Arjuna: Feel a difference

Anjuna is popular with backpackers, families planning extended stays, and young and old travelers. It has a fairly long, beautiful beach lined with palm trees. It is a little secluded. It is one of the main places in Goa for all-night techno parties. On Wednesdays there is the famous Anjuna Flea Market. Thousands of people come from all over Goa to buy and sell.
Swimming is safer here than at most of the other beaches, especially at the southern end of the beach, where a rocky headway keeps the sea relatively calm. Be careful of rocks when entering the water. This is why you will probably see everyone swimming in the same area on such a long beach.
Tour buses usually park at the north end of the beach, and there is a row of Kashmiri shops and cafes in this area. During lunchtime and in the afternoon, tour buses pull in and Indian tourists get out and walk around the beach.
Theft on the beach can be a problem. Be especially careful of children and vendors. On party nights, you should keep your valuables with you or leave them with the family with whom you are staying. Thieves sometime lift the tiles off houses to break in. The bank has safety deposit boxes.
Information: If you are looking for a room, you could get off at Starco’s Crossroads, near the turnoff to Chapora. Most of the guest houses are located in this area. Near this crossroads are some shops, a motorcycle taxi stand, and it also serves as the bus stand.
Travelcash on the main road east of Starco, about 1km from the beach, changes money at a good rate quickly and efficiently.
Other travel agencies also change money. You can change money at Oxford Stores and the Manali Guest House. Both charge high commissions. You can also go to Vagator and change money at Corporation Bank. The Bank of Baroda, on the road to Mapusa, takes Visa and MasterCard.

The post office, on the road to Mapusa, 1km inland, has an efficient poste restante.

Oxford Stores is a small department store. Western goods, a good selection of vegetables and fruits, and other items. They also sell and process film. Open daily except Sunday 8 am to 8:30 pm. The small department store across the street often has many of the same items but at a lower price, especially fruits and vegetables.

Established travel agencies: Speedy (273-266), near the post office; MGM (274-317), and Travelcash (274-408), just east of the Starco on the main road to Mapusa.

The German Bakery, which is back from the beach, is a good place to eat and also has an excellent shop that has a good selection of hip clothing. There are a few other good shops near the German Bakery which also sell clothes. Near Starco Junction is a good shop selling Tibetan and fairly contemporary clothes.

Dr Manu Shah (4 to 6 pm), practices at the Orgasmic Restaurant. He is an Osteopath, does acupuncture, and practices natural medicine.

You can rent motorbikes at the repair shop about 1km from the beach. There is a place that rents motorbikes across from the German Bakery. You can also ask in the restaurants about renting a motorbike.

You can often get a good massage at the beach here.
Internet accour at Colours, next to Speedy Travel, has good connections and A/C for Rs 40 per hour. Also at Manali guesthouse.

Note: It is common for the police in Anjuna to check foreigners for licenses and insurance.
Anjuna Flea MarketDuring the Wednesday flea market, people come from the beaches all over Goa. There is a large selection of items for sale, and the place has a fascinating atmosphere in its setting amid the palm trees and next to the sea. It is an interesting experience.
If you want to look hip at the all-night parties, this is definitely the place to get outfitted. There is a good selection of clothes (Indonesian styles, etc.) sold or designed by Westerners (they often carry European price tags). You may want to look out for the European-type jewelry made by foreigners, which is often good and cannot be found in any other place in India.
If you plan on buying Rajasthani or Nepali goods, note that the items from these places sold at the flea markets are often double the price you would pay in either Rajasthan or Nepal.
You can get all types of clothes, Nepali goods, Tibetan goods, embroidered items, incense, a good selection of jewelry, semiprecious stones, crystals, fancy knives, handicrafts, hammocks, bedspreads, and other items at the flea market. There are also several people who sell the latest techno tapes, and there are good places to eat Indian, Israeli, or Western food. There are Ayurvedic doctors, professional hair cutters and colorers (foreigners), dreadlocks makers, and nose and body piercers. You can have your hair cut and painted in any style imaginable. You can also have different designs painted on your body which look like tattoos, but which last only a few weeks. I was quoted Rs 150 for temporary henna tattoo, but bargained them down to Rs 50. Even if you don’t purchase anything, you will enjoy walking around. If you do plan to buy, be prepared to bargain hard.
The flea market opens around 8 am and closes at 6 pm. It is busiest in the early afternoon. Fishing boats depart from Baga to the market—Rs 50 for the trip (I bargained a few people down to Rs 30). Tour buses and taxis come from all over Goa.

Where to Stay: The main season is from early November to late March. During the Christmas season it is difficult to get a room in a guest house. If you want to stay during the Christmas-New Year season, it is best to arrange your accommodations in advance or to first go to Calangute or Baga and then make day trips until you can find a place to stay.
Many people stay in houses and cottages, but most houses are booked months in advance or rented year after year to the same people returning during the season. To find a house, ask in the restaurants, as they usually have contacts. You most likely will have to view several houses and to bargain a bit. The longer you plan to stay, the better your bargaining power will be. Houses are rented on a monthly basis. During December and January, prices for houses will be much higher.
The prices given here are for the high season (mid-Dec to late Jan). Other times, prices are thirty to fifty percent cheaper.
Cabin Disco, on the main road to Mapusa, has rooms with a common bath for Rs 300 and Rs 400 with bath.Starco Restaurant, near the main junction to Vagator, has rooms for Rs 250 to Rs 350.

