EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE VISITING GOA

Hi

If this is the first time you're visiting my blog... WELCOME!! I hope all these info will be of great use to you!!

Here's a little 'Heads up' about Goa!!! Goa has 2 parts!!

North Goa and South Goa! North Goa is crowded and happening with all the fun!! South Goa is calm and secluded! By now you should've decided which part you wanna go!!

Pssttt!! Scroll down for pictures(All these were taken by us)!!

When?!? SEASON

Usually people say don't go to goa during monsoon cos all the water sports are closed... But i beg to differ!!! Monsoons are the best time you can choose to visit goa... Considering the amount of people who throng goa the rest of the year...This time is perfect if you hate crowds...especially in the beach!!

Also, If you're a nature lover like me, hands-down monsoons are the best time to visit! The flight tickets are cheaper then- BONUS!

Yes!! It rains but the rains dont last more than 15 minutes during the day and it differs from place to place!!! It rains the most during the nights in July so you don't have to worry about it!!

For those of you who want to visit Goa for fun activities like water sports n hiking n stuff you're welcome to visit goa during summer or Nov-Jan is the best time. So here's a break down of what i said :

Monsoon- Naturalists ,Loners

November- February - Party animals

Summer - Adventurists, Sports fanatic

Where???

Now that you've decided which season to visit...You're probably wondering where would you stay!! The best way to book your rooms is through AirBnB!! Trust me!! Hotels suck there expect for the 'high-class' and posh ones!! So if you're looking for a place to stay within the budget, booking through AirBnB is your best bet!! Just give the options in the website( AirBnB India) and you'll have a whole lot of apartments to choose from!! One more thing- Make sure to read the reviews, that helps!!! Also, usually north goa is considered a little cheaper than south goa!

We were four of us(all girls) and we took an apartment which was fully furnished and had Kitchen(along with all utensils,induction,plate,spoon...u get it right?!) in case you'd want to cook (We had breakfast!). The Bathroom had heater! The Bedroom had AC, TV n all kinds of comfort you could ask for! Although it was not really required as you'll be out most of the time...but still!! All this for a night for all 4 of us costed ₹987!! Not Bad right?! This was in Calangute!! If you book your apartment near calangute then its easier for you to visit all the beaches!!! Every beach might look like a hop, skip and a jump away!!

Mode of Travel!

Well... There are sooo many places that rent a bike or a car for you to take and all you gotta do is submit any one identity proof(They did'nt even ask us for the driver's license! *wink wink*) and the bike/car is yours! Rent per day for a bike will cost you ₹300 and car- ₹ 1300!
 Duh!?! Ofcourse you'll have to fill in the petrol!

Here's my take on this guys!! Please please please take a two-wheeler...you'll definitely thank me later!! If you're there to enjoy and feel the whole thing in its raw and most vulnerable form then, please take the two-wheeler!! I, on my part feel that a car would completely steal the Joy of enjoying the whole adventure. 

If you're inside a four-wheeler you'll see things but would'nt feel the wind in your hair or the rain on your skin or the touch of those leaves or the harsh yet subtle kiss of the sun or the smell of those fields or the picturesque village scenary or the different shades of green to the left and the right..... Do i Need to say more??!?

Promise me you'll take a two-wheeler(No!! Nobody paid me to say this! Not that anyone would'nt!! :P)

This!! My dear Friend, will change your perception of Goa!!! Ofcourse the one who drives will feel like their hands and shoulders are broken/dont belong to their body/does'nt exist(Unless, You are'nt the one driving...Teehee!!), its worth it...every single bit of it!Trust me on this...will you!?

Also, you might get sunburnt/charred(If you're already dark like me!) Do not forget your sunscreen...smear/slather them all over your body esp the face!!!

How can i forget this??! Google map will save your day!! So charge your phones n have a power bank just in case you run out of battery!!With just a bike with tank full of petrol and google map you can travel entire goa (that's what we did!!) And I'm proud to say that Google map did not fail us, although the battery died n we got lost n got asked to go to the casino which we outrightly rejected!!

Places to visit!

The forts..Man!! The forts are really the best!! The view from up there is breath-taking,where you feel like the tiny little human that you are and how amazing n beautiful is God and His creations are!It simply is splendid! So here's a line up of some of the forts you NEED to visit :

• Aguda Fort 
• Chapora Fort (Don't miss this one!)
• Corjeum Fort

Churches

There's a church for every stop, although its all closed(i wonder why!). But dont forget to visit the places given. These are the places i visited and highly recommend.

