Hotels near Anjuna Beach

Anjuna is not a soft-sand beach. Laterite rock outcrops break the shoreline into small bays, the cliff at the northern end drops straight into the water, and the sand between is coarse and dark in patches. Swimming makes sense only in the middle section and only at low to mid tide - the rocks are sharp, the current runs hard past the headland, and lifeguard cover does not extend along the whole strip. What Anjuna Beach has instead is atmosphere and a long view, best taken from the cliff terraces above the sand.

The shack scene is scruffy and long-established, heavy on trance-era holdovers, beer at around INR 150 (EUR 1.60) and cliffside bars that open late. Every Wednesday the Anjuna Flea Market fills the ground behind the southern end from roughly 9am to 6pm, and traffic on the approach road doubles. The crowd mixes long-stay Europeans, Russian and Israeli travellers, day-trippers over from Calangute and a steady stream of scooter tourists. It empties out sharply once the monsoon arrives.

Pro Tip: Skip Wednesday unless you came for the flea market. Go on a Monday morning instead, park at the panchayat lot for about INR 50 (EUR 0.55) and walk south to the rock pools before the tide covers them.