Off the main road is the Red Cab Inn, De Mello Vaddo, with good rooms for Rs 550 with common bath and Rs 750 with private bath.

Manali Guest House nearby, has decent rooms for Rs 250. a good value. Has an Internet cafe. Popular, friendly good-value place. Safe-deposit box and library.If you are desperate, the Valentina Guest House has a few basic rooms with common bath for Rs 250.

The well-located Poonam Guest House is a has rooms built around a garden. Rooms with bath are Rs 700 for a double with a sea view and Rs 600 without a view. The same room is half the price after the high-season. It has two deluxe rooms for Rs 1200.

There are several places on the beach near where the tour buses stop.

Sonic Guest House has rooms with common bath for Rs 550.

Mary’s Holiday Home has basic rooms for Rs 400 and Rs 700.

White Negro,south of the village near the St Anthony Chapel, has rooms with a common bath for Rs 250/300, and newer rooms with bath and hot water for Rs 700 to Rs 900. It is a friendly good-valued place.

Palmasol Cliff Resort, near the White Negro, has rooms with common bath for Rs 450 and large newer rooms with hot water for Rs 750.Near the beach. Nice garden.

Rose Garden Restaurant, right next to the beach, near the Shore Bar, has rooms with bath for Rs 800 to Rs 1200. Except for its location, the rooms are highly overpriced.

Coutino’s Nest, on the main road to Mapusa about 1km from the beach, has good, clean rooms with common bath for Rs 300 or Rs 450. It has a hot shower and is run by a friendly, respectable family. It is set well back from the beach in a quiet area.

Grandpa’s has ten, well-designed rooms. It has a pool, a pool table, and offers yoga and karate lessons. Has a nice garden. Popular place so it should be booked in advance.

Villa Anjuna, D’mello Vaddo, is a nice new hotel conveniently located between the sea and the Starco Bar (the bus stop) on the road to the beach, with good comfortable rooms with hot water for Rs 650 to Rs 900. Rooms built around a pool.

Palacete Rodrigues, near Oxford Stores, is an old Portuguese house built around a pleasant courtyard. It is run by a nice family. It has double rooms for Rs 750 and suites for Rs 900. The rooms are all different, so ask to see a few.

Bougainvillea, on the outskirts of Anjuna, has a pool, a large relaxing garden, and a restaurant. The comfortable rooms range from Rs 1400/1700 to Rs 2200 (3300 during Christmas).

Don João Resorts: on the main road to Mapusa, is a modern, Western-style hotel with good rooms for Rs 1800. It is mainly geared for package tours and is usually full. It is the best place in town. During the off-season you can often bargain down to price. It is a clean and safe place. It may be possible to get a room for more than half the normally stated price.

Where to Eat: German Bakery, a ten-minute walk from the beach, serves good cakes, breads, salads, juices (including wheat grass and carrot), and herbal teas. It has a good vegetarian restaurant with Western and Indian preparations. The vegetable pulao is very good. Main preps are about Rs 40 to Rs 60. Recommended.

Bean Me Up: on the main road leading from the beach across from the Don Joao Resort, has been highly recommended to me. It specializes in Soya burgers and salads. A full meal is around Rs 150, but for what you get it is a good value. One friend of mine said it was one of the best restaurants in India serving Western food. Quick, friendly service, clean and a good atmosphere.Whole Bean is a vegetarian restaurant serving tofu burgers and avocado salads.There is a restaurant serving Israeli food with a good sound system near the main bus junction across from Starco. Recommended.

Nafils, on the main road to Mapusa, is a popular Israeli place (with Israeli cooks).

Green Palms Restaurant, a little further down the main road, is a popular place specializing in Yemenite food.Pussy Orange Boom is a good choice for breakfast.

White Negro away from the beach, has a good restaurant. Main preps about Rs 60.Knock Inn has good tandoori foods, but is not cheap.Martha’s Breakfast Home serves good breakfasts.

Entertainment: The main hangout place in Anjuna is the Shore Bar, in the middle of the beach. They have a loud sound system and play techno music. The busiest day is Wednesday after the flea market closes and a thousand people come here to listen to the music and watch the sunset. It closes at 11 pm. Late nighters then head to the Guru Bar or to the Primrose Cafe in Vagator, which are open past midnight.
Paradiso is a popular techno dance place. It starts happening after 12 midnight. Frequented by foreign tourists and well-to-do, hip Indians. It is not open every night.

Travel: To get to Anjuna from Panaji, take a bus to Mapusa (30 min), then another from Mapusa (20 min, 8km). The bus to Mapusa (every half-hour) begins in Chapora and goes through Vagator. By the time it reac+hes Anjuna, there are usually no seats left. There are buses every half-hour to Vagator (7 min) and Chapora (10 min).

A motorcycle taxi is Rs 40 to Rs 60 (7 min) to Vagator or Chapora, and is more convenient than the bus. At night you may have to pay Rs 75 or more depending on the season. A motorcycle taxi to Calangute is Rs 90; a regular taxi is about Rs 200.