Palolem

The southern most town of Goa is Chaudi and this town has to offer the beast and arguably the most beautiful beach of Goa, the Palolem Beach. It is a village where the greenery of nature relinquishes its grip over the stretch of land only to give way to a long stretch of silvery talcum sand beach and crystal clear water. The beach is peaceful and quite and very few tourists venture this far in Goa.

How to reach

It is at the center of coastal Cancona, Goa's southernmost region, 43 km from nearest big hub Margao. Dabolim airport is around 67km, a pre-paid taxi will charge you around Rs.1,000. From the Madgaon station about 43 km and pre-paid taxi will charge you rounf Rs. 600. There are buses which operate every one hour from Madgaon to Palolem. You can also take more frequent buses to Cancona town and Karwar until Char Rasta. From here you can take an auto or a motor cycle taxi to the beach.
From Panjim Palolem is about 76km, a taxi will cost you Rs.1,200

Things to see

• Endless massage options are available on the beach.
• Dolphin spotting and fishing trips are easily available by boat
• Motorbikes, mopeds and bicycles can be hired cheaply.
• Visit Butterfly Beach by boat.
• Contigao Wildlife Sanctuary is 9kms southeast of Palolem.
• There is a tiny wave, surfable with a high volume board, but you'll need to bring equipment, as only cheap bodyboards can be rented. The wave at Palolem is much the same as Patnem.

Where to Stay

Palolem has the typical Goan selection of beach huts (INR700+) and cheaper guesthouses away from the beach (INR500+). For something quieter there are beach huts at either end of the beach. For top end accommodation there are a couple of hotels on the road behind the beach. To save money or for better chances of staying at Christmas bring a tent and ask at some of the beach hut camps that have shared bathrooms. You should only need to pay INR100 per tent.
Note: some places double or triple these prices over the Christmas week!

Beach huts
To find a beach hut just walk around looking for signs and ask. You should find something fairly quickly. Check the prices over Christmas week though.

Ciaran's Camp
t: 2643477
e:johnciaran@hotmail.com
Just about the most luxurious place you can stay on Palolem beach. Each year the owner, John Coutinhou, makes it better. The excellent huts have private bathrooms, one of the best restaurants and bars on the beach and a stylish boutique. Rooms in the house have AC and TV. INR1,000 - INR3,000.

Cozy Nook
t:2643550
An excellent place in a great location at the far north end of the beach. The owners create a friendly atmosphere and the huts - some with private bathrooms - are better than most. INR500 - INR1,000.

Bhakti Kutir
t: 2643472
e: www.bhaktikutir.com
An eco friendly place set within a coconut grove between Palolem and Patnem beaches. It is well designed and very peaceful. The predominantly vegetarian restaurant is excellent. They also provide yoga and meditation workshops. Huts are INR750 - INR2,000. Stone houses are INR3,000.

Dylans
Reasonable beach huts towards the southern end of the beach. Has a popular restaurant. INR800 at Christmas.

Dourado Cocohuts
t: 9923149671
A reasonable set of beach huts with wood walls, rather than thatch. A quiet spot set amongst palms with a few pigs running around. The private bathrooms have been added on, but are fine. The showers are cold water, but are often luke warm with the sun warming the water tank. There is power, fans, mosquito nets and balconies with chairs and hammocks. They have a laundry service and of course a beach front restaurant. It's not very well advertised, look for a small sign on the beach, half way between the taxi stand and the most southerly point, near Deena cottages. Or, access from the main road, behind the Brown Bread shop. Some music can be heard at night from the nearby restaurants, and people often walk through the camp as there is a path to the road. Run by owner Tomas Durado. The huts are generally overpriced. INR1,000 around Christmas, INR3,000 over the Christmas week.