With its fluorescent painted palm trees and full moon parties, Anjuna Beach, 8-km west of Mapusa, is one of the most popular beaches of Goa. Most people's reasons for coming to Anjuna are the same as they were in the 1970s: dancing and lying on the beach slurping tropical fruit. While browsing in the area have a day trip to the famous flea market of Anjuna, a major shopping hangout, beside the beach.

Anjuna attracts a variety of tourists touring Goa, and the crowd includes from the happy go lucky kinds to overlanders, monks, defiant ex-hippies, gentle lunatics, artists, artisans, seers, searchers etc. Even those particular kinds of tourists who prefer to travel within the limit of their tour itinerary, cannot resist visiting this charming beach site.

Tropical Sights Of Anjuna Beach

Bathing is generally safer at Anjuna than at most of the nearby resorts, especially at the more peaceful southern end of the beach, where a rocky headland keeps the sea calm and the undertow to a minimum. Taking long walks under the moon on the silver sands of this beach is something that any visitor would love to do at Anjuna, beside the favourite pastime of watching the sun going down.

At the north of the Anjuna Flea market ground, the beach area broadens, running in an uninterrupted kilometer long stretch of steeply shelving sand to a low red cliff. The village bus park lies on top of this high ground, where small cafes, bars and Kashmiri handicraft stalls are lined, making a perfect hangout zone near the beach site. Every lunch hour, tour parties from Panjim also pull-up in here for a beer, before heading home again, leaving the localities and tired tourists to watch the sunset peacefully and relax a bit.

Visiting Time

The tourist season in Anjuna starts in early November, when most of the long staying regulars show up. During the Christmas and New Year rush, the village and beach site is busy with a mixed crowd of round the world backpackers and tourists from all over India, attracted by the promise of the big beach parties.

In off-season however, Anjuna has a surprisingly simple unhurried atmosphere. Visitors can also opt to stay at the large package tour hotels and beach resorts that have appeared over the past couple of years near the Anjuna beach site

Entertainment & Amusements At Anjuna

Thanks to the kill-joy attitude reputation, Anjuna is a rave-venue for big parties that take place over here from time to time, especially around the Christmas-New Year full moon period. At other times, Anjuna's nightlife centres on the Shore Bar, in the middle of the beach, which has a pounding sound system and play some real funky music that always keep the atmosphere alive.

The biggest crowds show up accompanied by the latest ambient trance mixes from London. The music gains pace as the evening wears on winding up before midnight, when there's an exodus over to the Guru Bar, further up the beach, or to the Primrose Café in Vagator, both of which stay open until after midnight.

The Alcove, over looking Ozran Vagator Beach, is another worthwhile nightspot to hangout near Anjuna. More mainstream musical entertainment is on offer at Temptations, in the Red Cab Inn just below Starco's crossroads, where Indian classical recitals and guitar based cover bands feature with fire dancers on Mondays.

Eating Out Places At Anjuna

Both the beachfront and village at Anjuna are flooded with good places to eat and drink. Most are simple semi open-air, thatched palm leaf affairs, specializing in fish and western food. All serve cold beer, invariably with thumping techno music in the background. On the beach, tourists can buy fresh fruits, including watermelons, pineapples and locally grown coconuts from the local vendors.

Baga Beach is part of a 30-km stretch of beach coastline along the west coast of Goa by the Arabian Sea, 10-km west of Mapusa, is basically an extension of Calangute beach. The beach begins at Fort Aguada continues as Sinquerim beach, then as Candolim Beach and merges into Calangute beach and then to Baga beach and then Anjuna Beach and then to Vagator Beach finally ending at Chapora Beach and Fort.

Exotic Locales Around Baga

Lying in the rocky, wooded headland, the only difference between this far northern end of the Baga beach and its more congested center of Calangute Beach is that the scenery of this beach site is more varied, unspoiled and scenic.

Water Sports At Baga

The quiet atmosphere and isolated location of Baga, beside the scenic beauty that surrounds it, with the creek, the Retreat House perched on the hill and the lack of local tourist buses all have contributed to the beach being a favourite of the beach lovers. Baga beach is more popular with western tourists who love to use it as a base for water sports and fishing in the area.

Eating Out Places At Baga Beach

Baga has arguably the best range of restaurants in Goa, from standard beach shacks to swish pizzerias and terrace cafes serving real espresso coffee. Tourists can opt for a candlelit dinner at the beachside, or a traditional Goan meal at the shacks and restaurants offering continental as well as tempting seafood.

