Where to stay in Goa: the best areas and resorts

Calangute is Goa at full volume. The beach is wide and long and busy from breakfast to sunset with jet-skis, parasailers and families from every corner of India. The roads behind are crammed with shops, shacks, tattoo studios and restaurants. At the northern end the sand runs into Baga, whose lane of bars and clubs, Tito's among them, is where the night ends up.

Subtle it is not, but there is a hotel for every budget and you will never be bored. The Hard Rock Hotel Goa, in the heart of Calangute, sets the tone. Le Méridien Goa is the polished option, with an outdoor pool and health club; Azzure by Spree is close to the nightlife; and Ocean Palms sits in a quiet spot off the main road within walking distance of the beach. Dabolim airport is about 45 km away.

Candolim shares its sand with Calangute but not its temperament. The beach here is just as long and golden, the crowd is older and calmer, and the main road is lined with some of the best restaurants in North Goa. At the southern end the coast rises to Sinquerim and the laterite ramparts of Fort Aguada, a 17th-century Portuguese fort with a lighthouse and a big view.

It is the easiest place in Goa to recommend to a first-timer. O Hotel is 450 metres from the beach, with an infinity pool and a spa. La Estória is a stylish resort close to Sinquerim Beach and the fort; the Balinese-inspired Novotel Goa Resort & Spa looks over paddy fields, a four-minute shuttle from the sand; and Whispering Palms is a boutique resort 250 metres from the beach. Panaji is about 15 km away.

Anjuna is where the hippie trail washed up in the 1960s, and it has never entirely sobered up. The beach is a rocky, palm-fringed curve with shacks that turn into parties after dark. The weekly flea market is a Goan institution, and the lanes inland hide yoga studios, brunch cafés and boutiques among the old Portuguese houses.

Hotels are scattered through the village, not lined up on the sand, so check how far you are from the sea. Hotel Regent Laguna is a two-minute drive from Anjuna Beach, with a pool; the Fairfield by Marriott is within ten minutes of both the beach and Chapora Fort; Rosetum Anjuna has a full spa; and The Yellow House is a smart 49-room hideaway. Baga is a few kilometres south when you want a bigger night.

Vagator is the most dramatic of the northern beaches: two coves of sand tucked beneath rust-red cliffs, with the ruins of Chapora Fort on the headland above. The cliff tops are the place to be at sunset, drink in hand, and the area has become the centre of Goa's smarter club and restaurant scene.

W Goa is the glamour address, with two outdoor pools, a health club and a full spa. Vibes Hotel is a small boutique place a short walk from the beaches and steps from several of the best-known clubs, each room with a big terrace. Harbor Court is a minute's drive from Vagator Beach, and Treehouse Sonnet is a boutique hotel with a terrace and garden. Not one for toddlers; ideal for a few days of beach by day and music by night.

Cross the Chapora River and North Goa exhales. Morjim, Ashwem and Mandrem are a run of broad, pale beaches backed by casuarina trees and low-key resorts, with olive ridley turtles nesting on the sand at Morjim in season. The scene is yoga at sunrise, long lunches and early nights, though the beach clubs of Ashwem can get lively at weekends. Bohemian Arambol is a little further north.

Larisa Beach Resort is right on the sand, steps from Morjim Beach and four minutes on foot from Ashwem. The Verda De Miranda has a pool and a peaceful garden, Baywalk Goa is by the sea, and on Mandrem Beach, Riva Beach Resort has cottages and rooms with sea-view balconies. Come here to switch off.

Panaji, still widely called Panjim, is one of India's most likeable small capitals. It sits on the south bank of the Mandovi River, and its old Latin quarter, Fontainhas, is a few streets of ochre, blue and yellow houses with wrought-iron balconies that could have been lifted from Lisbon. The baroque churches of Old Goa, a World Heritage Site, are a short drive upriver, and floating casinos twinkle on the water at night.

It is a good base for a night or two of culture and proper Goan food before or after the beach. Fortune Miramar is steps from Miramar Beach, the city’s own stretch of sand; the DoubleTree by Hilton sits up on the Kadamba Plateau; and Hotel Vemara is a central, mid-range choice. Calangute and Candolim are about 16 km away.

South of the airport the coast straightens into one enormous beach, running for more than 20 kilometres through Utorda, Majorda, Colva, Benaulim and on to Cavelossim. The sand is pale and soft, the villages behind it are sleepy, and you can walk for an hour with only fishermen and the odd cow for company.

This is resort Goa, and it does it well. Alila Diwa looks across rice fields towards the sea at Majorda, 20 minutes from Dabolim airport. Kenilworth sprawls over 14 acres on Utorda Beach, with several restaurants and a casino. ITC Grand Goa has a waterslide and a round-the-clock health club, and the Radisson Blu is on Cavelossim Beach at the quieter southern end. Families and anyone who wants a pool, a spa and no hassle should look here first.

Palolem is the beach on the posters: a perfect crescent of sand between two wooded headlands, with coconut palms leaning out over a calm, swimmable bay. It is busier than it used to be, but still gentle, with beach huts, kayaks and candlelit tables on the sand. Agonda, a short drive north, is longer, emptier and quieter still.

There are no big resorts down here, and that is the charm. Royal Touch Beach Huts is right on Palolem Beach, with a spa; Kings Villa Resort is a four-minute walk from the sand; and in Agonda, Zen Lazy Days and Moonlight Resorts are simple places close to the beach. It is the longest transfer in Goa, so stay a while.