Goa is a vacationers paradise, and we all know that. The question arises, where in Goa should one go for a holiday, how should one budget oneself, what time of the year should one visit, what kind of clothes to take, so on and so forth. Having braced myself with all these questions I deligently began my research on possible venues within Goa. I went through a lot of reviews in MS as well as other travel sites. All propogated a budget heavy holiday (considering that this was a December month plan and that is the peak season in Goa) and promised tonnes of fun surrounded by tonnes of people. Just what I wanted to avoid.
Then my brother, who is an avid traveler by any standard, let me in on one of his secret vacation spots in Goa- the Palolem beach in south Goa. So I did further research to learn that all is not hunky dory with the venue, to the extent that one person wrote to me asking me to be careful with drug peddlers and the cops. But Images of the beach had me sold to the idea. I decided to risk it and on arriving at Margoa (mudgaon) with 7 other friends, we hired a Rickshaw ( also called Sitara in rural maharastra, or dukkar gadi in the lower suburbs of Bombay) and made a beeline for Palolem.
With each passing minute on our way to Palolem we realized that this was going to be one good holiday. The road passed through fields at first and then through small mountains with winding roads and picturesque landscapes. [b] Margoa- Palolem :37kms [/b]
The Rickshaw driver seemed to know where we can get acco on the beach, so we let him lead us to the spot. The moment we reached, what was advertised along the way as coco-huts, we were stumped. The site was breathtaking. Visualise this… shacks made with bamboo, placed 6-8 ft above the sand on stilts, on the beach with each shack’s balcony facing the ocean. The shacks were basic and equipped with a double bed (big enough for 3) a bulb and a fan and what seemed like a lock on the door. The loos we learnt were common, but kept surprisingly clean. These shacks surrounded a beach side restaurant which catered to your room service needs.
We lost no time getting in the water. The sea bed here, they say is about 5 ft deep only, for about 100 mts into the ocean from the beach, however I am not sure how authentic the info is, so don’t go running into the water when u don’t know how to swim. The waves here are timid and one can easily just float on ones back in the ocean and go to sleep.
The beach is a small crescent with a beach restaurant every 50 mts or so. Each of them were tried in the 5 days that I was there and the verdict passed is : mind blowing food quality- extremely reasonable rates. If u happen to go there, don’t miss sitting on the lounging sofas made from gunny sacks and facing the ocean at Rendevous (another small restaurant) and sip on hot chocolate (yes, one tea/coffee/choco per day is allowed) and watch the raging ocean at night. Also have the chicken sizzler at a restaurant called Titanic. It’s the best I have eaten anywhere, and I mean anywhere.
Hiring bikes is as easy as buying soap in the city, and the folks there hand out some well kept machines. Riding in Goa is a great experience. The roads are good, the traffic light and the distances short. We covered Goa end to end in 3hrs flat. So there!
I heard a lot about having to be careful in Goa regarding thefts and mugging, but luckily we never experienced anything even close to this. The rooms were safe even though the door locks could hardly be called locks, and while riding back to base camp late at night (11pm) I have even seen couples walking on completely deserted stretches banked by forests and fields. But once again, its best to exercise caution than to be sorry later.
We were there in the first week of December and it was very cold at nights. The days were warm though and the water clean and splendid. If you are looking for activity, pubs, discos etc., this is not the place for u. But if u think there is nothing better than lazing on a quiet beach with a drink on one side and chilly pork sausages on the other, then Palolem is the place.
Expenses: The whole trip, inclusive of AC travel back and forth, stay, food, + miscellaneous worked out to under 4000 INR per head, which I think is a real steal.