Warning – If you hate simple beachfront hotels, scenic ocean views, and fantastic food, do not keep reading about Agonda Cottages. 😉
I’ve been making a lot of trips down South of late – the most recent ones were to visit Rasa Bistro in Palolem and Martins Restaurant in Margao. Yet another trip to South Goa had me staying slightly longer since I was staycationing at a snug little beach retreat – one I’m sure you’ll love! If your idea of a holiday in Goa includes staying in a simple room in a pretty location, rolling out of bed and heading for a beer on the beach, swimming at sunset and indulging in great food, you’ll find just what you came for, right here.
AGONDA COTTAGES – BEACH FRONT STAYS IN SOUTH GOA
Agonda Cottages is an intimate beachside resort in Agonda (did the name give it away?) offering 18 rooms – laid out parallel to each other in 2 rows. The rooms are extremely close together and each one opens up to a common pathway that goes down to the restaurant and the beach. Made of wood and thatched coconut palms, they blend right in with their surroundings and each one is cloaked in lush greenery.
Tropical, tranquil, and unfussy, the property quickly makes you leave your worries and your life at the door and lulls you to its slow rhythm. The moment I checked into my room, I kicked my shoes off and went barefoot for the rest of my stay – Instant Vacay Mode On!
My room here was identical to that of the sleepy Cinnamon Agonda, the property I stayed at just a few months ago. Both properties are a part of the same group, Vilasa Ahuta, and are a couple of hundred meters from one another, although this one, in my opinion, is far better! For starters, Agonda Cottages is located on the beachside, while the other is across the road and is a tad more concealed, with no view or restaurant to boast of. Instead of the beach, it has a metal frame pool.
My Room at Agonda Cottages
Coming back to my room, it was simple with all the eco-goodness woven in – a thatched roof on which birds would rustle and chirp on, waking me up every morning; a sun-lit bathroom and a rain shower. While my room wasn’t sea-facing (there is only one sea-facing room at Agonda Cottages), I could tune in to the sound of the ocean whenever I stepped out into the balcony.
The rooms are minimally furnished – a double bed, open cupboard, a/c, desk and chair and side tables with lamps are all that it contains. However, comfort-wise, it does not lack. The bathroom, too, is simple but clean, and just like the other property, has an open roof. Remember to carry your own toiletries.
Here in Agonda, tourists visit by the handful, rather than by the bucketload and the days ebb and flow as easy as the tide. Breakfasts of tropical fruits and steaming masala chai; tuna fish cake and chicken steak lunches; and for dinner, Italian pasta by candlelight are all there is to look forward to. All meals come with a side of view – a sandy shore with sun-worshipping tourists, their red-faced children building sandcastles nearby, the glistening ocean and the gentle breeze.
The restaurant
At the restaurant, single-use plastic is out and bamboo straws + water dispensers are in. The menu is fantastic and the food, more so. Right from the very first time I glimpsed at the menu, I knew what I was going to have for all my breakfasts, lunches and dinners at the property – it was all so tempting! Guests leisurely lounge around the restaurant with their toes in the sand, either reading, sipping on fresh juices, chatting or waiting for the weather to cool down by early evening before stepping down to the beach. With good Wi-Fi at the restaurant, a couple of people even had their laptops open.
By late evening, you have to make a choice between watching the sunset at the restaurant, coffee in hand, or joining the squealing beachgoers as they splash around in the sea. Unlike the beaches in the North, there are no lifeguards here to haul you out of the sea at 6 PM (when it’s still bright as day!), so I happily rolled with the waves until twilight on my second evening here.
Just outside the property are a scatter of restaurants with the popular Fatima’s and Zest (for Vegan foodies) just across the street. Plenty of shops selling bohemian clothing and other knick-knacks line the quiet stretch of road, and it’s worth tearing yourself away from this resort in Agonda to peep into these stores.
Every Saturday, Agonda Cottages has a BBQ Night. An array of fresh seafood is displayed on ice, right by the restaurant. Take your pick, get seated and hear the sizzle of the grill before you have the catch of your choice laid before you.
Pro-Tip – The Europeans dine early (by 6-7 PM) and they reserve the best dinner spots early on the day. If you have dinner much later (like I do), you’ll have the cozy restaurant all to yourself by 9 PM, so saunter along the shoreline until then. The restaurant has a completely different vibe in the night when it’s too dark to see anything beyond the reach of the restaurant’s warm light.
I feel suspended in time, at this resort in Agonda, and am loathed to leave. Slipping back into that seductive Goa state of mind seems tempting. You can unplug here – if you want to, that is. There is good phone coverage and internet here (whether or not you’re connected to the WiFi), unlike many pockets of Agonda. So book your stay in Agonda here and enjoy the best of what Goa has to offer.
You can also check out some other great places to stay in South Goa – Novotel Dona Sylvia in Cavellosim and The White Agonda, which is just next door to Agonda Cottages.
Bye!