South Goa Holidays

South Goa’s like a tailor-made suit for chill-seekers – a perfect fit. Peaceful struts of sand are its major calling card, and the easygoing vibe’s copy and pasted across the entire region. Conjure up an image of wind-tickled palms, dozy fishing villages and a shoreline that looks spotless enough to eat your dinner off.

The architecture here has visitors doing a bit of a double-take, with European leftovers cropping up all over the place. Most of them went up when Portuguese sailors chucked an anchor overboard, and decided to set up shop here in the 16th century. The crumbs of centuries-old fortresses are scattered along the brink of the Arabian Sea, and colonial manor houses are ten-a-penny in Cavelossim and Chandor.

We’ve saved the best 'til last by holding back South Goa’s beaches. The coastline’s painted with more than 15 miles of eggshell-white sand, which puts it among India’s top contenders in the fly and flop category. And unlike the party atmosphere you’ll see in its northern counterpart, things stay strictly within the laidback bracket. Friendly sand-side bars stay arm’s length from each other, so the waterfront doesn’t feel cluttered.