5 nights in India-Goa-Anjuna; DoubleTree Hilton-Ashiyana Yoga Retreat.

INDIA…..this was my second time visiting Goa, I went back in 2012 for a family trip so I wasn’t really aware of the nightlife, until this time round-I would say I was awake more nights than days! But still we managed to squeeze in some yoga…good food..& beautiful beaches. A couple of our friends are living out there so we practically had our very own tour guide on call 24/7 taking us to all the hot spots!….here is my fun filled 5 nights in the rustic magical hustle & bustle of Goa.

We decided to stop off in Goa for 5 nights before heading to the Maldives-I love the fact that the 2 places are complete opposites & that we got to taste a bit of culture as well as luxury….Like I always say life is about balance.

The direct flight to Goa was about 9 hours, the plane was pretty empty which meant all of us had a full row of seats to ourselves…bonus! I literally slept the whole flight which was a great start as usually the first 2 days are spent getting over the jet lag!

We booked the DoubleTree Hilton for our stay, I know its not the most cultural but we went with the safe option, we have stayed in a few Hilton Hotels & you always know the standard you are getting, we wanted a nice clean base, plus you get greeted on arrival with warm cookies so that’s always a winner!

We dined at a Japanese restaurant called Sakana on the first night & went for a few cocktails with the rest of the gang, It was delicious!

Day 1! First day in a bikini…glowing white = avoid everyone at all costs! We didn’t leave the pool all day until we wanted food of course, there is a cute little hippie cafe next door called the Pink Chilli – I was totally drawn in by the cool decor which I was coincidentally matching (promise it wasn’t planned).

Night 2! The full moon party at Cafe Lilliput – this was cray cray, Dj Gaudhi was a real character he had the crowd going mad, there were all kinds of hippies from OAP’s to children raving hard, very cool. We were having a chilled one in prep for early morning yoga so headed off to Waters club for a few more drinks as we were totally not on the same page as the hard core ravers.

After squeezing on the back of a moped, taking a wrong turn into the middle of nowhere and getting surrounded and chased by about 10 dogs (no exaggeration I was fearful of my life) we made it there in one piece…..This is a stunning open air club held on the side of a cliff overlooking the sea – anywhere with a good view and  I am sold!

Day 2! 9am yoga class, the first class I had done in months I started off feeling a bit rusty but it didn’t take too long to get into the flow of things. We went to a cute little organic cafe for breakfast which was 5 minutes from our hotel “Natties Naturals” It was just what I needed after going in hard on the curries & overload of cheesy garlic naan!

….Then onto Ashiyana yoga retreat (no rest for the wicked) set in the north of Goa about a 45 minute drive from Anjuna, located by the beautiful Mandrem beach. As soon as you arrive you feel at ease and relaxed by the beautiful surroundings – nature at its finest.

So after 3.5 hours of yoga it was safe to say that a night out was not on the cards, we stopped off at a restaurant called Sublime which was by far my fave meal of the trip, the food was 5 star, absolutely DELISH!

Day 3/ Night 4! Chilled vibes all day by the pool…pre drinks at Soro bar & a wild night back at Waters club with the gang!

Day 4! Hangover cure needed!! After crawling into bed at 6am with a Dominoes pizza & crashing out until 3 in the afternoon we had missed a day of sunshine, felt like death warmed up & the only thing to sort the job out was an organic smoothie from Nattties Naturals, quick freshen up & onto the Anjuna night market. This was literally across the road from our hotel, It was busy vibrant and full of energy, totally reminded me of a mini festival. Stalls & stalls of leather, Indian spices, handmade clothes, food, drink, music. The only down side really was due to my lack of sleep I had zero patience and didn’t end up buying as much as I would have liked. I got a beautiful henna on my hand & had my tarot cards read.

Day 5! Final day before departing to the Maldives, we decided to venture out so hopped in a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the nicest beach he could think of…he took us to Ashwin beach. It was very quiet & chilled, the sand was too hot to walk on with bare feet. We parked up on a bed & sat back reflecting on the last 5 days in Goa…with a curry on the beach of course- perfect end to our Indian adventure! The sunset was stunning which meant a perfect posing picture opportunity lolz!

Our flight was 4.30am and because of a previous flight drama (missing a flight to Jamaica) we thought it would be best that we didn’t bother going to sleep and just stayed up(bad idea) I was struggling as I LOVE my sleep so we managed to upgrade to the premium lounge and get a little bit of comfort to take the edge off.

So…. Goa in a nutshell was a fun filled, drinking, eating, dancing, yogi experience with our friends Zoe & Carl (who run their own Hot Yoga studio in Manchester…make sure you check them out!) ….we said farewell and headed off for part 2 of our trip …..a romantic week in what can only be described as the ULTIMATE paradise….Maldives….Blog post coming very soon I have sooooo many pictures its gonna take me forever.

Any questions or travelling tips give me a shout!

Peace & Love Melissa.