• Immaculate church
• Bascilica of Bom Jesus 
• Fontainhas - This place has houses n restaurants that are european inspired and leaves you awestruck for awhile by its beauty!! Great to take pictures...Fashion bloggers and photographers take note!!

Fontainhas

Fontainhas

Aguda Fort

Aguda Fort

View from Aguda Fort

View from Chapora Fort

View Chapora Fort

Chapora Fort

View from Chapora Fort

Chapora Beach

View from Chapora Fort

View from chapora Fort

Museum

Bascilica of Bom Jesus

Anjuna Beach

• Aldona Village - This village is all green and beautiful

Beaches

There are as much as 30-35 beaches in goa if I'm not wrong!

I'll break down a few for you guys!

• Baga Beach(North Goa) - Definitely for party animals, It's clean and a little crowded, Has a ton of water sports.
• Calangute beach(North Goa)- Quite dirty with all the plastic but a little less crowded.
• Anjuna beach(North Goa)- The waves are quite rough. Would'nt recommend it during monsoon, Quite different from the other beaches. Even the sand is not so fine like the other ones.
• Chapora Beach (South Goa) - Calm
• Sinquerim Beach( South Goa) - Calm and secluded.
• Colva Beach - Sports, Churches and party

Since i visited a few beaches i can only tell this many!! You can explore as many as you want!!!

Dudhsagar Falls and Harvalem Falls is a must visit!! Since it was an ordeal for us to travel that great of a distance and it was monsoon also we overlooked on these two!! :P

Places to Eat!!

There are umpteen number of restaurants and bars and fish shacks in Goa!! So it'll be very difficult for you to choose!! However I'll give some of the restaurants that we enjoyed!! Since you're in goa, sticking to Seafood would be great! Please stay away from beef!! My sisters had beef n were not feeling well! 

My top choice would be 

• FAT FISH - The food here is yummicilious! I'd recommend Indian prawn curry n squid n shark! :P We did'nt quite enjoy the goan cuisine though!! We also had Baked Fish with poatato and cheese n Maaaan!!! That was DELISH!!! The dessert double chocolate fudge with ice cream is right up my alley n we throughly enjoyed it!!!The ambience is awesome! Quite laid-back and relaxed setup with lanterns hanging, quite magical you know?!We went there twice! The price is affordable!
• Anand restaurant (Near Anjuna Beach) - The meals here is cheap!! Just Rs. 100-sumptuous and tasty too!!They give fish and mussels and some veggies with rice and some yummy coconut curry!
• Viva Panjim - The Prawn biriyani here is amaze-balls!! Also, the prawn pulao!! My sisters were acting all sportive and went for fish curry rice and did'nt like it a bit!! Did'nt suit their palette i believe!!Affordable pricing too!
• Mc Donalds
• KFC

Shopping

I really would'nt recommend shopping in goa as the stuff sold there are overpriced and cheap!! Incase you want to buy souvenirs you can check out Mapusa Market(Open on Fridays), The shops outside Bascilica of BOM Jesus(Prices are quite reasonable), Anjuna Market(Open on Wednesadays) and Saturday night market/ Ingo's market(Quite a famous one i heard!!)

Budget

Accomodation - ₹ 4000 for 3 days and 4 nights in AirBnB for 4 members.
Food - Max ₹800/ person for a day
Bike rent - ₹300 per day
Car rent -₹ 1300 per day
We spent arount ₹3500-₹4000 totally for 3 days and four nights!

So... What are you waiting for?! Pack your bags and get to goa already!!

I hope this post was helpful to some extent!! 

Have a great time in Goa, lovely friend!!

See you soon,

The Dusky Fashionista

P.S - I thought i'll sneak in our little Itenary that helped us save time and visit some places.

Day 1 :

Fontainhas, Immaculate Church, Fort Aguda, Calangute Beach

Day 2 :

Chapora Fort, Mapusa Market, Sinquerium Beach,Aldona Village, Baga Beach

Day 3 :

Bascilica of Bom Jesus, Dona Paula, Anjuna Beach, Saturday Night Market(Closed during Monsoon)