Goa – A beautiful state which attracts a lot of tourist around the year! Although there are plenty of things that you can enjoy in Goa irrespective of the time of the year, there are still some months of the year when Goa is not as attractive as during its peak seasons. These are mainly during monsoons because the best part of Goa, the shacks on the beaches are closed during this time. I have visited Goa during Feb,March and July. My friends visited Goa during September and there experience was much different then mine.
When is the best time to Visit Goa
It is definitely during Dec/Jan as during these months Goa is high on its spirit and there are so many tourist enjoying their holidays. If you are lucky you might even see someone from Bollywood as many actors/actress come to Goa to enjoy there Christmas and New year holidays. But Goa is also the most expensive during these months. The rates of the hotels and resorts might go 3-4 times than the rates at off season. Even the rates at the restaurants,pubs,clubs go up! If you want to enjoy the scenic Goa and you do not want a hole in your pockets then you should choose one of the following months – Feb,March and April. These are the months when Goa is not too hot and also not too expensive. Although you might not find so many tourist enjoying Goa. there are still plenty of Indians and foreigners living the Goan spirit!
When not to visit Goa
As I said you can avoid visiting Goa during the monsoons. Monsoons start in Goa from the month of August and continue till the end of September. In fact even May is not a great month to visit Goa due to lot of heat which might cause excessive sun tanning. Although these months are mainly off season for visiting Goa there is still few things you can do during these months. One of the advantages is reduction in hotel prices but apart from that you can enjoy playing in the beach while it is raining. It is not a common thing to do and can be exciting. You can also enjoy the nature as the sunsets become more beautiful and vegetation is lush green. There is also respite from heat during rains when the sea waves become huge! There are also some Goan festivals during monsoons which you can enjoy. These are – São João, St. Peter Feast & Bonderam. These festivals take place in June and August.
Where to stay in Goa
Goa has countless options to stay ranging from OK to luxurious. It all depends on your choice. How much luxury you want to have and how much are you willing to shell out. My experiences have always been pleasant with the stay. I have stayed in Dona Julia which is near Calangute beach and offers a 2 bed room for 1000 bucks( In Feb). Palmarhina which was more like a service apartment. We got a 2 bedroom flat with a hall and a kitchen in 6k(in Feb) but my best experience was staying with a local. He had recently added one more floor to his home and it was more like a one bedroom flat. There was AC, Refrigerator, Gas for cooking, TV, Sofa and a comfy bed. And all this was for 700/day. I had also asked them to make dinner for me so that I can enjoy the local delicacies of Goa. He made me fish, Dal and Rice and it was one of the most sumptuous meal I ever had in Goa. Renting someone’s home is a great option if you want to enjoy the local Goan culture.
Do not mess with the Locals
Although Goa is pretty safe but there has been incidents that have brought bad name to Goa. I have never had problem with the Goan people but one of my friend had a rather painful experience. While he was riding a bike with his friend late at night some ‘Rowdy Drunk Locals’ didn’t like my friends overtaking their car. They stopped them and injured one of my friend on his hand and went off. So when in Goa, do not mess with the locals especially when they are drunk. But I guess this is one bad experience that we had and overall me and all my friends have enjoyed our trips to Goa without any problems.
I guess that pretty much sums up the good and not so good to visit Goa. I won’t say there is any bad season to visit Goa as it is has this unique spirit which engulfs you as soon as you land in this wonderful state. Be safe, have a wonderful trip and let us know of your experience!