Where Portugal Meets the Arabian Sea
Goa's beaches are just the beginning — beneath the beach-shack surface is 450 years of Portuguese history, Konkani spice, and a pace of life that India otherwise doesn't allow.
What Are the Top Things to Do in Goa?
Palolem Beach in South Goa is the postcard — colorful beach huts on a perfect crescent. Old Goa has UNESCO churches including the Basilica of Bom Jesus (free). Anjuna Flea Market (Wednesday) is chaotic but fun.
Rent a scooter (INR 400/day/$5) — Goa is best on two wheels. Dudhsagar Falls day trip (INR 1,500/$18 by jeep) is spectacular in monsoon. Spice plantations in Ponda offer tours with lunch (INR 800/$10).
The South Goa Difference
Palolem's curve of white sand, the coconut palms, the absence of jet skis — south Goa is what you imagined India's beaches would be before you arrived.
Where Should I Stay in Goa?
- Taj Exotica — South Goa luxury, from INR 16,500/night ($200)
- Palolem Beach Resort — Beachfront huts, from INR 3,000/night ($36)
- Dreams Hostel — Anjuna backpacker base, from INR 600/night ($7)
What Should I Eat in Goa?
- Fisherman’s Wharf — Goan seafood, waterfront. Fish thali INR 600 ($7)
- Gunpowder — South Indian innovation. INR 500/person ($6)
- Martin’s Corner — Betalbatim legend. Butter garlic crab INR 800 ($10)
The Catch of the Day
Goan fish curry — kingfish, kokum, coconut milk, and the kind of spice balance only 450 years of Portuguese-Konkani fusion can produce. Order it everywhere. It tastes different everywhere.
Scott’s Pro Tips
- Scooter — Essential for exploring. Wear a helmet — police fine INR 1,000.
- Cashew feni — Goa’s local spirit distilled from cashew apple. Try it once. Maybe twice.
- Monsoon — June-September Goa is empty and green — half the restaurants close but it’s beautiful and cheap.
- North vs South — Stay south for peace (Palolem, Agonda). Day-trip north for Anjuna market and Vagator cliffs.
- Old Goa — Most visitors skip it. Don’t. The Basilica of Bom Jesus is one of Asia’s finest baroque buildings.
- Beach shack food — Look for the shacks that locals use, not just tourists. The fish will be fresher and cheaper.
- December booking — Christmas and New Year in Goa are extraordinary but require accommodation booked 3-4 months ahead. Prices triple.
Jenice’s Take: A Filipino in Goa
Something unexpected happened when I arrived in Goa: I felt a flicker of recognition.
I grew up in the Philippines, a country shaped for three centuries by Spanish colonial rule — the churches, the surnames, the way Catholicism wove itself into daily life. Goa had the same quality, but filtered through Portuguese rather than Spanish history. The basilicas were grand and whitewashed and centuries-old, standing in the afternoon sun with the quiet confidence of buildings that know they belong. Many Goans carry surnames like Rodrigues, Fernandes, D’Souza — names that sound almost Spanish to Filipino ears. The cultural fusion here is something that took deep root over 450 years and became genuinely its own thing, not a copy of Portugal.
What I wasn’t prepared for was the cows. I had read about them, of course — everyone reads about them before coming to India. But watching a cow move calmly through a busy intersection while motorcycles and tuk-tuks adjust their paths around it, completely unhurried, completely at home — that is something else. It isn’t chaos. Everyone in Goa has been having that negotiation their whole lives, and the cow wins, and the city bends around it with an ease that is almost beautiful to watch.
The food stopped me completely. Goan cuisine is what happens when two culinary traditions — Konkani and Portuguese — have been talking to each other for five centuries and arrived somewhere entirely new. The fish curry rice I had at a small restaurant near the beach is still one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten anywhere. The coconut, the vinegar, the slow build of spice — every dish felt like a cultural conversation you got to eat.
And then there are the beaches. Europeans and Russians arrive here in enormous numbers for good reason. The stretches of coast are long and beautiful and unhurried, and between the beach roads and the quiet countryside, Goa settled into me like a peaceful sanctuary. I didn’t want to leave for Mumbai. I had to remind myself it was waiting.
Sunset at Palolem
The Arabian Sea at sunset, a cold Kingfisher, the fishermen pulling in their nets — Goa has a way of making you forget you ever had anywhere else to be.