
The Island Beach: A secret spot turned shared treasure off Chennai
Now, I know what you are thinking. I probably took her to Marina, or to Besant Nagar, or to one of the beaches on the Thiruvanmiyur stretch. But those were not it. I was determined to make this one special for her and so I decided to take her to an island beach — one of our coastal stretch's best-kept secrets. One that my father came to know of 15 years ago. One that was synonymous with summer for me as a child.
So, on a cloudy Sunday, in May, we packed breakfast and lunch, and set out on a two-hour-long drive. With one car trailing another, we headed to Odhiyur, located 90 kilometres away from Chennai, en route to Puducherry.
On the banks of Odhiyur Lake stands the Mudaliarkuppam Boat House, also known as the Raindrop Boat House. Here you can hire a boat and ask to be dropped off at the island beach where you can spend a couple hours and return to the mainland. The boathouse also offers kayaks, pedal boats, water scooters, and speedboat services.
After making a quick pit-stop at Thiruvidandhai, ECR, for breakfast, we headed to our destination.

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