Goa, India

They call it the Hawaii of India. I don’t know if I would go that far, but Goa is certainly a beachfront haven in an otherwise chaotic country. The flights from Hong Kong are not convenient, with every option requiring long connections and an overnight arrival. When my plane finally touched down at 3AM, I was exhausted. I did, however, notice that the airport had been completely rebuilt and most of the roads were newly paved – a big improvement since my last visit in 2013. 

When I woke up the next morning, I pulled open the curtains to find a lush, tropical view. It really felt like a vacation and I was excited for two weeks of exploring the Indian coast.

View from my balcony

Beautiful pool and resort grounds

Colonial style architecture

September is the tail end of monsoon season, so weather is hit-or-miss. I was lucky to have sun the entire first day so I could relax by the beach or the pool. I first went for a walk along the beach, but it was not what I expected. The sand in Bambolim Bay is more like mud, and even just picking up a few shells caused my entire hand to turn grey. A few people were playing in the water (some were wearing jeans!), so I decided that I was better suited for poolside fun. 

Beachfront in Bambolim Bay

Fishing boats lined up along the beach

The pool was huge and clean. Much more my style than the nearby beach.

I didn't really leave the resort during the entire week. Although there are some casinos and local restaurants within a 20-minute drive of the hotel, none of that is enough to entice me. Instead, I just returned to my room every afternoon to find a towel animal before ordering the most non-Indian food I could find on the room service menu. 

Towel animal #1

Towel Animal #2

Towel Animal(s) #3

The beautiful resort at night

For my second week, I moved to another resort in South Goa, and it was like a completely different world. The resort felt like a traditional Portuguese village, and the Arossim Beach was so much cleaner. For the first time since arriving in Goa, I could understand the comparison to Hawaii. 

Beautiful resort grounds. Definitely doesn't look like elsewhere in India

Portuguese style village in the middle of Goa

Every room had a huge balcony

Another area in the resort.

On our last night in Goa, we finally ventured out of the hotel for a dinner in the more touristy part of the city. I noticed that there were several casinos and nightclubs, but none seemed incredibly lively from the outside. The downtown area is also home to some traditional, European-looking churches. Although current Goan architecture does not resemble Portugal, the churches are certainly a reminder of the former colonization. 

We also stopped at the public beach to watch some small groups celebrating the Ganesh festival and immersing the icons into the sea. As we watched the ceremony, I realized that this was my third time in India during this festival. Although I don't understand much of what is happening, I love how the country celebrates each festival so passionately with food, rituals, and family time.

Worshiping Ganesh before sending to sea

 

For dinner, we went to a great restaurant called Fisherman's Wharf, which was surprisingly upscale and reminded me of the Bahama Breeze chain in the United States. When we arrived, there was live music playing and lots of people just enjoying the relaxed ambiance. After two weeks of hard work and barely leaving the resort grounds, it felt great to get out and just relax at a fun restaurant.

Our group after dinner.

Looking back on my two weeks in Goa, I found it to be much improved over my last visit just a few years ago. Coming from Asia, I would never choose Goa over the endless array of resorts in Vietnam, Thailand, or Philippines. However, it is by far my favorite place to visit in India. For anyone spending an extended period traveling across the country, they would be crazy to miss the relaxed atmosphere of Panaji's state capital.

A nice reminder of my two weeks in Goa