Saligao, Goa - questions?

mercedes10

Hi! Can anyone tell me anything about Saligao? How far is it from the beaches and is there any life there or is it very isolated? I've been offered accommodation there, but as I'm going to Goa on my own I don't want to be completely in the middle of nowhere. Any info appreciated!

GoanCanuck

Saligao is a village about 5km from Calangute beach. The location is good since it is close to Panjim as well as the Candolim-Calangute-Baga tourist attractions.

mercedes10

Thanks for that info! Are there any amenities there? Restaurants/cafes etc.? internet? I guess I'm wondering whether it's actually somewhere nice to be, or whether I'd end up just travelling elsewhere every day (in which case I might as well stay somewhere else). Thanks!

GoanCanuck

You will have to travel to Calangute for pretty much everything..

fredericknoronha

I live there. It's 4 kms east of Calangute. Fortunately, still (more or less) a village... and not a tourist destination :-) FN

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fredericknoronha

A handful. But not in the tourist sense...

FLORENTINE was set up by my schoolmate, who has built its reputation on a single dish virtually. Chicken cafreal. It's a tiny, modest place but know for the flavour it brings to its food... and particularly that spicy, green-masala dish. So much so, that one of the owners (a rich mineower) of one of the biggest luxury hotels in Goa listed Florentine's among his favourite eating-out places!

The other places are targeted at locals.

Check out SAMRAT, a tiny roadside restaurant along the Chogm (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Retreat) Road, not far from the crossoroads along the Saligao church. They are known for their tasty "bhajis" and "chicken" curries, but available at only certain times of the day -- morning and evening.

There's Goan style "fast food" -- chicken, samosas, batatawadas and mirchis (chillies fried in batter) -- at the two roadside stalls on the road to the Saligao tinto (market) and near the former Gulf Stores near the boundary with Sangolda. There are a few other restaurants (modest affairs, aimed at locals) in the village market.

People have email connectivity at their homes. You might find the odd place or two offer cyber access, but it's hardly likely to be speedy. Check out a Sify (or other) cybercafe at Calangute or Porvorim. Panjim is about 9 kms away. Distances are not huge in Goa, but public transport specially before 7 am and after 7 pm can be very poor.

Saligao isn't the place to "do" something. You're better off on the beach or in a city, depending on your interests. Foreign tourists prefer the former, desi tourists the latter. And I wouldn't even recommend the local entertainment spot (that is seen by some in the village as causing some amount of noise-pollution). FN