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Benaulim Hotels:
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About Benaulim:
Benaulim Hotels - getting to and from and around once there
The tranquil Benaulim Beach will be your next stop after the Colva Beach. The beach, which is an ideal destination for having a peaceful vacation, is only 2 kilometer away from the Colva Beach.
If you want to reach the Benaulim Beach directly, just fly to Dabolim airport, and drive 70 kilometer to reach the calm and quite beach of Benaulim. About 40 kilometer drive from Panaji will also take you to this pristine beach by the Arabian Sea.
Located in South Goa, the Benaulim Beach is the place, where you can spend a holiday away from the busy life of the North Goa. Once home to a number of fishing village, now Benaulim has turned into a thriving tourist destination of Goa. The Benaulim Beach resorts will welcome you with comfortable accommodation, delicious Goan cuisine, and a wide range of facilities and amenities.
You can indulge in a number of water sports and other beach activities like spa treatment and sun bathing while enjoying the luxury of the resorts of Benaulim Beach. There are also a number of sights like Holy Trinity Church, Church of St. John the Baptist and downtown Margaon, where trips can be arranged from Benaulim. Here you can have a glimpse of the beach resorts of Benaulim before deciding where you would like to stay.
For me, Benaulim village and its beach are the best of Goa as it is today; still less developed and relatively quiet in comparison to the north Goa beaches, it strikes a good balance between the party animal overcrowding or rampant package tourism of Candolim and Anjuna, and the almost deserted beaches at Varca and Agonda.
Benaulim is in Goa’s Salacete district, and lies 3 or 4 km directly west of South Goa’s main town of Margao, in the middle of the long strip of beach that runs from Vasco de Gama to Mobor. The village itself centres around a crossroads, with a few smaller guest houses and restaurants strung along the roads that run parallel to the beach, as well as one or two of the larger ‘resorts’ that are beginning to spring up.
Benaulim Hotels - things to do and attractions
The first hundred metres or so of the southerly turning from the crossroads is gradually becoming something of a shopping mall of Kashmiri trinket sellers, whose cheesy sales pitches and slightly overcooked bonhomie become a little like fingernails scratching on a blackboard after the twentieth “luvvly jubbly” of the day.
There are better ways to walk to the beach, such as through the warren of lanes that lead under the shady palms, past scattered village houses and through the vibrant green rice paddies, often dotted with herons and other wading birds in search of food.
Arriving at the beach via the main road, the sand stretches off for miles in both directions; left (in the direction of Varca) is the quieter side, with most people sticking to the area in front of the five or six beach shacks, after which the beach is almost deserted until Varca.
There is little in the way of shady trees in this direction, but most of the shacks have at least a couple of large umbrellas or a sunshade of woven palm leaves. Turn right at the car park and you head toward the busier nearby resort of Colva, about three km away, along a strip of sand with plenty of coconut palms for shade.
At the weekend – especially close to christmas and new year – the beach area around the car park is usually busy with Indian day trippers; families out for an ice cream and a paddle in the sea, or – in common with every other Goan resort – impressionable and hormonal young men, armed with binoculars and fuelled by whisky, optimism and tall stories from friends about what easy, promiscuous bitches western women are. It’s far less busy during the week, when a five minute walk will easily find you a quiet spot on your own, with only occasional visits from Goan and Karnatakan women offering fruit, jewellery or henna skin paintings.
Night life is similarly laid back, with only a couple of relatively packed and noisy places close to the beach. There’s little or none of the techno party frenzy for which North Goa is famous, and musical entertainment is more likely to be from a CD player, or occasionally someone on an acoustic guitar at one of the beach shacks. For some reason Benaulim is especially popular with German and Austrian travellers, many of whom have been visiting for many years and often stay for most of the season, splitting the year between Europe and India.
It’s a good place to be for new years eve if you fancy something more than a travellers only party. We decided on a ‘beach shack crawl’ down to Colva, stopping at around half of the bars on the 3 km walk. By midnight the whole stretch of beach from Benaulim to Colva was heaving with revellers, both tourists and local people, many of whom had come from Margao or inland villages to celebrate, and turned into a large and extremely friendly party, with fireworks, music and dancing at many of the shacks, and of course a good deal of drinking and handshaking to welcome in the year.
Overall, it’s an attractive and friendly place to spend a few weeks (or months), with a sociable travellers scene that lacks the glitz, frenzy and ‘attitood’ of the better known northern beaches. Prices are far lower than the north for both food and accommodation, although increasing tourism development will doubtless begin to change that in the years to come.
