How to Spend three nights in Cavellossim, Goa

Casas, Coco-huts, Coconuts, Coasts, Crabs, Cocktails – if you think these words describe Goa in its entirety then, well, you are not completely wrong. For most people in the world, mention the word, “Goa”, and scenes of lazily swaying palms, golden sands, dread-locked beer swirling hippies, dance parties, trance parties and yoga retreats probably come to mind. This beach-side jewel of India was established as a firm favourite on the Hippie Trail of the 70’s and the rest they say . . .is history.

The Black ‘n Grey Clouds and the Mighty Sea welcomed us when we first landed at Cavellosim Beach, South Goa

Palolem Beach at its Sublime Best with its Turquoise Blue Waters. . .

“We decided to ditch the manic parties and fiestas of North Goa for a more relaxed and sublime sojourn. As of date, much of the coastline of North Goa has fallen prey to mass tourism. Once renowned as a land of hedonism, people flocked to get a taste for themselves. Today, the condition is such that sewage ebbs out directly into the sea leaving a high tide of thrash behind. The classic beach shacks and coco-huts are now mostly upgraded to makeshift plywood and in some cases concrete, built supposedly to attract the high-rollers. Only, the high rollers didn’t quite make it.“

However, we heard of pockets of Goa that had a better story to tell. It was this another side of coastal Goa that was sleepy yet soulful. After a heavy round of discussion of weighing the pros and cons, we all unanimously voted for the ‘Cavellosim Beach’.

Day 1

Our Villa Experience at Cavellosim

Our description of three days stay in Cavellosim would not be complete without mentioning a typical day at the villa. . .

The Four Stooges Ready to Rock Goa!

The Chilling Zone – Backyard of our Villa

The View of ‘River Sal’ from our Back Porch. . .

For an overall luxe experience we booked a beach-side Airbnb. Our villa overlooked a huge garden in the frontyard. Dainty Season Flowers sprouted effortlessly throughout the passage leading to our ‘Casa’. The living room was aesthetically done with some bohemian craft and some Portuguese artifacts. The Dining table was complete with neatly arranged cutlery and cloth napkins made into swans.

The master bedrooms were meticulously designed for a good night’s sleep. Soothing curtains, all the linen, comforters and sheets made of the best quality Egyptian cotton and a sliding door that opened to the cottage verandah overlooking the carpet green grass and the backwaters of river ‘Sal’.

The kitchen contained sets of wine,beer, whiskey and shots glass and was equipped with all the necessary kitchen ware. Much to our delight, even the fridge was stocked with bread, eggs, jam and butter.

Every morning, we whipped up a quick breakfast of poached eggs, bread’n’jam,a steaming cup of cappuccino and some Maggie sauted with vegetables. However, the back porsch of our villa was reserved for all the early morning black coffee and bird watching.

Visit to the Beach

White and golden stretches of powdered sand, ladened with palm trees overlooking the mighty turquoise sea was how Cavellosim Beach appeared at first glance.

The Skies, the Sea and She wore ‘Blue’ that Day – Posing Alert @ Agonda Beach!

That’s Maddy’s Way of Chilling at Cavellosim Beach. Beach Shack Courtesy – ‘Island Dish’

The cozy little beach shacks are arranged in such a way that they reward you with complete privacy to enjoy your romantic evening, yet not as isolated so as to make you go on a frenzy searching for the next living soul. They arrange your seating near the mighty Arabian Sea and the setting is just so soothing.

Sunset Watching

I never met a Sunset I didn’t like.

Oh the Gorgeous Sunset! Cavellosim Beach was a treat. . .

Cavellosim beach is lauded for its beautiful sunsets. As the skies colour themselves with different hues, one blending into the other and the roaring soundscape of the waves of the mighty sea in the background that merges effortlessly with the evening sky from beyond the horizon surely makes the sunset a worthy spectacle. We each sipped our favourite drink as we observes the purple of twilight transisition into night.

Sea-Food Mania

The Sea-Side air sure whets up your appetite and increases your gluttony many-folds. Especially when you have delicious sea-food and the tastiest of drinks from the local brewery served to you at your beck-n-call. Well, that’s Island Dish Beach Shack for you.

The Delicious Sea Food we Relished on! Makes my mouth water even now. . .

Café Hunt – James Café

If you are a purveyor of third-wave coffee, you would understand the struggles of finding the perfect café/coffee-shop at your vicinity.

Good Food, Great Music, Awesome Ambience – ‘James Cafe’ surely has our Heart. . .

We had just finished our beach adventure for the day and were retracing our footsteps back to the villa when we discovered this ‘gorgeous café’. Two musicians were just demounting their ride and were installing and plugging-in their musical equipments. “You must come listen to us tonight”, one shouted.

