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.
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Take for example Kuzhupilly village. Very unique village in Kochi with beautiful backwater, clean beach, and off the popular tourist track. Kuzhupilly is a fishing village and is just 26 km from the Kochi airport. Another attraction in Kuzhupilly is ample fresh seafood and shrimp farms.
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Cochin is a crossroads, not a destination. And the tourist traps in Kerala are over-priced, prone to greater inflation, filled with package tourists (I prefer the Goan hippies every time) and also prone to much more aggresive selling.
The problem with Kerala is that the package tourists aren't bartering and the atmosphere has suffered but that's another story...