The mesmerising beaches of Gokarna

 

Sunset skies 

Salt pans in Karwar

Kudle Beach

The Famed Om Beach 

We visit Goa so often and we love beaches, so it was only a matter of time before we added a trip to Gokarna via Karwar to a Goa holiday.

The car drive from Dabolim airport to Gokarna is about 4.5 hours. We took about 5 hours as we stopped for lunch at Rabindranath Tagore beach. This is a wide golden sand, clean beach which is spectacular lovely. Blue waters! No wonder that the great poet and Nobel Laureate fell in love with this beach! Fresh breeze in the height of a summer afternoon in May!

We ate at the beach side Waves restaurant – fresh sea food at really economy prices. No AC though.   

It was so good, we stopped here on our return journey, again for lunch. Ladies shouldn’t venture to the loo though.

Rabindranath Tagore Beach, Karwar

We drove past the spread out Indian Naval base at Karwar as well as the port and salt pans before driving up to Gokarna. Gokarna attracts 3 types of visitors: those who come for yoga, those who come because of its famous temples and those who come to smoke up. All we wanted to do was see the legendary beaches and experience a new place. We had a good time. 2 nights was sufficient for us.

Though we stayed on Kudle beach we visited Om beach which is truly in the shape of a huge Om. These beaches are clean but involve lots of steps to get there. Not for old or unfit people. We went in walking shoes so it was fine. I’d wanted to stay in Swaswara but they said no children under 15 so we chose Kudle Beach View Resort & Spa. 

Kudle Beach View Resort & Spa - view from our room

  

The spectacular sunset view from our room 

Al fresco dining area

View from the reception

Our stay in Gokarna

Kudle Beach View Resort & Spa is very picturesque. It’s built across several levels with the reception and restaurant at the road level, the highest level and the rooms are on the hillside slope downwards towards the sea.

We visited in summer and it was colourful with bougainvillea in full blooming glory.

We were on the 2^nd lowest level. Our room had a spacious sitout with a great view of the water (not the beach) – we saw the most awesome salmon pink sunsets.

The rooms are spacious for 2 but with the extra bed (mattress) there wasn’t much room to move. Good choice of TV channels. Our package was with breakfast. The view of the sea and the property from the restaurant was breathtaking but the food was ok – 3/5

The a la carte menu offered Chinese and Indian (read as North Indian) and the only seafood was surmai! No prawns or anything else! I for one couldn’t bear it that there was nothing remotely local on the menu. (even in vegetarian). Food preparation was good. And service was prompt.

A nice pool located midway with loungers was a good place to hang out in the evening.

The beach entry was from the main road outside and down many steps. Lots of shacks on the beach and the way down which probably buzz in the season (winter). Quiet in summer but very picturesque. 

Check it out! And visit Paradise Beach and Half Moon Beach too!