.50 lakhs
Round trip transfers (ferry, car)	Rs.4,000-6,000 per person
Food	Rs.1500-Rs.2500 per plate – one time
Bridal makeup	Starts from Rs.30,000 (one session)
Accommodation cost	Rs.6000 onwards to 15,000 for 2 persons in one room
Underwater ring exchange for the couple	Rs.1 lakhs onwards with proper video coverage
Taxes	GST & all government taxes extra

You can have all your wedding ceremonies and parties at Havelock Island Beach Resort including the following:

Pool party
Cocktail night
Haldi ceremony
Sangeet ceremony
Mehendi ceremony
Wedding ceremony
Reception ceremony

Wedding at Havelock Island Beach Resort

Areas available for a wedding at Havelock Island Beach Resort

Indoor (Hall): 120 seating and 200 floating
Outdoor (Lawn): 600 seating and 1000 floating

Where to get married?

Apart from Havelock Island Beach Resort, there are other top properties also where you can tie the knot. These are mentioned below:

Taj Exotica Resort and Spa: The property occupies 46 acres on the famed Radhanagar Beach in Havelock Island. It is a lavish gateway to an internationally crucial biodiversity hotspot in the Bay of Bengal. The property is fringed by a strip of mangroves overlooking the beach. The guests here are welcomed with a traditional song written by young Nicobari colleagues. They can take rest over the massive buttresses of an Andaman Padauk tree or ruminate by the water lily pond after a lavish massage. They can also choose to hit the treadmill at the fitness centre built around a majestic Mahua tree soaring up one level to the Olympic-length infinity swimming pool.

Silver Sand Beach Resort: It is located in close proximity to major tourist hotspots in Havelock Island. The staff speaks multiple languages and is always ready to help esteemed guests. A lavish stay, the hotel is neat and clean and has its modern spa and massage centre. This luxurious property is suitable for all kinds of tourists. Guests can indulge in different exciting water sports that are offered at various beaches on the island. The resort offers the best of the Andaman tropical vibes and a refreshing ambience. Offering its guests an experience like no other, it provides advanced amenities and services that are required for a relaxing stay on the island.

Munjoh Beach Resort: From the elegant and spacious rooms to the exquisite restaurants and banquet halls, this beach resort offers only the finest in all aspects of the stay. The tourists staying here are left happy and satisfied with their stay. For a comfortable and hassle-free stay in Havelock Island, this resort is your best bet. In the heart of this gorgeous island, the property is the one-stop destination for comfort and convenience.
Seashell Havelock: At Sea Shell Resort, an idyllic beach vacation awaits you! Stay at an exotic villa nestled amidst sky-high coconut trees and verdant surroundings. If you are vacationing with your kids, then they can enjoy to their heart’s content at the separate play area. Enjoy mesmerising ocean views from your rooms. With a private beachfront, enjoy so many other exclusive services like easy connectivity to the ferry station, along with a helipad and seaplane terminal just a kilometer away. There is an in-house scuba diving center where you can practice and enjoy scuba activities and professional diver courses.
Coral Reef Resort: Coral Reef Resort provides a beautiful panoramic view of the sea along with a spa with steam and sauna experiences to rejuvenate the mind and body. The property has modern rooms with the required facilities and 24-hour housekeeping services that ensure the complete comfort of its guests. The rooms are cosy and the food is mouth-watering here. Promising to make your Andaman experience unforgettable, this resort is a recommend accommodation in Swaraj Dweep. Banqueting and conference facilities are also available at the resort. If you are looking for some adventure, then it will also book your snorkeling and scuba diving session along with treks and tours. It is highly preferred by tourists visiting Havelock Island.
Symphony Palms Beach Resort and Spa: In the heart of lovely Swaraj Dweep, Symphony Palms Beach Resort is the one-stop destination for comfort and convenience. It is located in very close proximity to all the tourist hotspots on the island. The staff speaks multiple languages and is always ready to help esteemed guests. A lavish stay, the resort is neat and clean and is nearby the points of interest. It is suitable for all kinds of travellers. Guests can indulge in different exciting water sports that are offered at the different beaches of the island. They can book their slots at the reception. You are sure to experience the Andaman’s tropical vibes at their best there.

Cost of a Destination Beach Wedding in Havelock Island

Climate

The climate of Havelock Island is warm tropical. There is irregular rainfall during the southwest monsoon. Sea breezes are also common in its tropical climate. The minimum temperature here is 23 degrees Celsius while the maximum temperature is 31 degrees Celsius.

Wedding months

The whole year in Swaraj Dweep witnesses a hot and sunny climate. For a beach wedding, we would recommend you to completely avoid the rainy season (from June to August). The wedding season usually starts from October and goes on till April. However, the best months for a wedding in Havelock Island are between November and February.

Budget

It will cost you nearly 40 to fifty lakhs for a typical two-night destination wedding with 100 rooms at a 5-star property in Havelock Island. If you select a decent 4-star hotel/resort, then the cost drops down to 35 lakhs INR. This expenditure includes events and decorations.

Area

Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the perfect destination for a beach wedding owing to a number of factors. Wonderful natural marvels like lovely sandy beaches, lush greenery, colorful coral reefs, crystal-clear blue water, and unlimited solitude are found here only. All the beach venues in the Andamans are equipped with these.

It is surely a fast-paced world and amidst all this craziness, you definitely deserve a breath of fresh ocean air at a natural setting. A beach wedding in Havelock Island is economical as well as extremely beautiful!

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