My TripAdvisor Review No.639: Colva Beach, South Goa.

Most Popular Beach Of South Goa.

Colva Beach seems to be the most popular beach of South Goa judging by the crowds here on holidays. But the direct approach to the beach was obstructed by a pool of stagnant and dirty water when we visited in December 2019. One has to skirt around some beach shacks to reach the sandy portion along the seaside. There is another approach road going from behind the restaurants which runs parallel to the beach.

There are a lot of water sports activities taking place here. If you come during the daylight hours you will observe people enjoying parasailing, water skiing, banana boat riding and swimming in the sea. The beach is always crowded in the holiday season. It is a safe beach for a dip in the sea and there are lifeguards always present and patrolling in their red jeeps.

We were sitting at one of the beach restaurants and observing the frenzied activities taking place on the lovely sands. It is a crowded beach and not one where one can relax with a book to read, though there are many sundecks which the Europeans hire from the local vendors, to give themselves a deep tan.

Apart from the beach shacks there are also some established restaurants and hotels on shore, including the state run GTDC Colva Residency. There are many shops where you can pick up souvenirs and memorabilia, as well as Goan cashews and famous alcoholic brew of Goa, Feni.

Date of experience: December 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.631: Murudeshwar (Town), Karnataka.

Temple Town By The Sea.

Murudeshwar is a small but beautiful pilgrimage town on the Karnataka coastline. It has been made famous by the huge shimmering statue of Lord Shiva and the nearby temple which has an even taller gopuram which towers over the statue. There is a nice beach nearby.

The town is just off NH66 between Udupi and Bhatkal. We had to turn off the highway and travel towards the coastline for about 1 km. There is a pay and park parking lot. One can avail of water sports activities like boating, swimming and wind surfing at the beach. For those interested in diving there are organised trips to Netrani Island, which is about 10 nautical miles offshore from Murudeshwar. Some diving shops in Goa help with the arrangements.

The destination gets overcrowded during the weekends, so it is best to visit during weekdays in the winter months of November to February. There are some hotels and stay options located nearby and one can spend a few days at Murudeshwar Beach and enjoy a short vacation.

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Date of experience: December 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.630: Naveen Beach Resaturant, Murudeshwar, Karnataka.

Built On Stilts, Excellent Sea View.

After visiting the Murudeshwar Shiva Temple and the beach we decided to have lunch at the Naveen Beach Restaurant, which has been constructed on stilts at the edge of the beach. There are three levels and all floors have a central hall with a veranda where the tables have been laid out. We grabbed a table on the ground floor veranda and we got a beautiful view of the beach and the Arabian Sea. The tables on the other side of the veranda had a view of the giant Shiva statue and temple.

We ordered Alu Gobi with Rotis and Curd Raitha. The food was freshly cooked and quite tasty. The service was average and the prices were reasonable. Seafood and other non-vegetarian dishes were also available as well as South Indian snacks like dosa, idli and wadas.

The main attraction of this restaurant is the balcony seating if available. If it gets crowded you may not get a table outside. The weather has to be good, if it is too hot or rainy then you may not enjoy the ambience.

We enjoyed our meal with a good view of the beach activities.

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My TripAdvisor Review No.619: Muzhappilangad Drive-In Beach, Kannur, Kerala.

No Road Rules, But Learn Driving Here.

Muzhappilangad is considered to be the longest drive-in beach in Asia. This beach is about 12 km south of Thottada, where we were staying, and about 15 km south of Kannur. It took about 15 minutes to drive down via NH66, the Panvel Kochi National Highway, till Edakkad, then we took a right turn at the Muzhappilangad Post Office to reach the beach. We had to pay an entry fee of ₹40 for the car. The ticket had a message from the Kerala Police which said that the speed limit on the beach is 20 kmph.

There were all kinds of vehicles on the beach; buses, jeeps, cars, SUVs, motorcycles, vans, scooters, bicycles, tuk-tuks with passengers as well as tuk-tuks selling ice-creams and snacks. Still the beach did not look crowded and there was ample space for people to test their driving skills. Families were playing games like cricket and football and others having a swim in the sea.

We had a cup of coffee at a nearby restaurant and drove down on the beach for about 3 km till we reached a break in the beach due to channel of flowing rain water from inland. There was a group of rocky islands further south, and an island known as the Dharmadam Island, which we could see in the distance. We could have gone further but that would mean driving into the seawater shallows. So we turned back in time to watch the sunset before driving back to Kannur. The total length of the drivable part of the beach must be between 5 to 6 km.