More about Benaulim:
Benaulim which has the name which is popular in India of Banavali( Konkani बाणावली Benaulim), is a census town in South Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It is a beach town a little south of Margao in Goa, India.
Benaulim is immense natural beauty, it is located along the scenic south goa coastline. Legend has it that Lord Parashurama, incarnation of Lord Vishnu, shot an arrow from the Sahyadri mountains in adjacent konkan; the arrow (Baan in Sanskrit) landed at the site of this present-day town.Thus it was known as Banahalli or Banavalli (the village of the arrow) before the advent of the Portuguese.Ancient Banavalli had a magnificent temple dedicated to Shiva and Parvati,known as Katyayani Baneshvar,ruins ,of which can be still found in the village.The deities were shifted to Aversa in North Kanara in the 16th century to avoid religious persecution and the original temples were demolished by the Portuguese as mentioned in the historical records. The village also has a special significance for Christians as it is the birthplace of Father Joseph Vaz.
Benaulim Weather:
Benaulim Weather – An all year round sunshine destination
With an average year round temperature of 30C you will be guaranteed hot weather whenever you take holiday in Benaulim. Beautiful beaches and sunny blue skies draw holiday-makers to the South of Goa year after year. Although there is very little variation in the temperature in Benaulim throughout the year there are three distinct seasons. May to September is the monsoon season, and although it does not rain continuously you will need waterproofs. The rain does not affect the temperature and Benaulim will still receive temperatures over the 30C mark. The rest of the year will see hot and dry weather with the sun shining down for around nine hours per day.
Weather in Benaulim – The ideal beach weather
If you are a lover of hot sunny beaches and swimming in warm waters then a holiday in Benaulim will be ideal. The high season stretches from October to March and temperatures will reach over the 30C mark. If you prefer cooler temperatures then January may be preferable although don’t expect the temperature to dip below 30C. There is very little rain at all from October to March and it is the perfect time of the year for a holiday. The hottest months will include May and September and there will be a slight chance of rain during these months.
Benaulim Weather – Spend Christmas on the beach
Christmas holidays and New Year holidays in Benaulim are very popular with holiday-makers looking to escape the British winter. Spend Christmas and New Year’s Day swimming and diving in the warm Arabian Sea or lying on the beach. The sun levels are high at this time of the year and you will receive around nine hours of sunshine per day. Although the weather in Benaulim can be intensely hot there will be cool breezes that drift in from the sea to take the edge off the heat.
Benaulim Hotels:
Benaulim Hotels has put together a comprehensive list of Hotels in Benaulim. In addition, you can use the search form on site to get more detailed information including Tripadvisor reviews plus the ability to book, with the best prices online, guaranteed. Most of the hotels and lodgings are small, budget guest houses located about 1km from the beach. During the high season, most of the mid-range hotels are booked. If you prefer to stay in one of them, you should reserve them in advance.
We recommend the Taj Exotica Benaulim as the preferred place to say, we also offer discounts of up to 70% off normal prices at this property.
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Along Benaulim Beach Rd and in the coconut groves on either side, rooms are available in private homes and cottages ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 200 per day.
Next to the Beach
Furtado’s Beach House (277-0396), on the beach about half a km south of the main beach area, has rooms with bath for Rs 550. This place is popular and is often full.
Xavier’s Bar (277-1489; Email: jovek@goatelecom.com), nearby, has decent rooms for Rs 250.
Camilson’s Beach Resort (277-1694; Email: camilsons@hotmail.com), next door, has rooms for Rs 550 and more modern rooms for Rs 1000 to Rs 1400. These three places are located in a peaceful area, all by themselves.
The well-managed L’Amour Beach Resort (277-0404; fax: 277-0578) on the beachfront, has thirty rooms and nicer cottages. The quality of the rooms varies, so ask to see several. It has a terrace restaurant, money changing facilities, and a travel agent. Rooms go for Rs 550 to Rs 1000.
O Palmar Beach Cottages (272-2901), near the beach across from L’Amour Beach Resort, has rooms with bath for Rs 650. It is often booked during the high season.
Back from the Beach
Rosario’s Inn (277-0187), Vas Vaddo, off Beach Rd, is a popular, family-run guest house with rooms with common bath for Rs 250 and rooms with bath and a small attached balcony for Rs 300 which is a good value. It also has dorm beds. It is a laid-back, recommended place, but is often full.
Jacinta Moraes Tourist House (277-0187), nearby, has good rooms with bath for Rs 200 to Rs 350.
Savio Rest House has rooms with a common bath for Rs 150 and with bath for Rs 200.
