Palolem Beach, Goa, India
Palolem beach is by far one of the most magical beaches in India and certainly the finest in Goa. Several kilometers of beautiful soft sand beaches lined with coco-huts, palm trees and beautiful women. If there is a closer place to Heaven in India, I haven't found it yet.
I liked to start my mornings by getting up around 7AM then throwing on a swim suit and heading for a nice relaxing swim in the ocean. You will see a few early morning types, enthusiastic joggers and people practicing yoga on the beach. But for the most part Goa doesn't really wake up until 8:30am.
There is a lot of different kinds of sleeping arrangements in Palolem, but if you have travelled all the way to India you might as well set yourself right on the beach. Or at least within a few meters of it. For between 250-600 rupees a day you can find yourself in a nice little coco-hut. They really range in quality, but the average ones come with a rudimentary washroom, a double bed and for goodness sake make sure there is a mosquito netting over it.
After finding some cheap places to sleep the next thing on your agenda should be to have some great food. While your waiting for your food, why not take the some to enjoy covering a dog in sand, Why? Why not?
The beach is lined with restaurants and seafood is always fresh. If you aren't really in to experiencing the local foods then Palolem offers a really large selection of foods to suit the western palette. One word of advice for those with food allergies, nuts and seafood touch nearly everything in a kitchen and it's a constant concern when you are eating out. Make sure you let the staff know that you can't eat certain foods or you might regret it!
A walk down the beach is always a great way to burn off all that energy from drinking beer and laying around in the sun. There are more than a few people trying to sell you things as you walk and it's a bit annoying. Be warned there is quite a few beggars and scam artists but for the most part it is quite safe. Watch out for the "ear cleaning men" they are well renowned pick-pockets, not just in Palolem but around India.
Palolem is a great place to just relax and chill. Most people, including myself, plan on staying a few days or a week, but miraculously end up spending 2-3 weeks or more enjoying the scenery.
If you get tired of laying on the beach and swimming then I would suggest heading down south to the next couple of beaches, North and South Pantem. It's another beautifully long beach with a more quiet charm of it's own. The South Pantem beach (two beaches south) takes about 25 minutes to get to but has some really wonderful waves which are amazing for body surfing or boogy boarding. Unfortunately there is an expensive hotel who monopolizes this beach and you need to bring your own food and drink, or risk paying outrageous (near western) prices!
If body surfing isn't your thing, dolphin and finish tours can be quite affordable. You really need to bargain with the boat owners because they will take you for all your worth if you let them. If you are a group of 4, don't pay more than 200 rupees each. If you try hard you should be able to pay 100 per person. Some owners give you a boat rate which you can divide by as many people as you like, or a per person rate.
After a day of fun and excitement in the sun, why not relax and watch the cows enjoying the sunset. The cows are very interesting in Goa, quite often I've gotten up very early and just before or during sunrise they walk down to the beach from "somewhere." Then ritualisticly just after sunset they reverse their procession and head back away from the beach. I was often tempted to follow them, but I am easily distracted by beer and women.
Once you have had a bit of an early evening siesta, it's time to wake up, have some dinner and about 10-11 PM head down to one of the many bars and clubs. At the far south of Palolem beach there is a rock bluff which houses the Dancing Shiva club, a wonderful party will break out several times a week. Normally someone will pass around flyer's on the beach if something is going on.
For the average night though, Cuba's has a really great feel, lots of people and friendly staff. You can smoke some Sheesha (water pipes) and drink some cold ones.
One criticism of Palolem is that there is music laws. The loud music stops at 1AM. The Dancing Shiva really cools down in a hurry and most people decide to migrate to a pub or restaurants with quieter music but they keep going to 3-5AM.
Palolem is a pretty safe place, I can't recall any stories of people getting robbed or things stolen. If someone is going to take your money in Palolem, it's because you have agreed to a ridiculous price. There is a shady side of Goa too, you can get drugs galore, especially hash., if that is your thing, it's not hard to find and reasonably priced.
More and more Palolem is turning in to a family destination, with higher end accommodations and beach huts that are more acceptable to families with small children. Sadly this increase in quality reduces the cheap accommodations and the backpacker and budget crowed get pushed away to newer, cheaper locations. As the world grows these locations are becoming less and less and the all mighty dollar is taking it's toll on once affordable hot spots.