The drive was very smooth and the sand was firm, but there were some undulations in the sand which acted as mild natural speed breakers as our car sailed over them quite gently. However, one must be careful not to keep the car stationary in the shallow water for too long as the receding waves wash the sand away under the tires and the vehicle may get stuck. And drive safe, as everyone thinks that they own the beach!

Date of experience: December 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.618: Kizhunna Beach, Kannur, Kerala.

Remote And Secluded Beach, But One Of The Best.

This is one of the most pristine beaches of Kannur, on the Malabar coast. The beach is difficult to get to if you are staying in Kannur city, but quite accessible by a short walk if you are staying in one of the many resorts located opposite or near the beach. It is sandwiched between Thottada Beach to the north and Ezhara Beach to the south. The three beaches are separated by some rocky outcrops of hilly land.

From Ivory Coast’e, the resort where we were staying, there was a short cut with steps leading down to the northern end of the beach. From here we could walk down about one and a half kilometre to the southern end. The beach is very clean compared to any of the other commercialised beaches. There were no food and drink stalls, nor any restaurant shacks like you find in Goa. We could just stand and observe the waves lashing the shore and rolling up to our feet. It looked safe enough to swim.

The best time to visit the beach is in the evening to take in a glorious sunset. We would love to come to Kannur again to enjoy the two pristine beaches, Kizhunna and Thottada.

Date of experience: December 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.617: Thottada Beach, Kannur, Kerala.

Pristine Beach.

This is one of the most pristine beaches of Kannur, on the Malabar coast. The beach is difficult to get to if you are staying in Kannur city, but quite accessible by a short walk if you are staying in one of the many resorts located opposite or near the beach.

We would go for a morning and evening walk to the beach from our resort. In the morning there were very few people on the beach, except for some tourists doing yoga or coming for a walk or a jog. In the evening we found more local people coming for a walk, or to play cricket, football or volleyball.

The beach is very clean compared to any of the other commercialised beaches. There were no food and drink stalls, nor any restaurant shacks like you find in Goa. We could just stand and observe the waves lashing the shore and rolling up to our feet. It looked safe enough to swim though we did not try it. The best time to visit the beach is in the evening to take in a glorious sunset. We would love to come here again.

Date of experience: December 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.578: Ivory Coast'e, Thottada Beach, Kannur, Kerala.

Seaside Homestay On The North Kerala Coast.

Driving our way up from Kochi to Goa we decided to a break for a few nights in Kannur. Ivory Coast’e home stay near Thottada Beach seemed an ideal place to do so. It is located very near to the Thottada and Kizhunna beaches near Kannur, at the same time it was away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

It was a bit difficult to locate his bungalow without GPS, and we had to phone Bipin when we reached Thottada village. He was very helpful and came out to the village to guide us home which was about 3 km inside.

We had a very clean and comfortable ground floor room with attached bathroom. The room was quite airy and we did not require the AC. It is a one storied bungalow with some rooms on the ground and some on the first floor. There is an open area dining room where we were served home cooked meals. There were some good books in the open bookshelf. We were so relaxed, my wife picked up a Sudha Murthy novel and finished it in one day. There was a hammock in the garden and a clothes line to dry our clothes. There are three bicycles which you can borrow and ride around the by-lanes of Thottada and Kizhunna villages. Free wi-fi was available in the common areas.

I would walk down to the pristine beaches nearby and take a morning walk on the clean sands. There were no stalls or shacks on the beaches, just surf, sand, waves, shells and sand piper birds. There were many other species of birds to be seen in the adjoining forests and bushes.

Bipin guided me the route to visit St. Angelo’s Fort and the Arakkal Museum, both of which were worth a visit. The next evening we visited the Muzhappilangad (Drive In) Beach, one of the longest driveable beaches in the world, and witnessed a lovely sunset.

We were served very tasty home cooked meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast included idiappams with potato stew, Puttu with Kadla curry, and Idli with coconut chutney. Lunch and dinner included rice or chapattis with a vegetable and a gravy dish and pappadams and curd. Fish was available on request.

We enjoyed our stay at Ivory Coast’e and would love to visit again.

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Date of stay: December 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.574: Club Mahindra Cherai Resort, Kerala.

Idyllic Beach Holiday.

