Goa Reviews

Food, sight-seeing and shopping
Beaches - North Goa Calangute is visually the best beach. No wonder the domestic crowd is thick here. However it can be a bit treacherous for bathing and one has to be a bit careful as the depth increases suddenly as one goes further out. There are ample water-sports like para-sailing and water scooters available here. A cluster of beach shacks offers good sea-food albeit the rates are a bit expensive. When we visited the beach was kept clean for litter regularly and hence increased the appeal significantly. Baga is the northern end of Calangute beach. One can walk up the mile long stretch. This is one of the strongholds of foreigners. The beach itself is good and safer for bathing as it does not slope in too steeply. One can wade out in waste high water. However a note of caution during high-tide as the water gets a bit rough. Vagator beach is another favourite of the foreigners. It is part rocks and part sandy. The sand is greyish and the beach itself does not look as beautiful as Calangute and Baga. Anjuna beach is legendary and a mainstay for foreigners. It is a rock beach and hence the odd-man out. It appears rugged and is perhaps inaccessible to the families. Good for singles to go and hang out. Beaches - South Goa Colva beach is south of Mudgaon. The white sand is appealing albeit the beach itself is not been kept clean of litter. The water is not half as rough as in Calangute and Baga. Boat rides are available. There are no water sports in Colva. Restaurants Foodland (attached to Miramar Residency) was easily the pick of the restaurants we went to. I can recommend rava-fried King Fish and Golden Fried prawns for those seeking gastronomic delights. The rates are also pretty reasonable compared to some of the places we visited in Calangute. They also have a all-day-open fast food with a range of options. Ruchira (attached to Panjim Residency) was average although the ambiance of sitting across the flowing Mandovi river was refreshing. The food is decent and so are the rates. Cavala Resort Restaurant has good food but with limited menu options. They could do well to add more Indian options to their menu. Having said that we really enjoyed the Goan thali and vegetarian thali meals. The continental breakfast they served was also good. Restaurant attached to Colva residency was decent however they need to improve upon general cleanliness of the kitchen and wash area. The food as decent as were the rates. Blue Bay (attached to Calangute Residency) was the worst restaurant we visited. The service is appalling and takes ages. Talk about paying Rs 100/- for 4 slices of hard-toasted bread with a few stale cucumber slices thrown in. The fish curry was stale and nearly gave an upset stomach! Shopping Cashew and Feni (Cashew and Coconut) are the star attractions. Not much shopping other than that.

Activities & things to do
Spend time at Calangute and Baga beaches; Step into the water, feel the wind (and sand!) in your hair. Para-sailing and water scooters for the adventurous! Try Feni and cashews.

Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.
We had travelled by train upto Vasco. The connections to Panjim are poor. With luggage taxis are the only options.