Candolim

Candolim is just north of the Mandovi river, on the strip of beach in the Bardez district home to Goa's most popular and well known resorts. Not as lively as close by  beaches such as Anjuna and Baga. Candolim caters mainly to Europeans on  package tours that arrive at Dabolim airport from October to April. However, Candolim in the off season reverts to a sleepy fishing village and has numerous charms not always evident during the peak season.

Once a fishing village, Candolim is now one of the longest beaches of Goa. It starts at Fort Aguada and merges with Calangute beach at its other end. Candolim Beach extends from the Taj Hotels to Escrivao Vaddo, on the main Candolim-Calangute road. The main road and its by-lanes are dotted with plenty of shops, restaurants, but the Candolim beachfront is less crowded and more peaceful than nearby Calangute Beach and the perfect place for everybody's favourite Goan pastime - watching the sunset.

Apart from a place of tourist interest,  Candolim has historic significance as well. Candolim is the birthplace of Fr. Abbe Faria, the founder of the science of hypnotism. In addition to this, Candolim is also the place where the first revolt against Portuguese was launched by the Goans and the revolt of the Pintos was led by Goan Catholic priests.

In terms of religion Candolim is predominantly Catholic in nature, but all religions are catered for. Numerous celebrations and festivals take place during the year, and the Hindu Divali (October/November) and Holi (March) festivals are well worth experiencing.

As a beach resort, Candolim has a reasonably quiet beach with less hassle from Beach Vendors (than Calangute and Baga) and is perfect if you want to lie on a sunlounger and take an occasional dip. The sand close to the main part of Candolim, can get too hot to lie on comfortably, or walk on without shoes. There are numerous beach shacks offering sunloungers (normally free, but at peak season some shack owners may charge) on a small peak of sand a few metres from the water. One of our favourite ways to pass the time on the beach is to watch out for Dolphins, which are frequently seen from the shore. If you prefer a very quiet beach Coco Beach is a few kilometres south east, or venturing further afield the beaches at Vagator, Morjim, Ashven are within reach by taxi.
Other busier beaches are a reasonable walk (20~30 mins) away towards Calangute and Baga.

Excursions from Candolim

Being in the middle of North Goa, there are numerous excursions available from Candolim. Some of these are detailed in our Goa page. We don't claim to have travelled all over Goa but some of our favourite day trips are included. Just about anywhere in Goa is accessible within a day, and for the more adventurous there are overnight trips to places such as Hampi or Karnataka.

Dabolim airport is well served by airlines and you can organise flights to just about any Indian city

Food Drink & Entertainment

Candolim has a wide choice of places to eat and drink, with plenty of shacks on the beach, and many restaurants on the main road and side roads leading to the beach. Food and drink tend to be cheap (compared to Europe at least), and restaurants cater for most tastes (Continental, Italian, English, Indian, Chinese, Mexican amongst others) along with numerous bars, some of which show live English football. It may seem unreal to be watching a live game from England starting at 1.30 in the morning!!

We do not claim to have the same tastes as everyone else but these are some of our personal favourites. If your tastes differ you may not enjoy it as much, but Hey-Ho there are plenty of others around so you won't go short of food or drinks for long.

Restaurants we like include
Roma Pisa (Italian incl Pizza) Holiday Beach Resort Road (HBR) Candolim
Mango Grove (Indian and Simple, great for Breakfast) Candolim-Calangute Main Road
21 Cocos (formerly Marios) (Indian / Continental) HBR Candolim
Silverfins Candolim-Calangute Main Road
Bobs Inn (Indian) Candolim-Calangute Main Road - but about 1.5km towards Calangute from Candolim centre.
Dominos (Pizza) Candolim-Calangute Main Road approx 2.5km towards Calangute will Deliver

Bars we like include
Mango Grove (Excellent service, reasonably priced, good atmosphere) Candolim-Calangute Main Road
J29 (Late night Sports Bar, pricey and pushy service but if you want to watch two football games at the same time on HDTV Giant screens. Holiday Beach Resort Road (HBR)
Taste of China (Good for watching Football, reasonably priced, but can be difficult to view the screen if it gets too busy)
Teama (Good service and reasonably priced - Karaoke night can be hectic) HBR
Alexandras (Friendly service, reasonably priced and a nice relaxing place to cool down after the beach) HBR

Beach Shacks we like include

Candolim

Bono's (Clean - has excellent Western WC's, reasonable food, can be on the pricey side and tries to charge for Sunbeds in High Season)

Club 21 (Good food, reasonably priced, good service)

Baga

Bosco's (CSM Road) worth a hike for good friendly service on a more lively beach. Free sunbeds and reasonably priced


Night Clubs we like include
Mambos Titos Road, Baga

Transport
Regular local buses run from Candolim to the towns of Panaji *** (Rs10),  Mapusa (Rs10), Calangute (Rs8), and can be used to reach the other beaches further up this stretch of the coast. Whilst buses are the cheapest form of transport in Goa, they can be very slow and crowded. Taxis, in the form of motorcycles, rickshaws and cars or small tourist mini-buses are the fastest but much more expensive. Whilst there are government rates, it may be best to agree the fare before starting. We have a good rapport with some local taxi drivers and can arrange excursions, shopping trips etc. if required and hopefully at reasonable rates.

*** If going by bus to Panaji get off the bus at the ferry point in Betim and catch the free ferry across to the City centre. It's quicker, cheaper and quite fun. The bus station in the city is some way from the shopping area