In Majestic Palms Itself
Relax in the garden area and by the swimming pool.
Joecons Spa – There is gym and spa on site.
Beach
The beach is about a 10 minutes walk from Majestic Palms. Head towards the Taj Exotica Hotel, and then take the road on the right of the hotel entrance with some shops etc. Walk down to the beach. There are a number of stalls on the way to the beach. If you are feeling lazy a taxi should charge no more than 100 rupees during the day. There are many beach shacks to choose from. If you take a left when you get to the beach in front of the Taj, it is generally quieter. Get a drink and use the sunbeds and enjoy! The waves can be strong so be careful with young children. There are also stray dogs, which are generally harmless. However, it is not recommended to walk on the beach at dark due to the dogs.
Water sports
There are lots of water sports on the beach. They all do a similar range of water sports including paragliding, jet skis, banana boats etc.
- Pele’s – near the Taj – the priciest
- CS Water sports – past Johncy’s
- Colva Water Sports – set prices. The beach is very busy here though!
Sahakiri Spice Farm
A great and child friendly trip. This includes a tour of the farm with the guide giving you information on the plants, their medicinal uses etc, and a demonstration of how to climb the tall betel nut palms, which you can also try. Lunch is included. There is also an added attraction of the elephants, which you can wash (if you dare to get into the river with them!), ride and feed.
Temple Tour
You can also do this as part of a day trip with the Spice Farm as these are relatively near each other.
Night Market – North Goa.
This is held on Wednesday and Saturday Nights. It is open from 6pm to 1pm-ish. There can be quite long queues and traffic to get into the market, so may be best to get there earlier. It is child friendly, but can get very busy, so again suggest the early evening. There is a huge range of stalls selling artefacts, jewellery, silks, pashminas, pictures, posters, hammocks etc. There are lots of food stalls and also live music. The roast chicken comes highly recommended! Prepare to barter! The journey is about an hour and a half each way.
Old Goa
A tour of the Old Goa city with the cathedrals.
Spa Treatments
The spa at Taj Exotica is lovely and the massages and back scrub are very good. It can get busy so t is definitely worth booking in advance. The price list does not include VAT and a ‘Luxury Tax’ so add another 20% to the listed price. There are also a number of other spa’s and massage places along the beaches etc.
Benaulim Village
You can either get a taxi here or walk down the beach. Some shopping and restaurants.
