Palolem beach has lately acquired star status here. Cradled in a curving bay between rocky headlands, it is one of GoaÂ’s most picturesque. It is not undiscovered, but the travellers here are young and independent and low key. There are no resorts, only a scattering of bamboo and thatch huts for rent, lots of good beach bars and cafes, and a strong whiff of susegad.
For seclusion, you need only to walk south over the rocky headland to the sandy cove of Colom, where a few long-stay travellers hang out. Further south is the lovely sweep of Patnem, where a limit on the number of beach shacks has kept things relatively quiet. Or go north to Agonda beach, a long, pristine strand with just a few places to stay. When I stopped for a swim and a stroll on the beach in the late afternoon, I was completely alone.
But my favourite Goan destination lies at the other end of the state, at the extreme northern tip. The journey is half the fun. Once across the Chopden estuary, tourism falters. On the coast, at beaches such as Morjim, Aswem and Mandrem, I found some beach huts, a few upmarket villas buried in coconut groves, and acres of white sand bordering the Arabian Sea. Arambol has one of the last of the great hippie beaches. Here is what Goa was 20 years ago.
Along the rural lanes beyond Arambol, old farmhouses are enclosed in latticed palm shade. The road twists through areca palms and banana plantations and rice paddies. The main traffic seemed to be pedestrian. Women in saris carried sacks on their heads. Startled roosters dashed back and forth. The bread delivery man passed on his bicycle, ringing his bell. On the banks of the River Arondem, I found a ferry just large enough for a battered truck, a convoy of schoolchildren and my scooter.
This was Goa as it was, not 20 years ago, but 100 years ago. This was Goa unspoilt.
Stanley Stewart travelled as a guest of Greaves Travel
The practical guide
A COMMON misconception is that Goa is small and easy to get around. Not true: the drive from north to south takes about four hours, and simply moving from one beach to the next can involve a long trip inland.
So, before you book, decide which beach best suits you. If your notion of nirvana is a chillum and a chill-out zone, you wonÂ’t want to find yourself stranded in a resort full of retirees.
Rule number two: donÂ’t be tempted to go out of season. The peak period is November to April; for much of the rest of the year, IndiaÂ’s west coast is battered by monsoon rains.
Finally, pick your sightseeing trips with care. You will almost certainly be offered excursions to fishing villages, spice plantations, waterfalls and so on. Some are fun, but not all. The waterfalls at Dudhsagar, for instance, are spectacular, but reaching them entails a round trip of up to six hours on potholed roads.
Even so, it’s worth hauling yourself off your sunbed to do some exploring. Don’t bother with the local buses: take taxis. Deal with a driver directly, rather than through your hotel, and you’ll pay about £10 for a full day’s chauffeuring.
THE NORTH
Broadly speaking, north Goa has the busier resorts, the more colourful nightlife and the more interesting boutique hotels. The first beaches to be colonised by hippies were Calangute and Baga; both are now heavily developed. But the construction of a new road bridge across the Chapora River has opened up the unspoilt beaches of Morjim, Mandrem and, beyond them, Keri and Arambol.
Starting in the far north, there is Fort Tiracol (00 91 236 622 7631; doubles from £53, half-board), with seven simple but elegant rooms overlooking a ravishing view; two with sun-washed terraces. The fort is eerily quiet and there is very little to do (not even a pool), but the food makes up for it. Its remoteness could be a problem for those who want to explore the rest of Goa, but the hotel can arrange scooter rental or a car with driver. Greaves Travel (020 7487 9111, www.greavesindia.com) has five nights there, plus one night in Mumbai, including flights from London with British Airways, internal flights and transfers, from £1,520pp. South of Keri, the road twists past paddy fields, prawn farms and rural hamlets towards Arambol. The better beaches are just south of here: Morjim is so quiet and pristine that olive ridley turtles still lay their eggs in the soft sand. The best place to stay is the incongruously named Montego Bay Beach
Village (00 91-982 215 0847, www.greavesindia.com) has five nights there, plus one night in Mumbai, including flights from London with British Airways, internal flights and transfers, from £1,520pp.
South of Keri, the road twists past paddy fields, prawn farms and rural hamlets towards Arambol. The better beaches are just south of here: Morjim is so quiet and pristine that olive ridley turtles still lay their eggs in the soft sand. The best place to stay is the incongruously named Montego Bay Beach Village (00 91-982 215 0847, www.montegobaygoa.com), which has Rajasthani tents with tiled bathrooms for £19 a night.
Just across the Chapora River is the village of Siolim, where a 17th-century Portuguese mansion has been converted into a seven-room heritage hotel. Casa Palacio Siolim House (832 227 2138, www.siolimhouse.com; doubles from £74, B&B) has huge rooms, antique beds, hardwood floors and a small pool. From £1,390pp, with Greaves (similar terms to Fort Tiracol).
