A hot season retreat
for Margao's moneyed middle classes since long before Independence,
Colva is the oldest and largest of South Goa's resorts. Its leafy
outlying 'Vaddos', or wards are pleasant enough, dotted with
colonial style villas and ramshackle fishing huts. The beachfront is
a collection of concrete hotels, souvenir stalls 
and
fly blown snack bars strewn around a central roundabout.
Each afternoon,
busloads of visitors from out of state mill around here after a
paddle on the crowded foreshore, pestered by postcard wallahs and
the little urchins whose families camp on the outskirts. If,
however, one wants to steer clear of this central market area, and
stick to the cleaner, greener outskirts, Colva can be a pleasant and
convenient place to stay for a while. Swimming is relatively safe
while the sand, at least away from the beachfront, is spotless and
scattered with beautiful shells.
LEISURE
EATING OUT
When the season is in
full swing, Colva's beachfront sprouts a row of large seafood
restaurants on stilts, some of them very ritzy indeed, with
tablecloths, candles and smooth music. The prices in these places
are top whack, but the portions are correspondingly vast, and
standards generally high. Budget travellers' are equally well
catered for, with a sprinkling of Shack Cafés at the less
frequented ends of the beach, and along the Vasco Road.
NIGHTLIFE
Although never an
established rave venue, Colva's nightlife is livelier than anywhere
else in south Goa, thanks to its ever-growing contingent of young
package tourists. The two most happening nightspots are down in the
dunes south of the beachfront area: splash boasts a big MTV
satellite screen and music to match, and a late bar and disco that
liven up around 10.00 pm.
A sandy plod just
south of here, posier Ziggy's boast Goa's only air conditioned dance
floor, a thumping Indian Ragga and Techno sound system, and a
sociable terrace littered with wicker easy chairs. If one prefers to
get plastered somewhere affordable and less pretentious, try Johnny
Cool's midway between the beach and Colva crossroads. Men Mar, on
the Vasco Road, also serves beers, snacks and Lassis until around
10.30 pm.
PLACES TO STAY
Mirroring the
village's rapid rise as a package tour resort, Colva's plentiful
accommodation ranges from swish campuses of chalets and swimming
pools to a fair selection of good value guesthouses in between. Most
of the mid and top of the range places are strung out along the Main
Beach Road or just behind it. Budget rooms lie amid the more
peaceful palm groves and paddy fields north of here: the quarter
known as Ward 4, which is accessible via the path that winds north
from Johnny Cool's Restaurant, or from the other side via a lane
leading west off the Main Colva-Vasco Road.
Hotels
in Goa
