Palolem Beach, Goa.

Much has been heard about Palolem being the best beach in Goa. At the same time, many have also claimed that Palolem has lost its charm with too much commercialization. But still I was determined to check out the place, thanks to pictures showing the palm trees extending into the pristine white sands. And so on Day2 we checked out of our resort in Benaulim, and hired a bike to Palolem - one of the southernmost beaches in Goa. The 35km ride from Madgaon to Palolem (in Cancona Town) was one of the best I’ve experienced in recent times. Most part of the journey through the ghat roads were thankfully less crowded and sometimes even deserted.

Palolem did indeed turn out to be highly commercialized. The entire stretch of the beach is lined-up with shacks apart from numerous other hotels, guest houses, restaurants, gift shops, grocery stores, internet cafes et al. But luckily the beach in itself is not much of a disappointment. The geometrical dimension of the beach though, is a little weird. The small alphabet "u" best describes the shape of this unique beach. It also reminded me of Kudle Beach in Gokarna as it lies cuddled between two hillocks. Palolem as we found out is a good place to pick up some good-looking shells.

The sunset was a slight disappointment as it just disappeared towards the fag-end of the phenomena. On the whole, but for the extreme commercialization, Palolem is a great place to relax and rejuvenate.

Getting-there: 35kms from Madgaon. First beach after the Ghat roads.

Must-Do: Enjoy the Sun, Sea, Sand and the Shells.

Must-Don't: Littering.

My Rating: 6.5/10