My advice is not too wait to see the world. Get out there and travel, experience things today in an eco-friendly way, because it just may not be there next year.
I liked to start my mornings by getting up around 7AM then throwing on a swim suit and heading for a nice relaxing swim in the ocean. You will see a few early morning types, enthusiastic joggers and people practicing yoga on the beach. But for the most part Goa doesn't really wake up until 8:30am.
There is a lot of different kinds of sleeping arrangements in Palolem, but if you have travelled all the way to India you might as well set yourself right on the beach. Or at least within a few meters of it. For between 250-600 rupees a day you can find yourself in a nice little coco-hut. They really range in quality, but the average ones come with a rudimentary washroom, a double bed and for goodness sake make sure there is a mosquito netting over it.
After finding some cheap places to sleep the next thing on your agenda should be to have some great food. While your waiting for your food, why not take the some to enjoy covering a dog in sand, Why? Why not?
The beach is lined with restaurants and seafood is always fresh. If you aren't really in to experiencing the local foods then Palolem offers a really large selection of foods to suit the western palette. One word of advice for those with food allergies, nuts and seafood touch nearly everything in a kitchen and it's a constant concern when you are eating out. Make sure you let the staff know that you can't eat certain foods or you might regret it!
A walk down the beach is always a great way to burn off all that energy from drinking beer and laying around in the sun. There are more than a few people trying to sell you things as you walk and it's a bit annoying. Be warned there is quite a few beggars and scam artists but for the most part it is quite safe. Watch out for the "ear cleaning men" they are well renowned pick-pockets, not just in Palolem but around India.
Palolem is a great place to just relax and chill. Most people, including myself, plan on staying a few days or a week, but miraculously end up spending 2-3 weeks or more enjoying the scenery.
If you get tired of laying on the beach and swimming then I would suggest heading down south to the next couple of beaches, North and South Pantem. It's another beautifully long beach with a more quiet charm of it's own. The South Pantem beach (two beaches south) takes about 25 minutes to get to but has some really wonderful waves which are amazing for body surfing or boogy boarding. Unfortunately there is an expensive hotel who monopolizes this beach and you need to bring your own food and drink, or risk paying outrageous (near western) prices!
If body surfing isn't your thing, dolphin and finish tours can be quite affordable. You really need to bargain with the boat owners because they will take you for all your worth if you let them. If you are a group of 4, don't pay more than 200 rupees each. If you try hard you should be able to pay 100 per person. Some owners give you a boat rate which you can divide by as many people as you like, or a per person rate.
After a day of fun and excitement in the sun, why not relax and watch the cows enjoying the sunset. The cows are very interesting in Goa, quite often I've gotten up very early and just before or during sunrise they walk down to the beach from "somewhere." Then ritualisticly just after sunset they reverse their procession and head back away from the beach. I was often tempted to follow them, but I am easily distracted by beer and women.
Once you have had a bit of an early evening siesta, it's time to wake up, have some dinner and about 10-11 PM head down to one of the many bars and clubs. At the far south of Palolem beach there is a rock bluff which houses the Dancing Shiva club, a wonderful party will break out several times a week. Normally someone will pass around flyer's on the beach if something is going on.
For the average night though, Cuba's has a really great feel, lots of people and friendly staff. You can smoke some Sheesha (water pipes) and drink some cold ones.
One criticism of Palolem is that there is music laws. The loud music stops at 1AM. The Dancing Shiva really cools down in a hurry and most people decide to migrate to a pub or restaurants with quieter music but they keep going to 3-5AM.
Palolem is a pretty safe place, I can't recall any stories of people getting robbed or things stolen. If someone is going to take your money in Palolem, it's because you have agreed to a ridiculous price. There is a shady side of Goa too, you can get drugs galore, especially hash., if that is your thing, it's not hard to find and reasonably priced.
More and more Palolem is turning in to a family destination, with higher end accommodations and beach huts that are more acceptable to families with small children. Sadly this increase in quality reduces the cheap accommodations and the backpacker and budget crowed get pushed away to newer, cheaper locations. As the world grows these locations are becoming less and less and the all mighty dollar is taking it's toll on once affordable hot spots.
My advice is not too wait to see the world. Get out there and travel, experience things today in an eco-friendly way, because it just may not be there next year.
