Mandrem Beach, Goa

Trip: Delhi - Goa - Delhi

• A scooty ride to Mandrem is half the fun. The long and shallow beach is perfect for kids so if you are with them, its a perfect getaway and they will love it. 
• Visit Baba Au Rhum on the way. It is authentic french restaurant and has some pastry delicacies famous around Goa.

Mandrem was nothing like a beach I had seen before. Calm and composed, shallow and yet deep, it was inviting to both kids and adults alike. The seclusion, distance from main Goa and the sheer size of Mandrem made us fall in love with it. The shacks were as usual very useful and helpful, at a price. Old songs of 90s were playing. The warm December breeze under the afternoon sunshine made the booze even more effective. We were entranced.

Shacks, Mandrem

Aguada Fort, Goa

Lighthouses fascinate me. They have too much to offer. As if the sea on one side and land on another was not enough, these guardians in the darkness offer unmatched view of the landscape from a high point that by design has to be visible from afar. The spiraling staircases take you to an alien looking gigantic torch that rotates. Very few lighthouses are open for tourists - the three most facinating ones I have climbed are the one in Mahabalipuram, Kovalam and Diu Fort. Unfortunately the one in Aguada Fort is not open and many a photogenic views have been bereaved from innocent tourists.

Lighthouse, Aguada Fort 

Ozran Beach (Little Vagator), Goa

Ozran Beach is also known as Little Vagator due to its proximity to the larger Vagator Beach. In all perspectives, it's an independent beach, in fact more than any other, thanks to the large hills that bracket this small pocket. Lately constructions have begun in this secluded paradise which means in next one year it will be as crowded and commercialized as any other beach in Goa.

Little Vagator