Travel enthusiast Latha Sunadh gets Goa aficionados to let you in on where to party, binge, chill out and ring in this New Year in the beach paradise.
Clichéd? Yes. Done to death? Probably! Yet we flock to this beach paradise every six months. Clean beaches, hectic partying, chillers’ paradise – no wonder that Goa is always somewhere near the top of our travel list. It also pushes itself into our bucket list – a hole-in-the-wall restaurant we didn’t try, a beach we failed to locate, a select sundowner party we must find a way to go to (it’s word-of-mouth information, you see). There is so much more to Goa than what we saw the last time we were there. That’s why, this New Year’s Eve, we are once again looking at Goa as the prime spot to eat, drink and party merry.
“There are some places in the world that have a special vibe. Goa has that vibe. It’s intangible yet very tangible,” says Wendell Rodricks, fashion designer and a proud Goan. Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan, author and another Goa lover, agrees. “It is a feeling that you get … when you can let go of the breath you’ve been holding in your high-stress job or worrying about life. Goa whispers, ‘It’s all going to be okay’”.
Meenakshi loves living it up by partying on a beach until morning. “I’m partial to Ashwem, a gorgeous strip of sand with sea so shallow you can wade in for a kilometre. Also, it has a lovely French restaurant La Plage,” she says.
No one knows party haunts better than celebrity blogger Malini Aggarwal. “Chilling out and partying near Ashwem or Morjim is mandatory as they have the cleanest beaches and lots of shacks playing great music,” she says. The Baga strip, of course, has the best partying spaces – Cape Town Cafe is a popular place to let your hair down. Curlies at Anjuna is her personal pick as an after-party hangout with great drinks and yummy three am snacks. Malini also suggests attending the Silent Noise parties in south Goa, because you get to “just play the music on your headphones and dance away”.
If grooving on the beach with the music of your choice and a drink in hand is how you envision your New Year’s Eve, we recommend Vagator and Anjuna. Both have a great vibe, the crowd is amazing and the nightspots will host awesome gigs and play music all night. “Head to Anjuna or Baga for the biggest crowd-puller parties, Palolem is for more intimate, laidback get-togethers,” advises actress and Goa aficionado Priyanka Bose. If you’re looking for adventure, check out the full-moon parties at Anjuna. They work only through word-of-mouth or flyers so keep your eyes open.
But always be responsible. “Goa is about a liberal culture, but one built on respect. Do what you want, relax, eat, drink, swim, drive, but with respect. And seriously, don’t drink and drive or swim,” advises Deepti Kapoor, author and fellow Goan.
Some wonderful party places that line the coast are Cafe Mambo, Club Cabana and Sin Q. Marbela Beach Resort is popular among the new haunts as is 9 Bar at Vagator, which has a psy-trance vibe. If you prefer old-school places, pretty much every old pub and restaurant will have live music.
Your holiday, however, need not begin or end with New Year’s Eve parties. Head to one of the quieter parts of this coastal paradise to recuperate after partying hard, or if you are looking for some peace and calm to ring in 2015.
“There are two personalities to Goa – north and south. While north Goa is loaded with history, shopping and a tempting nightlife, south Goa is about taking a relaxed route away from urban life,” says Priyanka. She takes off to Goa once a year for five days because she believes that ‘time stops’ when she’s there. She recommends her friend’s place in Patnem called The Space, a creative venue with dining, shopping and wellness options, and a cool café. That’s what makes Goa your BFF – you can pick your pace.
Wendell believes the real scoop is found in Goan homes, in “their food, their fun and their attitude to life”, which reflects in the culture. It’s laidback and highly addictive. In Goa, follow your nose for food and relax for the most part, he advises.
“Goa is a space where I can relax, regroup, reconnect and then get back to city life,” says Srimoyi Bhattacharya, managing director of Peepul PR, who visits her house there once every six weeks or so. Her recommendations are simple: the Saturday night market at Arpora where you get some amazing independent designer ware, the French community she connects with at La Plage, and partying at Sublime till sunrise.
So go ahead, take your pick, book those tickets and definitely have a rocking New Year.
Photo Credit: The Juice
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Source: Jabong
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