The café had the perfect vibe with dimly lit walls and ceilings, bamboo cane decorations, several bonsai and indoor plants making up much of the greenery and the classiest musical vibes in the air.

We swayed our heads to the several golden melodies as we sipped our cocktails and gorged on our delicacies. The four of us made our requests for our favourite songs to be sung which were graciously complied to.

Day 2

Water Sports

The next day was sunny and hence perfect to undertake some water adventure. Maddy and I decided to stir our adventurous palate and hit the waters whilst my sister and Abhishek decided to laze on the sands with a chilled beer.

We went for Speed Boating, Jet Skying and Banana ride. Later, the kids could not resist the water anymore and soon the adventure phobes were found trying every water sport that was displayed on the list.

Road trip to North Goa

Rendezvous with Fort Aguada

North Goa was never on our radar; anyways we were so crunched for time. But we decided to give Fort Aguada a chance. With a historical legacy of about 400 years, fort Aguada is a massive and magnificient citadel defining the landscape of Goa. Fort Aguada overlooks the Arabian Sea and offers mesmerizing panaromas of the surrounding areas.

Maddy at Fort Aguada, North Goa. . .

We had our ‘DilChahtaHain’ moment on the Fort (giggles). While we enjoyed walking around, we used the Fort as a good photo opportunity. Take a look. . .

Day 3

Early Morning at Agonda Beach

Agonda Beach is ideal for the wee hours in the morning visit. We watched the sun make its ascend as the breathtaking expanse of the beautiful sky unfolded on nature’s canvas like a dream. Indeed, nature unfolds her treasure at the first ray of sunshine.

Sunrise at Agonda Beach! Honestly I have never witnessed a Sunrise This Beautiful!!!

Me, Taking a Walk at the Wee Hours of the Morning at Agonda Beach

I wanted to spend the rest of the morning curled up with a novel on the pristine beach. However we had to make a dash for the rest of the day’s plan. Only Three nights, sigh!!!

Palolem Beach – Dolphin Watching and Island Hopping

Cruising Along Palolem towards the Island Trio. . .

Don’t you just love the Backdrop. . .

We returned for a quick breakfast at the villa. After which we set out to explore the Island Trio –

The Monkey Island

The Butterfly Island

The Honeymoon island

Dolphin Watching

The main agenda of going to Palolem beach was because the cruise to the three islands is so much easier from there. Also, there are certain Dolphin spotting areas that you pass along and if you are lucky, you may be greeted by a jumping dolphin or two.

Personally, I have never really understood the dolphin watching fiasco wherein many boat operators chase down dolphins and evade the personal space of these innocent marine creatures by getting ‘too close’. However, they justify the act by stating that they are obliged to give the customers what they paid for.

I feel we need to be vocal about the need to respect a good distance between the boats and dolphins. And who knows, the dolphins may treat you with a spectacular acrobatic which you might have never fathomed.

Honeymoon Island

The Natural Rock Turtle Formation near the Island. . .

As we cruised along, we passed a natural ‘Turtle Formation’ in the middle of the sea. We passed by the Monkey Island first and then the Butterfly Island. We decided to give both of them a miss and straight along headed towards the HoneyMoon island – presumably the best of the three.

And Finally Maddy Soaking Up the Sunshine and Sea before Heading Out

No sooner had we landed at the pristine island, we were witness to a zillion crabs, big and small, clearly sunbathing in the big rocks.

We spent the rest of the evening at the Cavellosim Beach –  Casual Talks, Cocktails, Sea Food and Sea-side air. . .

The Final day

We love exploring a place in our own unique way. You’ll find us meandering down forgotten alleys, spending hours in crumbling ruins or days trying to find the perfectly brewed coffee. And that is how we spent the last day before heading to the airport. Here the coloured houses, galleries and neat streets whisk you away to another continent – where Portuguese History and Influence is paramount and often leaves you amazed. We also managed a splash in the sea – our final adieu to Cavellosim, before we rushed to the airport.

Parting Thoughts

It is easy to get swept up with visions of idyllic beaches and dreamy sunsets, but one always ends up confused when it comes to choosing an ideal beach getaway for oneself. We are glad we chose, the ‘Cavellosim Beach’ for our three days getaway.

The Last Cheers to Cavellosim, Goa . . . till we visit again!!!

Well how can I sum up my experience at Cavellosim Goa? Let me try. . .

“It’s as though I’d drunk a bottle of anise and fallen asleep wrapped in a quilt of roses. It pulls me along – and I know I’m drowning”.

South Goa’s seductive beaches make me think of Garcia Lorca’s gorgeous poetry – “It draws you in and before you know it. . .You are in Love!”.