text: Agonda was the perfect place for me to end my trip to Goa, India. It’s definitely a restful place, so if you want parties and action then nearby Palolem might be more your bag. I really wanted to RELAX on my holiday – something that I don’t usually do while I’m away. So Agonda was ideal because there’s no temptation – the pace of life is so slow and there’s a huge yoga community, so it’s hard not to get caught up in the healthy lifestyle while you’re here.
  I f*cking glowed after a few days here. Seriously, my skin was radiant, I was well-rested, I developed triceps after the most intense vinyasa classes I’ve ever tried. And the beach is wonderful; quiet and full of adorable cows that I took to feeding each evening. In fact, I had quite the menagerie of animals: two dogs that slept under my sun lounger each day, a drunken white horse (for real), kittens and, of course, a herd of cows of various shapes and sizes. Anyway, read on to see my top travel tips for Agonda, Goa…
  I got a taxi for Palolem which cost me 500IR (£6). You can probably find cheaper ways but it’s not bad. It took about 30-40 minutes.
  GALAXY’S BEACH HUTS
  I chose to stay here because it was pretty cheap, I initially booked a couple of nights, thinking I’d upgrade but after scanning the beach and booking.com, I realised that I had a really good deal. The bed alone justified the price, it was so comfortable, and my hut was large with a veranda and very clean. The owners were super nice and helpful. The only bad thing was that the view form the road was a sh*t-tip. So when I arrived I was ready to leave. But for 1200IR a night it’s great and it’s on the beach so you can hear the waves at night and roll out of bed and go for a morning swim.
  This is one of my top 5 beaches ever (the other 4 are probably all in Bali, or maybe Koh Tao). It’s definitely the best beach I visited in Goa. To get to it from Agonda is easy-ish. We got a taxi (500IR each way) and I’m so glad I didn’t drive there on a moped because the road is treacherous to say the least. It takes about 25 mins to get there each way.
  Anyhoo, when you arrive the view of Cola beach and the Blue lagoon is breath taking, there’s a very secluded part and then the main beach which is basically empty. I felt like I had my own private beach. There’s one restaurant open to the public which is so cheap. It was 80IR for a beer and we had a delicious fish tikka and chips for 250IR.
  Take a couple of beach towels are there are no sun loungers here unless you’re in one of the exclusive resorts. You can buy water from the restaurant but I’d take a bottle. I just had the most divine day here, reading, swimming (beware the current here is so strong and there’s lots of waves) and tanning.
  This is a yoga teacher training school but they do offer drop in classes at 8.30am and 4pm everyday. These classes are the full 90 mins, not the 45 min classes you sometimes get in London. Classes cost 400IR per session or 1500IR for 5, which is an absolute bargain (about £18 for 5 classes, I pay that for one class in London). The ‘shala’ or outdoor studio is peaceful calm and serene and all of the teachers I had were really good. My ONLY issue with this place was that everyone in the classes was a thin, white, blonde woman… there was even less diversity than in my class in Primrose Hill. But, apart from that I highly recommend dong classes here. Mats are provided, but I’d take water and a towel.
  There’s also a great café, which I can’t remember the name of, right next to the entrance of Sampoorna. They did great gluten-free, vegan cakes. The masala chai was made with coconut milk and was delicious. Also the banana bread was great and this place is super-instagrammable.
  TIP: Hand in your completed 5-class card to reception and you get a free tote bag, which is actually really good quality with a zip and everything.
  This organic café is the pace to go for juices, smoothies, snmootie bowls and raw food. The juices were all great and their green goddess smoothie was super tasty. Also the veggie breakfast was really good. As was the turmeric latte. And they give you free water. Bonus. There’s also a branch of this café in Palolem, but it was crap compared to this one. Make sure to sit in the sunken sating area with lots of colourful cushions.
  This restaurant/beach hut is next door but one to Galaxy’s where I stayed and I used their sun-loungers everyday. The staff here are SO nice and will bring you out complimentary iced water and watch your stuff. The food here is expensive but not in comparison to English prices. I treated myself to a huge steak and chips one night because I had an insatiable craving for red meat, having not eaten any my entire holiday. It was the best steak I’ve ever had and only cost about £8 – it was huge too. They also have live music here on Friday nights.
  I preferred shopping here than in the famous Anjuna flea market – the souvenirs seemed a little higher quality and artisanal. Plus, there are some fantastic shops that sell ad make silver jewellery and gem stones. It was fascinating learning about all the different stones and what they mean – I came away with some beautiful silver rings that I love. But, as always in India, haggle HARD.
  THE CHEAPEST DOSAS!
  Again, I can’t remember the name of this place but it’s right opposite Agonda church so it’s easy to find. Anyway this place is soooooooooo cheap. It’s outrageous. My friend and I had dinner there. A main each, side, 2 beers and water and the bill came to 265IR. That’s like £3. The special Dosa here is so, so good and only costs 50IR. Bargain. You have to visit this place.
  Overall I really loved Agonda, there’s a lovely sense of community here since a lot of people do their 200 or 300 hour yoga teacher training here, so stay a while. There was a woman called Gail who would always give me a saddle on the back of her motorbike when I was late for yoga in the mornings – thanks. And you bump into the same people over and over again because it’s so small. I particularly loved swimming alone on the ocean at sunset – I felt like I was on LSD or something, I was so ‘at one’ with everything. Haha.
  You should definitely come here unless you hate animals (there are a lot) or yoga (it’s pretty yoga-centric here). Oh and to get to Goa airport from here cost me 1800IR and took 2 hours.