Entertainment & Leisure At Baga Beach

Thanks to the droves of predominantly British package tourists who stay here, Baga's nightlife is the liveliest in the area. Most of the travellers end up at Tito's, which has the only dance floor and hefty sound system outside a big hotel for miles. Women are allowed in for free, but men and couples have to pay.

A 45 minute bus ride up to the coast from the city of Panjim bring one to Calangute, Goa's busiest and most commercialized resort, and the flagship of the state government's bid for a bigger slice of India's package-tourist pie. This peaceful fishing village was a favourite hideout of the hippies in the 70's and 80's. Today, Calangute beach symbolise Goa's reputation as a haven for beach and coastal splendour.

Shopping At Calangute Beach

The road from the town to the beach is lined with Kashmiri-run handicraft boutiques and Tibetan stalls selling Himalayan curios and jewellery. The quality of the goods - mainly Rajasthani, Gujarati and Karnatakan textiles - is generally high. Haggle hard and don't be afraid to walk away from a heavy sales pitch - the same stuff crops up every Wednesday at Anjuna's flea market.

Leisure Activities At Calnagute Beach

The beach itself is nothing special, with steeply shelving sand, but is more than large enough to accommodate the huge numbers of high-season visitors

Head fifteen minutes or so south of the main beachfront area, towards the rows of old wooden boats moored below the dunes. In this virtually hawker-free zone, one' will only come across teams of villagers hauling in hand nets at high tide or fishermen fixing their tack under bamboo sun shakes.

Water Sports At Calangute

Calangute also makes a perfect beach site if you want to indulge in some water sports activities. Parasailing, water skiing and wind surfing at the Calangute beach starts in the afternoon when the wind is blowing just in the right direction and it goes on till sunset.

Eating Out Joints & Restaurants

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 tempting seafood, though many places also serve vegetarian dishes. Western breakfasts also feature prominently at some of the restaurants in Calangute.

Nightlife & Entertainment At Calangute

Calangute's nightlife is surprisingly tamed and provide a nice break from the wild parties at Anjuna. All but a handful of the bars wind up by 10.00 pm. One notable exception is Tito's at the Baga end of the beach, which stays open until after midnight in the off-season and into the small hours in late December and January.

The other places that consistently stay open through the night at Calangute are a couple of hippy hang-outs in the woods to the south of the beach road. Pete's Bar, a perennial favourite next door to Angela P. Fernandes, is generally the liveliest, offering affordable drinks, backgammon sets and relentless reggae. Further afield, Bob's Inn, between Calangute and Candolim beaches, is another popular bar.

Attractions Around Calangute Beach

Kerkar Art Gallery: Located at close proximity is the Kerkar Art Gallery, displaying the paintings and sculptures of various talented, upcoming artists of Goa. The gallery also hosts a night of Indian music and dance, once every week.

Church Of St. Alex: As the vast tourist traffic on the CHOGM road reaches the village site of Calangute, the Church of St Alex greets the visitors with its two towers and a magnificent dome gracing the façade. The inside of the church is a display of the line and beauty of its architectural style and attractive altars.

At the place where two of Goa's famous rivers meet the Arabian Sea is the secluded bay of Dona Paula with a fine view of the Marmagoa Harbour. This beach of Goa carries with it an aura of both romance and myth - haunted by Dona Paula de Menezes; tourists throng the Dona Paula beach not only in search of the deceased beloved, but also to indulge in water sports on the clear waters. The Dona Paula Beach offers an opportunity to the tourists to have a sunbath and enjoy water scootering and motar boat rides.

Exotic Locales Surrounding Dona Paula

7-km from Panjim, nestled on the south side of the rocky, hammer-shaped headland that divides the Zuari and Mandovi estuaries, this former fishing village of has now become a commercialized beach resort. Beside the beach water sports attractions, do visit the official residence of the Governor of Goa, known as Cabo Raj Bhavan, situated on the westernmost tip of Dona Paula. Along the road leading to this place lies the ruins of the small military cemetery the British built at their brief occupation of the Cabo, to deter the French from invading Goa.

The Legend Of Dona Paula

Named after Dona Paula de Menezes, the Dona Paula beach is popularly known as the "Lovers Paradise" due to a myth that has been attached to this place. According one legend the Viceroy's daughter after facing objections from her family about her love affair with a poor fisherman jumped of the cliff.

Another legend says that punished for captivating Francisco de Tavora, the Count of Alvor with her charm the Viceroy's daughter was pushed off a cliff to drown in the waters below. Her irrepressible spirit still continues to haunt every visitor with legends of her lovers. She is even supposed to have been seen emerging from moonlit waves wearing only a pearl necklace.