We had a very relaxed and idyllic beach holiday at Club Mahindra’s Cherai Beach. Located on Vypin Island just north of Fort Kochi it would be difficult to locate if we did not have Google maps. It is situated on a narrow strip of land between the vast Arabian Sea on the western side and the backwaters in the east. There is sufficient parking space in the resort.

The resort is well spread out with plenty of greenery and palm trees. There are beautiful water bodies inside the resort, which include a swimming pool and a pond where they raise their own fish to be served in the specialty seafood restaurant, ‘Meen Kada’. There were deck chairs around the pool and separate towels provided.

In addition to ‘Meen Kada’, there are two more restaurants, ‘Yavanapriya’ which serves buffet and Malabari cuisine, and ‘Aromi Di Italia’ which serves Italian dishes. There is a Spa and an Activity Centre for the kids both young and grown up. A house boat is on stand-by and can be rented for a pleasure ride on the backwaters.

All the cottages are in Tharavadu style and are heritage structures which give a traditional and classical look to the resort. The rooms are sufficiently large and well maintained with good air-conditioning and soft mattresses and furnishings, a large flat-screen TV, cupboard, tea/coffee maker with sachets provided, a bottle cooler, dressing table, a large bathroom and a sit-out balcony where we enjoyed our morning cuppa. There was no microwave oven though.

The service was very friendly and efficient, and the food was reasonably spicy and tangy. We did not go for the buffet but ordered ala-carte. On the first night we had Appams with the ‘Karimeen Pollichathu’, a fish caught from the pond and slow cooked in banana leaf. “Meen Kadu’ is an open air restaurant with an open kitchen and the fish was prepared in front of us. It was an unique dining experience.

The swimming pool was very clean and well maintained by the enthusiastic pool attendant, Madhav. It was almost like an infinity pool with one side overlooking the backwaters and the houseboat. We would walk out to the beach in the evenings to witness a glowing sunset.

All in all we had a good, relaxing and rejuvenating stay at the Cherai Beach Resort, and would love to visit again.

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Date of stay: December 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.505: Beaver Harbour Park (Storey's Beach), Port Hardy, Vanc-Island.

Lovely Beach For A Family Picnic.

This beach park is also known as Storey’s Beach. The sand here is nice and fine though somewhat dark coloured. The Beaver Harbour Park has a beautiful green lawn laid out with picnic benches. There is a covered shed with benches where a family can gather for a party, and a washroom and an open wash basin where one can wash one’s feet and dirty utensils. Some driftwood separates the park from the beach.

The water was pretty cold but nice and calm and we saw a lot of brave kids enjoying splashing around. Some had brought their surf boards along. The water is crystal clear and there are small round stones and shells which kids can play around with. The sea here is good for boating and kayaking as well.

After some splashing in the cold water we settled down on one of the sunny picnic tables with our spread, with the kids running around in the huge lawn. All of us had a great time. The summer sun brought the warmth back into our bodies, despite the cool winds from the ocean.

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Date of experience: July 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.495: Brady's Beach, Bamfield, Vanc-Island, BC, Canada.

Gem Of A Beach.

Brady’s beach is one of the most beautiful beaches on Vancouver Island. It is a largely sandy beach but with a lot of rocky outcrops and small tree covered islands which are typical of the Pacific west coast. The gradually sloping sands and relatively calm waters made it look very inviting for a swim, but the water was too chilled to dive in.

The beach is about a 25 minute walk from the West Bamfield dock, along a gravel trail which is clearly marked through the forests. You will know you have reached your destination when you see a wooden structure on your left with a board saying ‘Brady Loo’.

The beach was empty at 11 am and it was quite enjoyable to walk from one end to the other like Robinson Crusoe on his wild deserted island. One can spend the day relaxing, swimming, building sand castles or just beach combing. There is a lot of driftwood and seashells lying around on the sands.

Do remember to bring a picnic basket as there are no refreshment stalls or restaurants till you get back to the docks.

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Date of experience: August 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.445: Calamari Bathe and Binge, Candolim, Goa.

Great Beachfront Restaurant With Live Music.

Calamari Bathe and Binge is a good beachfront restaurant located on Candolim Beach in North Goa. They have loungers on the beach where you can relax after a swim and then head for lunch or dinner and binge on their delicious seafood and drinks.

We visited the place on a Saturday night for dinner and got a nice table on the sands with the refreshing sea breeze ruffling our hair. There was a live band playing popular English and Hindi pop music which enlivened the atmosphere.

