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AnjunaCity/Region: Goa
Famed as a hippy hangout since the 70s, the main source of Anjuna's enduring popularity is its superb beach. Fringed by fluorescent painted palm trees, the curve of soft white sand conforms more closely to the archetypal vision of paradise than any other beach on the north coast. The quieter southern end is protected by rocky outcrops while to the north the beach widens and stretches for almost a mile past groups of bars, cafes and handicraft stalls. Revellers from the UK and all over India come to Anjuna lured by the club scene and the promise
of big beach parties, particularly over Christmas and New Year. Outside this peak season the resort normalizes to a simple, relaxed atmosphere, except on Wednesdays when locals and tourists flock from all around to come to the famous Flea Market.
Calangute BeachCity/Region: Goa
Once a peaceful fishing village, then a haven for hedonistic hippies, Calangute is now Goa's busiest and most commercialized resort. The road from the town to the beach is lined with Kashmiri-run handicraft boutiques and Tibetan stalls selling Himalayan curios and jewelry. The quality of the goods - mainly Rajasthani, Gujarati and Karnatakan textiles - is generally high. But haggle hard and don't be afraid to walk away - the same stuff will crop up again. The beach itself is nothing special, but is more than large enough to accommodate the huge numbers of high-season visitors. To escape the hawkers, visitors should head fifteen minutes or so south of the main beachfront area, towards the rows of old wooden boats moored below the dunes where teams of villagers haul in their nets at high tide and fishermen will be seen fixing their tack under bamboo shacks. Calangute's bars and restaurants are mainly grouped around the entrance to the beach and along the Baga road, as with most Goan resorts, the accent is firmly on seafood, though many places also offer vegetarian dishes. Western breakfasts also feature prominently. Thanks to repeated crackdowns by the Goan police on parties and loud music, Calangute's nightlife is surprisingly tame with most bars closing by 10pm. A notable exception is Tito's at the Baga end of the beach, and Pete's Bar, a hippy hangout that offers affordable drinks, backgammon sets and relentless reggae until the early hours. Calagnute is a 45-minute bus ride north from the capital, Panaji.
Baga BeachCity/Region: Goa
Baga is a few miles south of Anjuna and is basically an extension of Calangute. Lying in the lee of a rocky, wooded headland, the only difference between this far northern end of the beach and its more congested center is that the scenery here is marginally more varied and picturesque and the beach less crowded. Baga has the best range of restaurants and liveliest nightlife in the area.
ColvoCity/Region: Goa
Colva is the oldest and most heavily developed South Goan resort. The town itself is dotted with colonial-style villas and ramshackle fishing huts, but the beachfront is crowded and blighted with unimaginative concrete hotels, snack bars and souvenir stalls. Indian tourists and local children mill around this central area and westerners are pestered by traders and beggars. However it is easy to steer clear of this central area; within a few minutes' stroll from here the beach is spotless and relatively quiet. Benaulim is only a 30-minute walk to the south, still on Colva beach, and attracts a more upmarket clientele, including British and Indian holidaymakers. There are many luxury resorts along the coastal stretch and brightly painted wooden fishing boats litter the beach. The hawkers and touts here are persistent but in a good-humored rather than aggressive way. To escape completely visitors can hire a bicycle and ride further south along the beach, beyond the Taj Exotica, which stretches for miles with the only possible interruption likely to be a stray cow wandering along the sand, its bell jangling. Restaurants line the beachfront at both Colva and Benaulim, in general the food is of an excellent standard and the atmosphere is much better than at the hotel restaurants. For the freshest fish, aim for the more popular restaurants.
PalolemCity/Region: Goa
For years Palolem remained a secret to all but the most independent traveller. Situated towards the southern tip of Goa, twenty miles south of Margao, it has now been discovered but due to strict planning restraints tourism is kept in check. The crescent shaped bay is lined with a beautiful white sand beach and backed with groves of coconut palms. Either side of the bay is a rocky headland covered in thick black forest and offshore is a tiny island whose only permanent inhabitants are a colony of black-faced langur monkeys. During December and January the beach swells with day-trippers who come to escape the more commercial resorts but outside this peak season Palolem returns to its sedate pace.
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