Beach Holidays — GOA
Think of Goa, and think of a coastal retreat with sights of gleaming sands and azure waters with a shimmering sun in the backdrop. A lush green landscape edges the golden coastline, which overlooks the seas in the beach capital of India, Seafood, spicy curries, vibrant markets, wild nightlife and much more. Although the smallest state in the country, Goa is one of the nation’s biggest tourist destinations.
Tourists typically know Goa as North and South Goa ,the former being the place to be if you’re looking forward to a “happening” holiday (See pictures below)
and the latter, if you need a more relaxing respite from your hectic lifestyle (See the pictures below)
Whether you’re planning a family holiday, a quick weekend getaway with friends or looking to spend some cherished moments with that special someone, Goa has all the ingredients for a perfect holiday recipe.
North Goa — offers sprightly beaches like Baga, Calangute, Anjuna, Vagator and Arambol etc that necklace the northern coastline with tons of shacks buzzing with life, serving lip-smacking delicacies from the Konkan cuisine with cocktails and mocktails to go along.
South Goa — is rather mellow, with serene beaches like Colva, Palolem which are cut off from the world, but really worth paying a visit if you are looking for some peace and quiet.
(Considering the kind of person I am I prefer South Goa moreover North as I love spending time with nature)
So, while my cousin & me were planning for a long weekend getaway during Holi we decided 2 nights stay in South Goa (Palolem) and as she is a Party person she preferred North Goa for partying so 1 night in North Goa (Near Baga). We booked our tickets along with resort bookings well in advance so that there is no chaos during the holiday.
Then finally the day arrived — 21st March 2019, the Holi Day. We wished our family with some gulal on face & had sweets.Then at around 9:30 AM left for airport we reached in about an hour being an holiday there was no traffic. Boarded our flight at 12 and landed Goa at around 3, collected our luggage, while we were looking for taxis, as we didn’t had any prior cab bookings from Airport to Palolem we discovered there were Govt authorised Taxi service at Airport. It was fixed rates there(no bargaining) (Attached photo for prices for your references).
So, we booked a cab and made our way to our Resort in Palolem, South Goa, Palolem is situated in Canacona in southern Goa.The beach attracts many international tourists, mainly during the winter season between November and March. It is considered to be one of the region’s most beautiful beaches. Palolem was about one and half hour’s taxi drive from Airport so we reached our Resort(Marron Sea View Resort) at 5. It was so beautiful and serene full of greenery !
Palolem is an idyllic white crescent beach naturally blessed with palm trees lining the shore, calm turquoise sea and colorful beach huts, Lined with palm trees and colorful wooden shacks
View of our Beautiful Resort from the beach and our Cosy Cottage !
After we reached, collected our keys from reception had a nice bath and then had a not so light lunch at around 5:30 PM.
SO, we had our lunch and went out for an evening stroll on beach withour taking a nap, we relished in feeling the warm refreshing Arabian sea lap against our toes. Locals trying to sell their wares. We decided to buy some beach stuffs. We did shopping from one of the beach shop and the girl at the shop insisted on getting clicked with us as she found us to be very chirpy, friendly and sweet didi’s to her ! (haha)
The sky turned from pastel peach to oranges then pink. The night sky was pitch black. It definitely had a laid back vibe and we watched as fishermen gathered their nets on the beach while sun was settling down.
To do on Palolem :
Palolem beach includes yoga classes, dolphin-spotting boat trips, Ayurvedic massages and sient discos, permanent & temporary tatoo etc.
One of my to do list in Goa included — to get atleast a temporary tatoo. Pictures below :
Many people, like me, loves South Goa for quieter, relaxing weekend. ❤
I am in LOVE !
There were shops and a few bars. We had fun talking and joking with the locals and each other, they really made us feel part of the community and quickly recognised our faces. We had most amazing dinner facing the beach with few drinks ! Then, whilst we sat down for an hour. This made it such a pleasure to relax purely to enjoy the simple, chilled life with some nice music !
So to sum up Palolem — it really is a tranquil slice of paradise!
The second day too went well with waking up in the morning. Had our lovely breakfast with the beach view.
We explored Palolem on foot. Tried local cuisines, went to German bakery has stuffs there.
As the sun set on our last evening, we sat on the beach and reminisced at how magical our time had been. Even though the sun had disappeared, there was such a nice atmosphere we chose to stay a few hours. We listened to the music playing.
People lit paper lanterns and set them adrift into the sky. We watched as they faded into the distance forming an orange dot on the skyline, noticeably different to the gleaming white of the stars. We made a new friend there too.
We went to sleep late at night. The next day we woke up a lil late. Again some nice breakfast before we leave for North Goa. Already it was giving me a nostalgic feeling. But hat to do Life goes on. So, we started at around 11 AM and it took us around 2 hours to reach Baga, It was loud, crazy and jam packed. We checked into our hotel and then went to have some nice local lunch.
After lunch we took a small nap. Again in the evening we went to Baga Beach. Spent a quality time there till late night.
Went to hotel . It was our last day in Goa next day we were going to be back in Delhi and same office chores. In the morning we had our breakfast at hotel buffet. Had a nice swim, bought some cashews for home etc. Packed our bags, took a cab to Airport with heavy hearts.
So until we meet again “GOA”.
All in one It was a MAGICAL TRIP ❤
