EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Barely a couple of kilometres of cliff-tops and parched grassland separate Anjuna from the southern fringes of its nearest neighbour, VAGATOR . A desultory collection of ramshackle farmhouses and picturesque old Portuguese bungalows scattered around a network of leafy lanes, the village is entered at the east via a branch off the Mapusa road, which passes a few small guesthouses and restaurants before running down to the sea. Dominated by the red ramparts of Chapora fort, Vagator's broad white sandy beach - Big Vagator beach - is undeniably beautiful, spoiled only by the daily deluge of whisky-swilling tour parties that spill across it at lunchtimes.

Far better, then, to head to the next cove south. Backed by a steep wall of crumbling palm-fringed laterite, Ozran (or "Little") Vagator beach is more secluded and much less accessible than either of its neighbours. To get there, walk ten minutes from Big Vagator, or drive to the end of the lane off the main Chapora-Anjuna road, from where a footpath drops sharply down to a wide stretch of level white sand (look for the mopeds and bikes parked at the top of the cliff). At this southern end of the beach (dubbed "Tel Aviv Beach"), a row of makeshift cafés provides shade and sustenance (and relentless trance music) for a predominantly Israeli crowd. In spite of the Goan nudism laws, topless bathing is the norm; not that the locals, nor the odd groups of inebriated men that file past around mid-afternoon, seem in the least perturbed.

Like Anjuna, Vagator is a relaxed, comparatively undeveloped resort that appeals, in the main, to budget travellers with time on their hands. Accommodation is limited, however, and visitors frequently find themselves travelling to and from Baga every day until a vacancy turns up in one of the guesthouses