If you want to dip a toe into Goa’s groovy scene, head to Vagator with its handful of beach shacks, some blasting out trance and house music. Cut inland past the village of Arpora and you’ll eventually reach the Nilaya Hermitage (832 227 6793, www.nilayahermitage.com; half-board doubles from £147). This 10-room boutique hotel is the ultimate in hippie chic, with Gaudi-esque broken-tile mosaics, a cobalt-blue chill-out room and a beautiful pool overlooking Baga. A-list guests have included Giorgio Armani, Richard Gere and — of course — Kate Moss. From £1,620 for five nights, including flights, again with Greaves.
Another boutique hotel worth considering is Casa Britona (937 131 1171, www.casabritona.com; doubles from £82, B&B), a former Portuguese warehouse, overlooking a backwater of the Mapusa River, which has been converted into an intimate guesthouse with six rooms, a small pool and friendly staff. The decor is tasteful and there is no menu — you simply discuss what you fancy with the chef. On the other side of the Mapusa River lies the capital, Panjim, a low-key town of crumbling colonial buildings, hole-in-the-wall bars and tree-lined boulevards. Not far away, and altogether more appealing, is the abandoned Portuguese city of Old Goa, now a dramatic collection of cathedrals and basilicas. Just around the headland from here is the Cidade de Goa, set in tropical gardens overlooking a small, effectively private beach. A week’s B&B costs from £649 with Hayes & Jarvis (0870 898 9890, www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk), for two sharing in high season, including flights from London.
THE SOUTH
South Goa has an altogether more languid and uncluttered feel, with the best beaches and the best beach hotels.
South of the airport at Dabolim you enter Salcete, bordered by a superb 15-mile beach. Your first stop should be Utorda — little more than a couple of hotels and a handful of beach shacks. The best is Zeebop (00 91-832 275 5333; open 9am-3pm, 6pm-11pm), with tables propped in the dunes and daily seafood specials.
Two minutes’ walk away is the four-star Kenilworth Beach Resort (832 275 5555, www.kenilworthhotels.com), which has an attractive pool area and a new spa and gym. A week’s B&B starts at £646 with Travelpack (0870 121 2040, www.travelpack-goa.com).
A little further south, at Benaulim, the five-star Taj Exotica (00 91 832 277 1234, www.tajhotels.com) has large colonial-style rooms looking out across lush grounds to tennis courts, a nine-hole golf course and a gorgeous stretch of beach. A week’s B&B costs from £1,094 with Kuoni (01306 743000, www.kuoni.co.uk).
Keep pushing south and you come to the fishing village of Mobor. The beach here is as soft, clean and uncrowded as anywhere in Goa, and is home to its classiest hotel, The Leela (832 287 1234, www.ghmhotels.com) — great food, a spa, a 12-hole golf course and villas arranged around sparkling lagoons. It also has excellent dining on its doorstep, including Betty’s Place (832 287 1038), which runs its own all-day boat trips (£9, including lunch and drinks). A week’s B&B costs from £859 with Hayes & Jarvis (0870 898 9890, www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk).
A mile from Mobor is the busy little resort of Cavelossim, where the Barretto family runs both the Goan Village Restaurant and the guesthouse opposite, Sao Domingo’s(00 91 832 287 1461, www.saodomingosgoa.com). A basic but clean, air-conditioned double room here will cost you £20 a night. Book direct or through Jewel in the Crown Holidays (01293 533338, www.jewelholidays.com); from £579 for a week, B&B.
Finally there’s Palolem, in the far south, with its gorgeous mile-long beach and continuous line of bars, restaurants and backpackers’ huts. The best place to stay is Ciaran’s (00 91 832 264 3477), where a spacious bungalow with thatched roof, balcony, hammock and hot shower costs £31 a night.
GETTING THERE
First Choice Airways and Excel Airways are among the charter carriers flying from the UK direct to Goa. Expect to pay from £400, from Gatwick or Manchester, through Travelrepublic (0845 612 1747, www.travelrepublic.co.uk), Flightline (0800 541541, www.flightline.co.uk) or Charter Flight Centre (0845 045 0153, www.charterflights. co.uk). The best scheduled option is to fly via Mumbai, one hour north of Goa. Opodo (0871 277 0091, www.opodo. co.uk) has fares from Heathrow from £460, with BMI and Indian Airlines; or from Manchester, Glasgow and others — from £500, using the same carriers as above. Or try Travelocity (0870 111 7060, www.travelocity.co.uk) and Travelbag (0870 814 4441, www.travelbag.co.uk).
Other tour operators include Direct Holidays (0870 191 9138, www.directholidays.co.uk), Odyssey Worldwide (0870 429 2020, www.odyssey holidays.com) and Somak Holidays (020 8423 3000, www.somak.co.uk).
