We had originally wanted to take a nice week-long trip somewhere during the summer holidays to celebrate Snubnose’s school graduation. She had already got admission to a couple of decent colleges, but the best ones take their time. We didn’t think college admissions would continue until the end of May and even early June. This was a good thing, of course, it meant that she cleared preliminary college entrance tests, so she needed to be available for further interview rounds. But this also meant that we could not plan any getaway.
Until we found out in June that she was getting into her second choice of college, and once everything was finalized, we could think of a getaway. Alas! Piglet’s school was starting! Eventually, we ended up just doing a super-short trip to Goa.
Sadly, the weather wasn’t our friend. Goa is not meant to be visited this time of the year, anyway, but unless we were heading out to the mountains, we had no other choice. India as a whole was super-hot this year.
Where we stayed
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I prefer North Goa to South Goa as there’s more to do, so we stayed in Regenta Central Imperial in Candolim, which K’s friend runs. The place was nice. It had good rooms, a so-so breakfast, and a not-very-attractive pool. But they had a nice games room, which meant Piglet enjoyed foozball, ice hockey, and chess, all in the comfort of an air-conditioned room. I wouldn’t recommend the hotel as such as it isn’t doesn’t have a beach attached. As a plus point, it’s accessible and close to restaurants and shops.
Where we went
It was unbearably hot, so this trip mainly ended up being quite a leisurely one. Piglet hated the heat, and he insisted we stay in the hotel every chance we got. However, despite his grumbling, we dragged him to quite a few places—some of which he enjoyed and some he absolutely hated.
Candolim Beach
This is the public beach quite near our hotel, and we all disliked it. It wasn’t particularly clean, there were too many stray dogs, and the heat was murderous.
We still managed to enjoy ourselves a bit. We stood in the water and then relaxed in the beach shack.
Dolphin spotting and Dona Paula beach
We tried our hand at dolphin spotting, going on a small boat out to sea in the hopes of spotting these playful creatures. We spotted quite a few, but we were unable to get any snaps of them. They were so quick.
We also went to Dona Paula Beach, which was a little more scenic and less dirty (probably because there was an entry fee). The coast was beautiful and even more amazing was that we could spot dolphins right from the shore. Again, sadly, no pics, but the views were spectacular.
Charao island
This was the best experience. We booked a cultural tour of Chorao, a small island on the Mandovi River. We didn’t really have high expectations from the tour, but it was wonderful. Our tour guide was friendly; it was a small group, and we got to see a side of Goa, we hadn’t done before. It also helped that the tour included a hike to the top of a small hill. Piglet loves his nature, and this was the best part of the trip for him.
What we ate
This was the real highlight of our tour. Piglet tried seafood for the first time, and he enjoyed everything he sampled—from squid to prawns to mussels. Snubnose, the foodie, just loved everything she experienced. We tried a mix of high and low-cost options, and these three were the best.
- The Second House is a 108-year-old house converted into a restaurant. The food is pretty eclectic. We weren’t sure what to order, so we just followed the waiter’s recommendations, and they were all top-notch. I loved the bibimbap.
- Yazu is a beach club. The vibe is fantastic, the food is good, and the liquor is even better. I loved the chili tequilas I tried there—they were the best! We went there for lunch, which wasn’t the best experience. It was too hot. Highly recommend going there at night. I am sure it would have been a happening place. However, if you have young kids, lunch is the better option. The beach is also quite nice and not crowded, so bring the kids for the day. They also have lounge chairs and stuff, so it’s a great place if the weather is good.
- Paper Moon at Taj Fort Aguada—This was our main celebration dinner. It’s Italian food, and it was good. However, the liquor was a bit of a let-down. I ordered an Aperol Spritz, which wasn’t available; I was offered a limoncello cocktail, which was very mild and a bit of a miss. However, the kids enjoyed their seafood pizza, and the ambiance was fantastic. So, I guess, overall, it was quite good.
There are no photos from The Second House; we were all hot, exhausted, sweaty, and hungry. Thankfully, the restaurant was air-conditioned, allowing us to cool off.
Here’s a photo from the internet to convince you all that it’s a great place, and if you are ever in North Goa, it’s worth visiting. I want to dine there again the next time I am in Goa.
There were other restaurants as well – Fat Fish, where they didn’t have any fish (some issue with the produce that day), and Fisherman’s Wharf, a popular chain that was expectedly good. Another place was Tomato’s. I wouldn’t recommend Fat Fish at all; the others were decent.
What we shopped
Ooh! I never planned to shop in Goa, but we found some cute stuff around the Fontainhas area. We stumbled upon many arty shops, and I couldn’t help purchasing the most useless knick-knacks.
First up was Thomas the Potter, where I went a bit crazy. I loved everything in the shop but restricted myself to a ceramic whale and puffer fish. It was a mad impulse when I bought them, and I had no idea what I’d do with them. But I eventually ended up using them as bookends. The shop also stocks some exquisite designer jewelry. They also have pottery classes and workshops, and if we had the time, I would have enrolled Snubnose in them.
Next door was a coffee shop. I don’t remember the name anymore, but it’s heavenly and worth a stop for the coffee. They also have the cutest pottery. Thankfully, I restrained myself here 😝.
If we hadn’t eaten earlier, I would have loved to stop at Off the Record for drinks, music, and food. Records are coming back in a big way, and I wanted to introduce the kids to this experience, but never mind another time.
We wanted to walk and browse more in Fontainhas; there were plenty of shops and cute knick-knacks for sale, but it was too hot, and we retreated back to the comfort of our A/C car.
Never mind, there were plenty of cute places near our hotel in Candolim. We walked up to the iconic and famous The Flame Store, which was nice to browse but didn’t pick up anything. We did go mad at the neighborhood supermarket Newton’s, though. They don’t have a good reputation (if you look at their online reviews), and I have to agree that their customer service is nuts, but they did have the best selection of liquor, and K came back with a pretty decent haul. This is one of those shops where you can browse and check what they have. I recommend the smaller shops if you know what you want to buy.
And that was our quick trip, folks. Looking back at my post, it’s amazing how much we managed to squeeze into a short trip. But we managed it and gave Snubnose the best sendoff we could for her new beginnings in college!
Awesome