The friendly Tansy (273-4595), near Maria Hall Crossing, has large, clean rooms and cottages for Rs 600. It is a good value and is recommended.
Libra Cottages (277-0598), Vas Vaddo, Tambdi Mati, is a new place with good-sized, celan rooms with attached bath for Rs 500. Good value.
Kenkre Tourist Cottages, about half a km from the beach, has double rooms with bath for Rs 175.
Pinto Tourist Cottage has basic rooms for Rs 200.
The friendly, family-run Priti Kunj, south of the Crossing, a fifteen-minute walk off the main road behind a church, has four nice rooms (three with bath) for Rs 400 and a large bedroom in the family house.
Caravan Tourist Home (273-9953), near the bus stand, has basic rooms for Rs 300 to Rs 400. The sitting room has beautiful furniture.
The well-managed D’Souza Guest House (277-0583), a half km north on the road to Colva, has clean rooms in an old family home for Rs 450. During the off-season they offer a good discount. It is often full during the high season. Large garden
The well-managed Oshin Cottages (277-0069: Email: inaciooshin@rediffmail.com), Mazil Waddo, secluded and set back from the road, has clean rooms with bath for Rs 250/300. It is in a peaceful location and rooms have balconies. It is a good value.
O Mangueiro Guest House (273-4164) has rooms with common bath for Rs 225, and a kitchen.
Where to Stay—Middle
The well-managed Palm Grove Cottages (277-0583: Email palmgrdvecottages@yahoo.com), Tamdi-Mati, Vas Vaddo, is a secluded hotel, away from the beach and surrounded by a beautiful garden. It has rooms ranging from Rs 450 to 550, and larger rooms for Rs 900 to Rs 1000. It has comfortable A/C rooms in the new building for Rs 900 to Rs 1200. Friendly and recommended. It also has a good terrace restaurant.
The friendly Failaka, Adsulim Nagar, near the main crossing, is a new place with sixteen large rooms with balconies. They rent bikes. It has a good restaurant. Recommended.
The best place in town is the Carina Beach Resort (271-0573; fax 271-1400; email: carinabeachresort@yahoo.com) Vassvaddo, Tambdi Matti, about 1km from the beach. It has a small pool, garden, restaurant, and exchange facilities. It is a good value with rooms for Rs 1000/1100 and more expensive rooms for Rs 1400. It has a peaceful location in the south part of town.
Things to Do in Benaulim:
Beaches
You cannot fault the beaches in Goa and the beaches in Benaulim are no exception. Benaulim Beach is relaxed, tranquil and unspoilt, and is the perfect alternative to the busy commercial beaches usually found in Goa. Don’t miss the Beach Bonanza that begins in April and brings dancing and music to the beach every week.
Water Activities
There is a wide range of water activities available on Benaulim Beach. Try your hand at jet-skiing, parasailing, and windsurfing. The sea temperatures are perfect for donning the snorkel and flippers and spending hours watching the marine life. Diving in Goa is also a major attraction and is a major reason for holiday-makers returning to Goa year after year.
Excursions
There are plenty of exciting excursions available from Benaulim. There are sailing tours available to allow you to swim with dolphins or tour the nearby islands to sample some new beaches. Take a full day tour to Paradise Island where you can swim with dolphins and try your hand at fishing.
Colva
A trip to nearby Colva from Benaulim should not be missed. Colva Beach with its virgin white sands is spectacular and always busy with plenty of water activities and beachside restaurants. There are also numerous bars and nightlife activities to be sampled in this major holiday resort.
Restaurants
There are some excellent restaurants in Benaulim and you will find something to suit every taste. As you would expect the fish and seafood dishes are mouth watering and lovers of Indian cuisine will be in heaven. Chinese and continental dishes are also available as well as some great British favourites.
Boat Trips
A trip to Anjuna by boat from Benaulim should be scheduled in at some point during your holiday. Anjuna is world famous for its weekly flea market and is the best place to pick up some local handmade goods. Sunset trips from Benaulim along the coast are also the best way to watch the amazing sunsets over the Arabian Sea.
Places to eat, drink and party in Benaulim:
Johncy’s is the most popular place.
L’Amour (223-720) on the beachfront is popular and serves good food.
Pedro’s Restaurant is also popular.
Domnick’s, back from the beach, is popular, as is Casy Rose Restaurant in the village.
Palm Grove Cottages has a good restaurant in their garden.
Practical Information:
In the center of the village, at the main intersection (Maria Hall Crossroads), are two good general stores, the Bank of Baroda, a laundry place, some cafes, the bus stand, and an auto-rickshaw and taxi stand. There are several places here where you can rent bicycles (Rs 30 a day) and motorbikes.
