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Goa receives mixed reviews depending on what you're seeking. The weather is warm year-round, and many visitors find the locals friendly and welcoming. During the off-season like the monsoon, locations are less crowded and some restaurants close, but many still offer excellent food. Alcohol is cheap and widely available, and mobile service like JIO works well. However, the area is very rural and underdeveloped in parts, so it's essential to have Google Maps and some patience navigating the unmarked, chaotic roads—all types of vehicles and animals share the road, and it's especially risky at night. Driving a scooter is not for the faint-hearted.
For digital nomads, Goa may be disappointing. Internet reliability is a major issue, even in coworking spaces, making it difficult for remote work. Unlike other Indian cities, English isn't as widely spoken, and a strong professional or nomad community is lacking, replaced instead by a party and backpacker scene. The cost of accommodation can be surprisingly high relative to quality, and tourists may face police targeting with checks and fines. Overall, Goa might be a good casual getaway but not ideal for remote work or long-term stays focused on productivity.
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6 months ago
I was in Anjuna, Goa for Feb 23 and I can only discourage you from going there.
We were recommended the place as an upcoming nomad place but it just doesnt work for nomads at all.
Internet is plain terrible. Even in the coworking (NomadGao, Clay etc) and a back up sim, you cant make calls reliably to save your life.
Next to no community there, but strong hippie and party crowd there.
The streets are very stressful and you have to be comfortable driving a scooter in hectic streets in bad conditions. The police will stop you daily if you look like a tourist to shake you down for money, driving license or helmet.
The value for money was the worst I ever saw. Accommodation was a real pain as no place would divert much at all from their daily rate, even with local friends making the negotiations for us. After a frustrating weel long search, we ended up spending 940$ for a month in a loud apartment by the street (lots of honking) just because the bathroom didnt reek.
Overall, if you are considering working from Goa. Just don't.
3 years ago
Goa, September 3 -8, 2019- Yes, I was in Goa during monsoon season... still it was great for me. Stayed at a lovely little place [Vivenda Dos Palhacos] and the food was fabulous. The internet speed is good enough for research and streaming, and my Tunnel worked at this site. At this time of the year, the beaches were vacant, but still beautiful. Some restaurants aren't open as much during monsoon season, but visited several that were, and the food was great. Alcohol is VERY available in Goa (and I got a bottle of Old Monk Rum for 300 INR). Roads are nuts- I would never drive here except during the day on a scooter, and even then you are taking your life in your hands (in the road are buses, pedestrians, animals of all descriptions, cars, scooters, bicycles, farm tractors, donkey carts, motorcycles... and more.... Now imagine it at night, very busy, with only half the headlights/tailights working... on a barely 2 lane road). People are friendly, but English does not seem to be as prevalent as, say, in Mumbai or Bangalore or Kolkata, and there are a whole other mix of languages here. This is VERY RURAL. I did not go to the party houses or entertainment districts. You WILL need Google maps as the roads are not well marked. JIO phone service is good here. Cash is important here, as with all rural areas of India, but sit-down restaurants took plastic just fine. I never felt unsafe here, but that's just me, YMMV. I will return to Goa again.
5 years ago
dirty beaches, you can´t swim when police is there they don´t allow it. doesn´t make sense...
dangerous at night, my girlfriends almost is raped... don´t recommend.
6 years ago
Don`t get fooled by the apparently "small size" of the state. Cities and beaches are so spreaded-out and transport can be tricky - although dirty cheap. You will probably spend a huge amount of time looking for the best place to settle, be it in South or North.
Most of foreigners are hippie-alike, so don`t expect an entrepreneurial environment. Beaches actually aren`t so nice as I was expecting, neither the so-called "Portuguese heritage".
Have in mind that this is India, with problems of India. If you`re looking for something really different and in the middle of nature, better going to Kerala. Staying in Goa (IMHO) is for those who really need a personal reason to stay in the region. Besides, there are better places to go.
6 years ago