Numero Uno amongst beaches in North Goa is Sinquerim, first by its location, its qualities and its plethora of luxury resort complexes and hotels! Sinquerim beach fronts Aguada Bay where the waters of the blue green Arabian Sea eddy and swirl with the muddy brown River Mandovi. Aguada Bay is dominated by the laterite ramparts and towers of the old fort whose freshwater springs give the bay and the fort its name, Aguada. The fort's broken down battlements skirt the beachhead and project into Aguada Bay dividing it into Candolim and Sinquerim coves.
Sinquerim is definitely upper crust with the famous Taj Aguada Hotel complex hogging the best locale. The three-tier hotel consists of the Taj Village, Taj Aguada and Taj Hermitage. The Hermitage consists of individual cottages perched on the cliff side with dazzling views of the Arabian Sea and Fort Aguada. It was designed for the visiting Commonwealth Heads of Government and other dignitaries and is genuinely classy.
Candolim: In contrast, Candolim beach is more of a middle class beach, sedate and dignified and very popular with veteran visitors who find its familiarity reassuring and the facilities reasonable. In the last decade, Candolim has become the favourite destination of charter-holiday operators resulting in a boom in apartment complexes and more people on the beach. In high season, Candolim looks very similar to the overcrowded beaches of Southern Europe with serried rows of sunbeds and well-oiled bodies! Fortunately for the rest of us, Candolim village has plenty of modest guesthouses hidden away from sight between narrow lanes and lines of coconut palms.
Both beaches are clean with firm sand and are safe for swimming, though lifeguards are a relatively unknown concept in Goa. Sinquerim and Candolim beaches have shacks and cafés aplenty as well as the inexorable vendors who hawk everything imaginable from pineapples to pornography. The growing popularity of water sports has seen the emergence of professional companies who offer facilities and equipment at reasonable rates. Some of them have their offices outside Sinquerim beach.
Vagator and Chapora
Chapora River bisects the coastline a few miles ahead of Anjuna where a steep promontory and rocky headlands landscape an awesome backdrop to the beaches of Vagator and Chapora. A leaf green setting of palm trees and paddy fields adds a rustic charm to the tranquil picture while from its vantage position on the hilly promontory, Chapora Fort watches over the river, beaches and little villages lying in its lee.
Vagator: Silver sands circumscribed by awesome black lava rocks characterize the duo of small and big Vagators! Wild, windy and wilful, the two Vagators are separated from each other by the rocks that prohibit access except by way of sea or overland. Bigger by virtue of its span of silver sands, Big Vagator lies in the shadow of the 17th Century Chapora Fort. The low-lying beach is reached from the main Anjuna-Chapora road by way of a rough path hewn into the red laterite cliff. Secluded in its little cove by the barricade of the rocks, Little Vagator has become the domain of the Israelis- long-term residents and short-term visitors. So much so, even the locals refer to the beach as Ozran — little Israel!
To Vagator & Chapora
Buses take the long scenic way from Mapusa (10km) to reach the northernmost beaches in Bardez province, the three beaches at Vagator and Chapora and the famous fortress on the headland of the River Chapora. A small taxi stand at Vagator provides both motorcycle and cars on rent.
Chapora: Primarily a fishing village on the bank of the river, Chapora is a colourful (and smelly) community of fishermen and women, a sprawl of boats and the loud noise that epitomizes a fishing commune! The men take their boats out to sea, leaving the women to clean up the mess, sort the fish and hock it! All three beaches are relatively underdeveloped, lying as they do some distance off the main circuit. While only a select few people choose to stay at Vagator and Chapora, plenty visit it both for its awesome setting and its Bohemian reputation!
Accommodation
The accommodation available varies between an upmarket resort, family run guesthouses, small hotels and low budget hotels in Goa, run of mill kind that suits backpackers and their breed. Both beaches have a surprising number of good bars and restaurants; the better ones where the music is hip and the food first-class are run by a small group of European ex-pats who've made their home at Vagator.
Swan Tours one of the leading travel agents in India offers Goa holiday packages at economical price.