Ocean Creative Retreat
Thalassophile
A person who feels a deep love and emotional connection to the sea or ocean
Our creative friends in the south of India have been urging us to bring HWR closer to them. Now we have.
We cannot move mountains but we have found an equally inspiring venue right by the ocean where nature will be your muse. If the Himalayan altitude, winding mountain roads, distance or weather have deterred you from visiting the Himalayan retreat, we're closer now.
The Creative Writing Course (CWC) will be our first event by the Ocean. It is the most popular writing course of the Himalayan Writing Retreat, possibly India. Its alums have published scores of books, been featured in Literary magazines and won multiple awards. You may groan at Chetan's dad jokes though.
Punning as always, Chetan said "Matter exists in three states. HWR now exists in two - Uttarakhand and Karnataka."
The Ocean Retreat is the white building with the red roof
Past Retreats
Memories
About the Venue
The Ocean retreat is 50 km south of Gokarna, on the beach.
The Ocean retreat is spread out. Seven rooms sit atop three almost private beaches. It is ensconsed in nature, surrounded by beauty and wilderness. In addition to walking on the beach, the cliffs just above the retreat offers some great hikes and views.
Neither place is pretentious. Rustic as opposed to manicured, earthy instead of high luxury, both places connect us to our creative essence. Instead of a swimming pool, there is the big blue ocean to swim in . Instead of air conditioning expect a cool sea breeze. Instead of a fancy menu, expect a buffet of drool-inducing home cooked North Kerala cuisine.
There are no classrooms here. The learning spaces are a mix of outdoor spaces and verandahs with comfortable seating. The Ocean retreat is well run with great food and magnificent sunsets. The birds sing as loudly here, and the surf replaces the silence.
Gallery
How to Reach
By Air
Mangaluru Airport (IXE):
Distance: 175 kms
₹5000/-for AC cab
Duration: 3 hours
Goa Dabolim International Airport (GOI):
Distance: 185kms
₹6000/-for AC cab
Duration: 4 hours
By Rail
In the order of preference, based on distance from the Ocean Retreat to the railway station, following are the stations we can arrange a pick up or drop for participants coming / going by train for a nominal fee. Please note that different trains stop at different stations.
Honnavar
14 kms to the North ₹400/- for non ac Maruti Van
Murdeshwar
15 kms to the South, ₹400/- for non ac Maruti Van
Kumta
32 kms to the North,₹600/- for non ac Maruti Van
Bhatkal
35 kms to the South ₹700/- for non ac Maruti Van
If anyone needs help in train booking, please contact Vimal @ 9870428665 who will find the correct train and book it for you for a fee. He also does Tatkal ticketing.
By Road
Sleeper / Seater buses are available:
Mumbai-Honnavar Circle 12 hours
Bangalore-Honnavar Circle 8 hours
You can also check the driving time to Honnavar Circle. We will guide you on how to drive to the Ocean Retreat from there.