Attractions Around Dona Paula Beach

The Reis Magos Church: Among the places of interest at the Dona Paula beachside, there's the Reis Magos Church considered to be one of the oldest churches built in Goa. It is dedicated to the three Magi (the wise men of the East)-Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar who, according to a legend, were guided by a star to Bethlehem to greet the newborn Jesus.

Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary: The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is situated on the western tip of the island of Choro, along the Mandovi River, about 9-km from Dona Paula beach. Spread over 2-sq-kms, this sanctuary is a mangrove forest. Local and migratory birds are found here throughout the year, making it a bird watcher's paradise.

National Oceanography Institute: Another nearby attraction of the Dona Paula beach site is the National Oceanography Institute. Set up in the 1960s, the National Oceanography Institute delves not only upon marine biology, but incorporates almost all the major branches of coastal and marine oceanography. The major attraction of the institute is its Marine Biology Museum and Taxonomy Reference Center.

Nearby Beach Sites

Two more beaches are also located within the proximity of the Dona Paula Beach. These are the Miramir beach, which lies 4-km north of Dona Paula, and the Vainguinim Beach, which is situated 1-km west of the beach side.

Shopping At Dona Paula

Shopping can become a much more enjoyable experience at the beaches of Goa. Dona Paula is one such place where several shops are located along the beachside, selling variety of goods ranging from eatables to clothes. Fishermen-turned-local vendors also sell straw hats, lace handkerchiefs, and spices in these shops. Feni and port wine, which are the two Goan liquor specialties are a must buy and local liquor is easily available. If you are interested in buying Indian handicrafts and jewellery, then visit the Indian Arts Emporium in Dona Paula.

In Maharashtra Beach travelling pleasant throughout the year. In particular, the capital city of Mumbai is blessed with many beaches in its vicinity, that present a breather to the local population as well as act as attractive tourist option for those visiting from outside. One such beach site is Juhu, one of the largest and frequently visited beaches of India.

Leisure & Entertainment At Juhu

Located 18-km north of the city centre, it's a major beach site on the shores of Arabian Sea and is one of the posh localities of Mumbai where one can find the bungalows of the famous film personalities of Bollywood. It's also a favourite shooting site among the filmmakers as many film shootings are also held over here.

On the southern end of the Juhu beach one can find many Luxury hotels and apartments, which are regarded as a favourite haunt of Mumbai's movers and shakers. The beach, which almost seems deserted during weekdays, always tends to get very crowded on weekends.

On weekends one can take the pleasure of horse and donkey rides, dancing monkeys, acrobats, cricket matches, toy sellers and every other type of Indian beach entertainment. Vendors ply on the beach calling attention to their wares, which are mostly souveneirs like T-shirts and cute little Indian dolls made from seashells.

Eating Joints At Juhu Beach

Generally it is not a very good place to swim, but it's an ideal snack joint, with various food stalls. If you would like to try out Bhelpuri or a Kulfi in Mumbai, Juhu is the place to be. If you want a more fancy excursion, visit Juhu's many five star hotels, for a steaming cup of coffee and a splendid view of the coast. The government run Juhu Centaur also has a 24-hour coffee shop with a view of the sea.

Attractions Around Juhu Beach

Versova Beach: Versova Beach is the nearby attraction located towards the north of Juhu, which is a home to Mumbai's largest Koli fishing community.

Situated on the Malabar Coast along the Kerala shoreline is a small village of Kovalam. This quiet town of Kovalam came on the tourist map, when its beautiful and secluded beaches were discovered.

Today Kovalam has become one of the most popular beach hangouts in India. Kovalam means a grove of coconut trees and truly the coconut trees along the beaches gives it a ravishing look.

Locales Surrounding Kovalam

The palm-fringed bays of Kovalam in secluded coconut groves, promise a relaxed stay. The unforgettable image of Kovalam is that of the coconut-palms-lined high rock promontory that cuddles the calm and wide expanse of the blue waters. This marvellous beach is a tourist's dream come true.

The Three Beaches Of Kovalam

The beaches of Kovalam can be divided in three parts. The southern most beach and the most popular from the three, is the Lighthouse Beach. Further south on the beach one can have a spectacular view of the Vizhinzam mosque, but photography is prohibited here.

The middle beach is called Hawah. Each morning this beach acts as a base for the local fisherman. The northern most beach, Samudra, is least affected of all by the changing times. It is dotted with few rudimentary wooden fishing vessels.

Water Sports At Kovalam

Kovalam is a natural bay ideal for kayaking, swimming, surfing and skiing. One can swim in the shallow blue water and have a sunbath in the exotic tropical sun can adorn you with a good suntan. The coast at many places is lined with beautiful patches of coral reefs or you can crest the waves on logs of lashed woods on catamarans.

