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India
Parvati beach huts are located on Palolem beach in south Goa at the quieter northern end of the beach. They have seven beach huts and ours had a spring mattress with our own attached shower/wc room. Free WiFi for the guests. They were clean and fairly priced.
www.hutspalolem.com
Google map: bit.ly/Kas9Nn
These are some fabulous beach cottages on the pristine Agonda beach. Lovely place to stay right in front of a huge beach.
www.agondagoa.com
Agonda Beach Huts, Agonda Village,
Canacona Goa. INDIA - 403702
Contact No : +91 99 234 82112
Google map: tinyurl.com/y9agnk6
Spacious and affordable ensuite rooms on the quieter north side of Palolem Beach in South Goa. Only 50 yards from the sea!
Baga Beach in Goa has a shack where, between 1300 and 1600 hrs, you can get a fresh fish tali for around 60p, accommodation is on the beach in the form of apartments, which are unbeatable in price with a fridge, tv and above all friendly advice.
Ask for Raymond who also has scooters for hire, this busy family concern caters for all walks of life and a stress free enviroment is ensured.
Tel: 0091 9822384032
Although "Goa trance" isn't really my music scene, I enjoyed Anjuna immensely. There are a whole lot of freaks out there and most of them travel into Anjuna at some point. There's a good choice of places to eat ranging from Tibetan, Indian and Chinese to Western.
Lots of bars abound on and around the beach areas and there's plenty of cheap accommodation for those on a tight budget.
The local nightclub is pretty impressive, even if it's all bang-gnab trance all night long.
The beach is medium sizee but really nice (just expect a lot of hawkers) and locals are as friendly as the tourists.
This is a really good place to relax on the beach by day and party by night. You also have a lot of options for exlporing the rest of Goa once you get there.
Anjuna beach, north Goa
Baga beach down by the creek at the quiet end of the Candolim - Calangute stip, is just perfect as a base for exploring north Goa. There are some excellent hotels, guest houses, restaurants and night clubs in the area. You can walk around the cliffs to Anjuna if you don't mind a bit of a hike. Half way round is a small secluded bay and beach shack imaginatively called "Cliffs" perfect for stopping of for a mid moring snack or drink.
Calangute is within walking distance in the other direction should you need the exercise, but a taxi or Tuc-Tuc will take you anywhere within north Goa for less than £10! The views from the top of Chapora fort or from Arambol lake are spectacular at any time of day and Vagator beach is fantastic for sundown.
The capital city of Panjim is also worth a visit as is Old Goa for the architecture and churches - a 3 day trip to Hampi is also well worth the time and trouble.
Dabolim airport is 70 mins away and Mapusa Station is 10 minutes away.
Whilst Goa is beautiful, jump on a train and head south to Fort Cochin in Kerala, with its “truly Indian” feel, unspoilt by ravers, the best food in the country and MUCH cheaper too.
It has an amazing fish market daily and at night the market becomes a series of outdoor restaurants. Watch the fishermen at dawn every day and sink a couple of ice cold beers as the sun sets over this little mini ‘island'.
Take an overnight train from Goa to Kerala.
A really great overnight trip is to the ruined city of Hampi in Karnataca. The highlights include sunrise and sunset over the city's pagoda like temples and drumming on the hollow pillars - they are like stone organ pipes inside the temples and when banged lightly, you can play a rhythm on them. The attached palace is interesting with its geometric buildings and elephant stables.
Hampi is popular as a school visit destination and the children thought my wife was Princess Di (trust me - my wife is lovely but there is no resemblance!) and would creep up to touch shyly as they had never seen a white European! They drove in from India's little tourist visited interior.
We took a taxi to Hampi from Dona Paulo and paid about £70 for the two-day trip. On the way we drove through a chilli farming region and the chillies were laid out on the road for passing cars to thresh.
A fascinating trip all in all - and we had our cheapest meal ever there - £1.80 for a three-course meal for both of us! Just what do you tip when the meal is so cheap?
Palolem in south Goa is a fantastic laid back beach. You can check out how beautiful it is by watching Matt Damon run along it during the opening 10 minutes of the Bourne Supremacy.
There are some great beach huts to rent (average price £7 per day). My favourite has to be Dreamcatcher at the north end run by Jacky and Walter. Jacky is from Liverpool via the asteroid belt while Walter is an ex Kerelan wrestling champion. They make you feel so welcome it feels like home after about 10 minutes.
The food the cook serves up is fresh and tasty (prawns the size of bananas and curries that are far tastier than anything you've had in the UK) while the bar will serve you anything from a lasi to a Kingfisher.
If yoga is your thing, Wayne (yes I know not the most mystical sounding name) does a sunrise (well 9am) class and a sunset one. There's also a variety of massage too.
The place is magical at night as it is lit by candles. You can either sit around the campfire or relax on a daybed by the bar.
If you're going to Goa and want a place that's not commercial, Palolem and Dreamcatcher is where you should head to.
As with other states, the Goan state government runs cheap one-day sight seeing trips for about US$1.00. Well worth the time.
Take a bus trip to north Goa or south Goa. Again, less than one dollar. Since public buses are crowded, go to a terminal and get a seat next to a window, so that one does not have to be put off by crowded passengers shoving.
Old homes. Recommended by government.
Goa state museum in Panjim. Good on history of Goa.
Study Portuguese. School, with short courses,in Porvorim.
Goa State Museum, EDC Complex, Pato, Panaji, Goa - 403001. Tel: 91-0832-2438006/2437306
A fascinating collection of rock-carvings, thought to date from the Upper Palaeolithic or Mesolithic eras (between 20,000 and 30,000 years old, although estimates seem to vary depending on who you ask).
These include an X-Ray style bull, a dancing woman, several maze-like whorls and a mysterious symbol which defies identification.
The site is next to a marvellously tranquil little river. The exposed rock can get very hot, so keep your sandals on!
The site was free when I went, but there's a guide who'll need a tip. Don't forget to sign his visitor's book.
The site is situated in or near an open-cast Iron Ore mine in South Goa. Approx 15km south of Rivona. It isn't easy to find and is a little bit of an adventure.
Find a friendly taxi-driver to take you there - it's about two hours drive from Calangute, and you'll almost certainly need to ask someone for directions in Konkani.
Is this your business?Search Been there
