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Palolem, one of the four beaches in Goa’s southernmost Canacona taluka, offers what the most favoured coastal areas in the north do, but minus the jarring noise.
From restaurants offering cuisines from different parts of the world, with Goan food being buried, to shops selling exquisite leatherware, Indian handicrafts, to even cooking and yoga classes, Palolem has it all.
From a virgin beach in the south, discovered and enjoyed by foreign tourists, Palolem now sees a horde of domestic tourists, but few prefer to stay long.
Once, Palolem was dotted with restaurants on the beach. Today, the shoreline sees neatly designed accommodation that offers its guests a pristine view of the sea along with interiors of class.
If the view outside is beautiful, the room offers luxurious comfort – at a price.
“When foreigners first discovered the place, most units were run by locals. Shacks used to serve local food and the ambience was different as I presume was in other places in Goa, too,” says landlord Tolentino.
The Covid-19 pandemic brought a change in the mindset of the people and many places are now, either, run by outsiders or sold to them. As one enters the road leading to the beach, the signposts of tourism are evident with the shops, lined alongside, selling items easily available in other coastal areas.
“We dropped by to see the beach and have lunch. The sand is soft and the waves are not rough. There is plenty of space on this beach, but hardly any to park vehicles,” rues Hamshid from North India.
“The sand in Goa is different from the sand in other beaches of India, and unlike other places, most beaches are surrounded by mountains with beautiful vegetation,” says Hamshid as he sips his beer whilst watching people playing in the water.
“Do foreigners hang around Goa throughout the year?” he asks as he sees a foreigner jogging on the beach all by himself.
“We have Russians all through the year and a few Britishers, who have stakes in some apartments around,” replies Sachin as he waits on the table.
Along the beach are restaurants that serve Indian, Continental, Asian and Goan cuisine, prepared by chefs from the north. “Most of our clients are Indians. We know their tastes and, therefore, prepare the dishes accordingly,” says Yusuf who admits that his restaurant is part of a well-known chain.
A ladies blouse at a roadside shop sells for around Rs 200 if the client is an Indian, and anything from Rs 400 and more if the client is a Westerner.
“Indian customers bargain a lot, and so do foreigners who have been here before. Not, first timers,” chuckles Smita as she takes a break from hard selling. Sales, according to her, are good during the tourist season and the number of visitors to the beach has been steady despite the rain.
“Lots of Indians staying in big hotels come to see the beach and get a taste of the place,” she admits.
Palolem houses a luxury hotel, apartments and a few home stays, but apart from the shops on the roads, the restaurants and clutter of vehicles, the magic lies on the shore – undisturbed serenity with no loud music.