Leisure & Entertainment Activities At Kovalam Beach

When you are tired of aquatics, swimming or sunbathing, you can explore the handicrafts, jewellery and cloth shops spread along the waterfront. Not to speak of the delightful seafood fare including lobsters available at the beach-side restaurants of Kovalam.

In the evening the quiet atmosphere of the Kovalam beachside is enlivened by Kathakali performances, the classical dance-drama of Kerala. At present Kovalam is developed not only as a beach resort, but also as a Yoga and health center. One can have Ayurvedic massages and oil baths or learn in detail the methods of doing Yoga and meditation taught by experts.

From Kovalam, you can go for a backwater cruise to the beautiful countryside of Kerala paddling country boats, enjoying its lush greenery. A few hotels even offer houseboats, country boats and catamarans for the tourists at reasonable rates.

Marari originates from " Mararikulam ", one of the local fishing villages, where life still goes on much as it did a hundred years ago, with the men going out to sea each day to earn a living bringing in the daily catch. Completely new to the holiday maker. Marari offers endless miles of superb sand beaches backed by swaying palms, virgin territory where you can experience the local charm and traditional Kerala Hospitality at its best. Not that you need to spend the whole of your holiday in seclusion, you couldn't be in a better location for exploring the marvellous backwaters, where the tranquility, the stunning scenery and the feeling of being transported back in time, make it a superbly relaxing and inspiring experience.

For a more upbeat day, a visit to Cochin is a must. Being one of the most important trade centres on the " Spice Coast " this is the place to do a spot of shopping and who knows you could actually find a genuine antique in one of the many shops in Jew Town.

After an active day of shopping, back to Marari simply sit and relax, watch the sun go down over the horizon and get ready for a leisurely dinner at the resort. After dinner you can rediscover the art of conversation with your fellow holidaymakers. have a relaxing drink at the bat or just enjoy a quite moment on your veranda reflecting on the day's events. Until now Marari has been one of India's best kept secrets.

We have a feeling it won't stay a secret for long, so try it now and be one of the first to experience undiscovered Kerala!

The Resort

In a superb location set in 25 acres of Coconut Palm groves leading down to the vast expanse of beach. The Marari Beach is a Brand New Hotel built in the style of an traditional fishing village with thatched villas that have been designed to be in keeping with the local village style. The 400 sq.ft spacious villas are all air-conditioned with twin or double beds, mini bar, coffee making facilities and delightfully furnished veranda with ceiling fan. The bathrooms are spacious and modern, built in traditional Kerala style with an open-air courtyard, complete with a banana or Pappaya tree.

Each villa also has a small private garden area. The deluxe villas which has the same facilities plus a separate sitting area which can accommodate an extra two persons, are situated in it's own ground with its own private swimming pool. There is a large swimming pool with sun terrace near the main buffet restaurant, bar and an amphitheatre where cultural shows are performed. The " beach-shack" set amongst the Coconut Palm fronting the beach serves delicious fish and sea food.

The resort has its own Ayurveda Centre headed by the resident Ayurveda Doctor and a team of dedicated men and women masseuirs and therapists. Beach Cots and Cozy Hammoks have been evenly distributed in the grove. The Beach Volleyball " court " will be a fun place to have a friendly match and for the more adventurous, bicycles are available at the reception to discover the neighbourhood. At the newest addition to the Casion Group of Hotels, the facilities and services are of the highest standard and we are sure it's going to be a popular choice with the more discerning traveller who is looking for something a little special in a natural and exotic location.

The Healing touch at Marari Beach Resort's Ayurvedic Centre:

Ayurveda, the Science of Life, is almost as old as the Indian civilisation. It's holistic approach, the efficacy of its therapies and the absence of distressing side affects are some of its more salient features. Throughout the world there is a rising awareness of the benefits of natual health systems. Health in the ayurvedic view represents the Harmony of body, mind and soul. It's pharmacopia is nature herself and its diagnostic and curative tools have been derived from the invaluable legacy of insights, experience and knowledge bequeathed to posterity by its great masters. It is based on natural principles that inform and animate human life. The Marari Beach Resort offers the following therapies at it's Ayurvedic Centre under the guidance of an expert " vaidyan " ( physician ) whom you may consult for a fuller understanding of symptoms and appropriate treatment. It is well equipped with a dispensary and qualified resident staff.

Hire a motorbike or a cycle and travel towards Colva, where open eating joints and shacks make one of the most attractive feature of this beach. Mostly tourists visit this beach site for a nice walk or for getting a good suntan.