Goa

It was just a short 1 hour flight from Mumbai to Goa. We were going to be spending 2 nights in North Goa (Calangute) where our tour would come to an end. I then decided to spend an extra 7 nights in South Goa with some friends from the tour, mainly to enjoy the beautiful beaches!

Typical India that our flight was delayed from Mumbai and then the taxis were striking in Goa so it was then around a 2 hour bus ride from the airport to Calangute. When we eventually got to the hotel it was late afternoon and it was time for a much needed drink before heading to the beach for dinner! I tried Goan fish curry for the first time which was really nice. 

We spent the next day at the beach before our final night of the tour. We headed to Calangute beach which was the nearest and most popular beach - North Goa was very touristy in particular for Indian and Russian people on their holidays, so the beaches were very busy. Not my preference! There was also cows on the beaches too which was fun to see! After spending the day relaxing on the beach we headed to Baga, the town next to Calangute for dinner and to party! 

The next day we checked out of the hotel and 4 of us got a taxi from North Goa to South Goa which took around 3 hours. We stayed on Palolem beach which is one of the main beaches in South Goa and a hot spot for Yoga! North and South Goa felt like 2 completely different places with North being like a party town and South being a more chilled holiday destination with much nicer and less crowded beaches. I definitely preferred South Goa!

I also visited Agonda Beach (a quieter and more upmarket beach) and Patnem beach (a smaller and more secluded beach) for the day which are both around a 10-15 minute tuk tuk ride away from Palolem. I think you could probably walk to Patnem from Palolem but I wouldn’t advise in the 30+ degree heat! 

Agonda Beach

Patnem Beach 

Palolem was definitely my favourite beach and from the photos you can probably see why! It was about 1 mile long with bars and restaurants all along with plenty of choices for dinner, lunch and drinks! You could chill on sunbeds, hammocks or beanbags all day and kinda just watch life go by - pretty much what I did for a week! There was still plenty of cows roaming the beaches and the roads! 

The food in Palolem was amazing - delicious currys and fresh seafood. Definitely the best food out of anywhere else I’d been in India! Nearly every bar offered happy hour and you could buy beer as cheap as £1 or less and cocktails for around £2 - bargain! Perfect when watching the sunset and day drinking!

In one of the beach huts I stayed in they offered free classes such as Yoga, Pilates and singing drums which is a bit like meditation! So it was good to get involved in some classes. Most of the places I stayed in were no more than a 100m walk to the beach so you could hear the sea when going to sleep at night and waking up in the morning. 

It was a blissful week in Goa but I can’t stay on the beach and drink cocktails forever. Next stop Kuala Lumpur for 2 nights!!