Bamboo Paradise
Tuesday 18th – Saturday 22nd November 2025
The Bamboo Yoga Retreat is nestled at the Southern end of the pristine Polem Beach, right at the most Southern extension of South Goa. Halfway down the over 2,000km Eastern coastline of India, facing the Arabian Sea, Goa was colonised by the Portuguese, resulting in a large Christian population. Famed more recently for its beaches and hedonistic sunset parties, it has become a popular, busy tourist resort.
However, a nearly two hour taxi ride from the airport, Dabolim, Polem Beach is the pinnacle of peace and tranquillity, matched by the beautifully landscaped huts and Shalas.
We chose an Oceanview hut (No. 7), on the edge of the sea, near the communal area. Comfortably large, with a business like mosquito net over the bed, air conditioning and toilet – shower.
A morning snack, brunch and dinner is served in the open communal area, where a reception, a small gift shop and excellent internet were to be found.
The fare is vegetarian only – but what fabulous fare! As Natalie, a yoga guest from Australia remarked, she would come again, if only for the amazingly good food.
Even better, they made full, wonderful meals, especially for Lynne, without garlic and fennel, to which Lynne is allergic. Were they any worse than dishes with garlic? Absolutely not! The spiced vegetarian fare was unbelievably good, with or without garlic! Peter should know as he felt obliged to help Lynne make inroads into the large amounts they made just for her.
Two 1 1/2 hr yoga sessions were held daily. Lynne bravely (due to her broken wrist, which was in plaster) attended the afternoon sessions, as they were less demanding, while Lynne absolutely could not attend the much more ‘dynamic’ morning sessions.
Peter was even persuaded to attend an afternoon yoga session, from which he emerged not really convinced that this was for him…
Another session offered each day was meditation, more up Peter’s street. However his form of meditation is ‘transcendental’, very different, requiring solitude which he was able to practice when Lynne was in the Shala.
We both booked ourselves in for treatments at the spa, Lynne with a coffee body scrub which left her clean with a hint of coffee aroma. Peter had a massage which was pleasant enough, leaving him pretty oily all over!
We did have a lovely walk along the whole beach, along the lapping/breaking waves, but didn’t repeat the walk, as the heat made Lynne’s arm swell in her plaster cast, which became quite painful. Also, we were acutely aware of the danger in getting sand in the plaster cast, and getting it wet. This also stopped us from swimming, as the waves and undertow were just a bit too fierce.
It was great to be back at the yoga retreat, marred only by the limitations placed on Lynne’s ability to enjoy the sun, sand and yoga and of course Peter having to act as Lynne’s other hand. We’re not sure Lynne made a good advert for the place but we did reassure clients that this was not the result of a yoga accident!
Pleasingly, we recognised staff we got to know in April 2023, when we visited previously. Nii and the manager, both from Nepal, and Suzanne, from Sweden, with whom we share a travel lust. Our experience on this second visit was just as brilliant as the first.
