2017 is turning out to be the year of long weekends… and beaches seem to be the theme this year…
After the Thailand trip in Jan, headed to the popular destination Goa (state in India) this time around
Hotels
Have stayed at variety of Hotels in Goa over the past few years including luxurious Taj Exotica, Park Hyatt and family resorts like Club Mahindra. While selecting a hotel – suggest you focus on the following:
- Proximity to Beach (after all its a beach vacation !)
- Location in Goa – South is quieter (less crowded) and North is the popular (more clubs, casinos and touristy spots)
- In-house restaurant – Just in case you get bored of shack food and need some more variety (and quality)
If you end up going in summers (Mar – Jun), it may be too hot to enjoy outdoor during afternoons. SS Tip: Consider spending lil extra for a larger room/ suite to catch up on much needed rest (or work) !
Things to Do
Goa is blessed with a long coastline – you can keep walking and move from one beach to another in a matter of minutes ! South Goa has some of the quieter beaches where you enjoy the sunsets with no noise or crowds…
There are covered shacks across beaches for food and drinks. They have even started offering wifi and card payments ! The typical water sports package is available at reasonable rates across beaches – these include parasailing, jet ski, banana boat and so on…
You can also check out old Goa which has many churches from 16/17th century… most of the churches are concentrated around Basilica of Bom Jesus which contains mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier !
Travel
There is no Uber or such service in Goa. You are at the mercy of Taxi unions whose charges ain’t cheap! It is advisable to book airport trips from your hotel itself. Alternatively, when you land, you can book prepaid taxi from the airport. There are taxi stands near the big resorts so you can book the return trip/ tour packages during your stay – rates are broadly fixed (e.g. INR 4.5k for 8 hours and INR 2.5k for 4 hours – one way trips are around INR 1-2k based on distance).
For the adventurous, you can hire 2 wheelers (bike/ scooter) to move around Goa!
Had a relaxing 4 day trip where we just lazed around and enjoyed the sunset on the beach every evening… no planning required for a trip to Goa !
Suitcase Sagas 