Palolem & Around

Introducing Palolem & Around

Palolem is the most southerly of Goa’s developed beaches and was once the state’s most idyllic. Nowadays its beauty is very much dependent on your point of view. For those who believe a beach cannot be paradise without a decent selection of cheap restaurants and hotels, a dose of nightlife and plenty of likeminded people then Palolem is still top of the pops. For those who prefer their paradise to be a little less claustrophobic then Palolem will make you feel queasy. Whatever your opinion one indisputable fact is that Palolem is far from undiscovered – the sheer number of ramshackle camps protruding out of what was once almost pristine jungle has turned Palolem into a kind of tropical Glastonbury – with all the associated good and bad points. In September 2006 the government destroyed all unlicensed businesses and buildings and, for a short time afterwards, Palolem was very much down in the dumps. However it hasn’t taken long for the village to get back on its feet and Palolem is once again back in the driving seat and sitting pretty at number one.

If Palolem is all too much for you then further north, and reachable by boat, is pretty Butterfly Beach, while around the southern headland is a small, rocky cove called Colomb Bay, with a couple of basic places to stay, and beyond that is another fine stretch of sand, Patnem Beach, with a handful of beach huts and something approaching surf.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009