LONGUINHO'S BEACH RESORT, COLVA

Goa, with a hundred kilometer long coastline along the Arabian sea, is a land of dreams and romance, a timeless world of gentle, hospitable people and unhurried activity. Having visited North Goa on earlier occasions, this time I decided to visit South Goa for a peaceful and relaxed holiday in March 2022.

Started from Pune by car and took the NH48 (Pune-Bangalore Highway) via Satara-> Kolhapur-> Nipani-> Ajra-> Gadinglaj-> Amboli-> Goa route which took almost 10 hours taking one hour breack at Amboli for lunch. Google map helped me to reach the resort at Colva directly. While returning, Amboli route was jammed. Hence, took the alternate route from Colva-Khanapur-Belgavi-Sankeshwar-Nipali-Kolhapur-Satara-Pune which took almost 11 hours.

Goa is accessible by Air, by Train and also by Road. Although the climate of Goa is hot and humid for around the year, the month of May is considered to be the hottest. Best time to visit Goa is between September and December.

I did an advance reservation of Luxury Sea view room at Longuinho’s Beach Resort at Colva beach. The resort is located next to the Colva beach and you can view the sea from the room and the sit out. The resort has a green lawn right next to the rooms giving it a peaceful look.

Room at the resort

View of sea from Resort Reception

Entry to Lawn

Candle Light Dinner Table set up

There are other resorts around the place like Lucky Resort next to Longuihnos, Salcette Beach Resort on the other side of the approach road and slight away from the sea shore. Then there is Golden Crown Hotel and Spa next to Salcette Resort. On the Colva – Cavelossim road, there are a number of resorts.

Other than the inhouse restaurant of the resort, there are a number of restaurants located within an hour and a half travel distance from Colva.

Some of the prominent ones I tried are :

Fisherman’s Wharf at Cavelossim : This restaurant is located on the river bank with live music. It serves Indian, Chinese, Mediterranean, a bit of Italian and Goan delicacies. The food items are quite delicious and the service is good.,

Southern Deck at Benaulim Beach: Located right next to the beach, this beach, bar and bistro offers variety of dishes and cocktails. Added flavour is the music and live performances. What I found very interesting is the roof of the restaurant. The restaurant is located slightly away from the main road.

The Southern Deck Restaurant

Roof of Southern Deck Restaurant

The Cape Goa, Cabo de Rama Fort,Canacona: This restaurant is located just before the Cabo de Rama Fort with a clear top view of the sea.

Joe’s River Cove Restaurant, Cavelossim: This restaurant is located near Ferry, next to the river with a quiet ambience and greenary. The food is good and service is quite prompt.

Cavatina by Avinash Martins, Benaulim, Goa.: A contemporary dining room with relics placed all around. You need to make advance booking online. I missed the bus in the first instance as I was told that the restaurant is full right through. I booked a table for the next day and the experience was wonderful.

On the way back from Goa, we stopped at Hidden Door Restaurant at Belgavi (Belgaum). This is also a contemporary restaurant with cooking done on wooden logs to provide an authentic taste to the food items like pizzas, burgers, salads and meals.

There are many activities for tourists in South Goa. You may visit some of the historial monuments, or relax on the beach, or indulge in water sports etc.

Places to interest to visit in South Goa are:

1. Cabo De Rama Fort, Canacoa : This Fort ruled by Sunda Kings till 1763 and later taken over by the Portugues is located at the end of Cola Village in Canacona about 1 hour 30 minutes ride from Colva. There is a chapel of St.Anthony, a barrack and two springs inside the fort. Behind the chapel is the Pebble beach with a slide down the way to the beach. Slightly ahead you get a panoramic view of the sea. From the Fort also you get a beautiful view of the sea.

Cabo de Rama Fort

Chapel at the Fort

2. Aguada Fort, Candolim : this is another fort located on the Sinquerim in Candolim, North Goa. It took an hour and 35 minutes to reach this fort from Colva by car. It is on the northern shore of river Mandovi . It has a lighthouse, chapel and an underground water storage tank.. It has many natural springs. The water, diverted from natural springs, it is reported to have been stored in a huge underground tank inside the Fort. Ships collected the water from here before proceeding on long voyages.

Aguada Fort, Candolim

View of sea from Aguada Fort