Goa, colonised by the Portuguese, is the smallest state in India, with a unique cuisine, world famous beaches along the Arabian Sea, excellent temples, and churches.
Goa hotels span the entire range of facilities, sprinkled with a warm, friendly welcome and exotic cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With so many close to the sea, beach shack cafes and a certain relaxed style delivers the ideal ambience for this sun-drenched, laid back small patch of holiday heaven.
Top Things about Goa
There are 125 kilometres of wonderful beaches, some for partying, and some for quiet restfulness. The further north or south, the more isolated and secluded the beaches become.
Basilica of Bom Jesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Old Goa is the early Portuguese centre and one of the oldest churches in India.
Goa is dotted with temples and forts in ancient Indian, Portuguese and post-colonial style.
Eating in Goa
Goa has acquired a reputation for great beaches and weather, and a certain laid-back life style since the early tourists from Europe discovered the state in the 1960s. More recently, the cuisine has come to the fore, with its combination of Indian spices and Portuguese influences. The latter brought chillies, potatoes, tomatoes, and capsicums to India, and the locals combined them with coconut and coconut oil to create light, fish curries. With a much more culturally diverse population than the rest of the country, about 25 percent are Christians, pork, beef and wine also appear, leading to a classic of the curry house, the pork vindaloo.
Goa Hotels
Goa is a narrow state, and nearly all accommodation in Goa is within just a few kilometres of the Arabian Sea, if not just a few hundred metres. There is the full range of hotels, from five-star resort-spa to modest, cheap hotels in Goa. As with beaches and other attractions, the further visitors stay from the centrally situated Dabolim airport, the cheaper and quieter the hotels in Goa become.