Wanderers Welcome Here

After our tour of India’s Golden Triangle we’d had our fill of city life for a while and were most definitely in need of some R&R. We settled on Goa for our next stop in favour of the sea over the smog. We arrived late on the evening of the 10th to a sticky heat and hopped into a taxi (I’m pleased to report this taxi ride was drama free) and soon arrived at our hostel, which was aptly named ‘Wanderers’.

Stumbling upon the hostel on TripAdvisor we were instantly intrigued by their ‘tent style’ accommodation and figured camping under the stars was the perfect way to experience Goa’s laid back beach vibe.

‘Wanderers’ doesn’t do itself justice. Yeah, the reviews are good and they have some ok pictures – good enough to get us to book four nights – but when you arrive it’s clear they’re selling themselves short.

Just off the beaten track in the small hippy town of Morjim, nestled down a dust track road you’ll find ‘Wanderers’. It’s all vibrant painted mural walls and mopeds out front and scatter cushions and cold beer at reception.

There’s a shoes off policy here and although at first I’m skeptical as to whether or not I’ll actually get my shoes back, it’s a policy that forces you to feel instantly at home. There’s something about bare feet that just puts you at ease.

Paper work signed and payments made within moments we were in our two man tent. Which by the way isn’t a tent at all – it’s a static yurt type construction complete with fully functioning en suite, hard wood flooring, electric light and fan. After dingy hotel rooms with cold running water this so called ‘tent’ was 5 star in our books. Dropping our bags and flopping onto the bed we felt the weight of the city fall away.

Outside the lush green gardens are lit up with fairy lights, there’s a pool and giant buddha that sits statuesque amidst the winding paving and a pergola thats filled with fellow backpackers – all drinking and laughing. It’s not long before we are amongst them. Card games turn to drinking games and drinking games to pool parties. The exciting buzz of like minded people is as intoxicating as the liquor. Finally at 5am, just as the sun is beginning to rouse, the party simmers down and we all make our way back to our tents.

Only a few hours later the groups wake nursing hangovers but laughing still. If ever you find yourself in Goa head straight to ‘Wanderers’ because ‘Wanderers’ isn’t a hostel at all it’s a haven for those like minded travellers who favour getting lost over being found.

By Sophie Maguire