Going Goa Gone

I’d wanted to come to India for so long. There was something about the colours in the photographs I’ve seen; the beauty of the landscape – the friction of the frenetic against the serene – that beguiled me, as it has countless others.

And in the last few months, I‘ve really focused on my yoga practice. Working in social media, I am always on. Its fast paced, with nights spent in hotels and working out of hours – lugging kit around and being hustled by photographers. I needed to build up my resilience because I felt I could shatter any moment.

I used to spin every day. I love the endorphin-kick at the end. But it only exhausted me more. I needed something to centre me. To bring me back to myself. (am I sounding like a yogi yet?) And that’s when I really found yoga.

I used to look around the room at Yoga. Why is everyone sweating? Am I supposed to find this easy? Its because I wasn’t really connecting to it. I wasn’t in it. But now I get it. Now I'm hooked.

It was with great delight that my boyfriend suggested a 10-day trip to Agonda, Goa in November. It was the start of the season, the hotels were just waking up after the monsoon months. The sun was hot, but retreated into clouds sometimes – allowing you to explore, or duck into the shade. The water was warm, while still being refreshing. A gentle wake carries you in and out of the shallows – and don’t worry if you see a few bobbing fins on the horizons. They’re dolphins.

Where to stay

Agonda Beach stretches out for 2 miles – and lined with beach huts. Towards the south end of the crescent is JoJolapa (around £60 a night) – beautiful looking resort with friendly service. They have a lovely menu, with a mix of western food, traditional Indian and delicious Nepalese, where the owner and many of the staff are from.

The White Resort (£70)– isn’t one to go if you want the Goan beach vibe. Its more like Ibiza with beautiful white mini-villas and a small pool in the commune area. Maybe one if you don’t want any creepy crawlies in your room.

H2O is one of the bigger hotels – towards the middle section of the beach. The sea view cabins cost around £50 (in low season) and are enormous, palatial.

With steps that take you outside to the back of the hut and down into a huge bathroom, with a hot shower, enormous mirrors and buckets of plants. With a floor plan of a London flat, and a private terrace, where you can sip your morning mango lassie and look out on the Indian Ocean.

Where to Eat

There’s a lot of vegan cafes popping in Agonda – but there’s also plenty of Goan restraunts where you can taste the local delicacies.

Fatima’s Kitchen

A famous spot, which is connected to the hostel beside – attracting travellers and locals alike. You can get a full meal for two for around £8 – this includes cocktails. It’s delicious.

Zest

We tried not too but we had a smoothie from here everyday. A completely plant based restaurant, that serves incredible smoothies, bowls, miso mushroom noodles, beefy beet burgers and the usual hipster staples like avo on toast. Its pricer than elsewhere, but its amazing quality.

Kopi Desa Agonda

The amazing wooden bar, that looks to saddle the road – draws you in. There’s a great atmosphere here, almost like a beachy speak easy, with an open roof so that you can see the moon. Plenty of options here, especially for a vegetarian. I’d recommend the crispy tofu or one of their sough dough pizzas.

Hotel BBQ

Both hotels will try to get you to stay and eat at the hotel. And I have to say they make the offer enticing. Their restaurants back on to the beach, with tables stretched out in front. Dig your toes into the sand and enjoy barbequed fish with their special seasoning caught that morning. I’d recommend H20 on a Saturday night – they’ll usually have a musician play on the weekend. When we were there a british blues duo (talented retired school teachers) jammed with a Indian traditional musician.

Yoga

There’s plenty of places to practice yoga in Agonda beach and the nearby areas. If you are not doing a retreat or teachers training you can easily pop in Sampoorna Yoga Centre (the best offering on Agonda) They do a morning vinyasa flow class from 8:30-10:00 and an afternoon from 16:00-17:15. Classes showcase their latest teachers (or some of their most experienced).

You might see some of the latest to complete their teachers training, dressed in white on their graduation night, celebrating by the sea.

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