They have a variety of alcoholic drinks. My choice was the Caju Feni with soda, while my friends had their own cocktails. We had Fish Fingers and Calamari (squid) Butter Garlic as starters. After the drinks, we ordered their Paneer and Mushroom Chilly Fry and Rechiado Masala Pomfret and both tasted very good.

Prices were a bit on the higher side. The service was courteous and friendly but a bit slow.

The place is worth visiting for its nice open air ambiance and live music and lively atmosphere. There is a huge parking lot outside and cabs are easily available.

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Date of visit: March 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.444: Souza Lobo, Calangute Beach, Goa.

Authentic Goan Beach Restaurant.

Souza Lobo is a classy beach restaurant, too classy to be called a shack. It is located right in the middle of Calangute Beach with a very good view of the seaside. It is well decorated and has an authentic Goan ambiance with nice paintings of ancient and contemporary Goa, as well as some family photographs. It is a family run enterprise which was started in the year 1932. It has a rustic charm of its own. They specialize in seafood mainly Goan, Continental and Indian.

We visited the place on a Sunday afternoon and were lucky to get a table for six in the veranda with a beach view. We were served by friendly waiters dressed in colorful Hawaiian shirts. We started with drinks and wines. For starters, we tried the Butter Garlic Fried Potato Skins, Fish Fingers, and Tandoori Mushrooms. For mains, we had the Kingfish with Curry Rice, Pork Vindaloo with Veg Biryani. We also tried the Malai Kofta and Gobi Manchurian in the vegetarian selection. The food was well cooked and very delicious. Later we shared Bebinca and Tiramisu to sweeten our palettes.

We enjoyed our lunch and decided to visit next time for dinner since they have a live band and barbeques with outdoor seating as well in the evenings.

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Date of visit: March 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.443: Britto's Baga Beach, Goa.

Britto's: The Best On Baga Beach.

Britto’s is by far the best beach restaurant on Baga Beach. It is one of the oldest beach restaurants in Goa and has been in existence since 1965. If you have not dined at Britto’s you have not experienced Baga Beach. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks.

We entered the place on a Saturday afternoon at 1 pm and the restaurant was empty. We got a table next to the beach with an excellent view of the sea and a nice sea breeze blowing our way. The tables are set close to each other and seem a bit congested, but by the time we finished our lunch at 3 pm, there was not a single vacant table, and there was a waiting list.

We ordered a bottle of white wine for the six of us and enjoyed it with yummy starters. The grilled Kingfish and Mushroom and Gobi Manchurian were finger licking tasty. Later we enjoyed the biryanis and Egg Xacuti with rice. The crab gravy was very good too.

The service is quick and courteous, and the ambiance is open and airy with some nice Goan village decorations and artifacts. Prices are on the higher side but it is well worth it.

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Date of visit: March 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.442: Baga Beach, Goa.

Popular Beach Of North Goa.

Baga Beach seems to be an extension of Calangute Beach. As you walk north of Calangute Beach you will see a huge signboard on the hillside indicating the northern end of Baga Beach. There is no clear demarcating line between Baga and Calangute.

There are a lot of water sports activities taking place here. If you come during the daylight hours you will observe people enjoying parasailing, water skiing, banana boat riding and swimming in the sea. The beach is always crowded in the holiday season.

We were sitting at one of the beach restaurants, ‘Britto’s’ and observing the frenzied activities taking place on the lovely sands. It is a crowded beach and not one where one can relax with a book to read, though there are many sundecks which the Europeans hire from the local vendors, to give themselves a deep tan.

The Anjuna Flea Market and the Arpora Saturday Night Bazaar are quite close to Baga Beach.

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Date of experience: March 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.441: Calangute Beach, Goa.

Most Popular Beach Of North Goa.

Calangute Beach located about 20 km north of Goa’s capital, Panjim, is probably the most popular beach of North Goa. Calangute is a happening place with plenty of restaurants, resorts, beach shacks, markets, and casinos.

The beach itself is always buzzing with activities like para-sailing, water-skiing, banana boat rides, and swimming. There is always a crowd of tourists on the beach, with the local populace joining in on the weekends. People like to enjoy a meal in one of the many beach shacks lining the beach.

We would take a long morning walk on the clean sandy beach, which stretches for about 3 kilometers with Candolim Beach at the south end and Baga Beach at the north end. There are lifeguards always patrolling the beach in their red jeeps alerting people whether it is safe to swim or not. It gets very crowded in the evenings particularly at the time of sunset.

It’s a good beach to watch the beautiful tropical sunsets.

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Date of experience: March 2019

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