Buses from Margao, Colva and Varca stop every half hour about 1½ km from the beach, in the center of the village. It is a 50 minutes ride to Dabolim Airport.
The Bank of Baroda can give a cash advance on a Visa card, but does not exchange money. To exchange money, you can go to the Sanatan Travel Agency in Colva, or a bank in Margao. The L’Amour Beach Resort exchanges money for guests.
Sarken Tour Operators and L’Amour can book and reconfirm flights. They can also arrange tickets for the catamaran boat, trains, and deluxe buses.
The post office is in Colva.
Domnick’s operates boat trips to Palolem for Rs 300, with meals included.
You can take a boat trip to the island for Rs 50.
Getting to/from Benaulim and around once there:
Getting There
Its about 27 km from Dabolim Airport and 8 km from Madgaon Railway Station. Its easily accessible by all modes of transport.
The nearest airports to Benaulim are located in Goa (GOI), Hubli (HBX), Poona (PNQ), Mangalore (IXE), Bombay (BOM), Nasik (ISK), and Puttaparthi (PUT). You can fly to Benaulim from Goa, Bombay, Bangalore, Aurangabad, Coimbatore, Baronda (Vadodara), or Hyderabad. Other cities such as Cochin, Tiruchirapally, Madras, Trivandrum, and Udaipur also offer scheduled services to Benaulim (or nearby).
Jet Airways, Kingfisher, Srilankan Airlines, Sahara Airlines and Indigo all offer scheduled domestic and international flights to Benaulim (or nearby airports) . Indigo, JetLite Airlines, Srilankan Airlines, Kingfisher, Kingfisher Airlines, Indian Airlines, Jetsgo, and Air India IC also fly to Benaulim (or nearby).
Getting Around
You can walk everywhere between the beach, the shops and the hotels, but if you would like to explore you can hire your own scooter, or take a rickshaw from the crossroads.
In the center of the village, at the main intersection (Maria Hall Crossroads), are two good general stores, the Bank of Baroda, a laundry place, some cafes, the bus stand, and an auto-rickshaw and taxi stand. There are several places here where you can rent bicycles (Rs 30 a day) and motorbikes.
Buses from Margao, Colva and Varca stop every half hour about 1½ km from the beach, in the center of the village. It is a 50 minutes ride to Dabolim Airport.
There are frequent buses from Margao to Benaulim. Some of the buses proceed further south to Varca and Cavelossim. A motorcycle taxi from Margao (15 min) costs around Rs 60, an auto-rickshaw Rs 100, and a taxi Rs 150.
Benaulim Holidays:
Benaulim, situated in the peaceful region of South Goa, is a popular, yet tranquil beach resort, frequented by locals and tourists alike. Situated just 2km from the rapidly developing Colva Beach, and just north of the relatively undiscovered Varca Beach, Benaulim, the once sleepy fishing and rice farming village, is now home to a number of hotels, guesthouses and restaurants, and receives busloads of visiting locals every weekend.
Holidays in Benaulim – A tranquil beach, with great swimming conditions
The beach at Benaulim is ideal for kicking back and relaxing, famed for its’ silver sands and shady palm trees. Benaulim has excellent conditions for swimming, as this stretch of the Arabian Sea is warm and clear, and the area is free from jellyfish. There are plenty of shacks along Benaulim beach, offering refreshments and reasonably-priced Goan dishes, and many hawkers stroll along the sand selling drinks and fresh fruit. The village of Benaulim, behind the beach, has mythical origins – it is said to be the place where Shri Parasuramas’ arrow landed, thus creating Goa – and is known for its’ wonderful rosewood furniture with intricate carvings. A few bars, restaurants and shops dot the village, with most of the tourist facilities lining the beachfront.
Holidays to Benaulim – Take an early-morning cruise dolphin-spotting cruise
As well as relaxing on the magnificent beach and swimming in the clear waters, one of the most popular pastimes whilst holidaying in Benaulim are the dolphin-watching trips that depart early in the morning. Locals flock to Benaulim for the famous bull-fights, held from October to May in an open rice field, and the Beach Bonanza Fair taking place every Sunday attracts visitors with its’ music and dancing. For a change of pace, walk into Colva and visit the lively bars and restaurants, or hire a bike and take a leisurely cycle along the scenic beach at Benaulim. Taxis are a cheap and efficient way to get around, and the other nearby resorts and neighbouring small villages inland are interesting places to visit.
Want to learn more about Benaulim?
- Things to do and attractions in Benaulim
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