If you ask someone outside of India what the vacation destination they know in India, there is very high chance that they will say Goa. Its in the west coast of Indian subcontinent and famous for beaches of Arabian sea. It used to be a Portuguese colony for a long time till 1961 when Indian arm force invaded it. Initially it was part of union territory Daman and Diu (Directly governed by central government ) but in 1987 it became as separate state. Which makes sense as Daman and Diu are way up north near state of Gujarat and culturally different. However all of them still have Portuguese influence. It's one of the 3 most football crazy and fish loving state of India (Others being West Bengal and Kerala even the north eastern states to some extent.).
I grew up in a town pretty close to a beach in the eastern coast of India , so Goa beaches are nothing special for me. However it's highly commercial place with inflow of tourists from so many countries. Goan cuisine is also very famous among Indian dishes . One can easily hire a two wheeler vehicle and roam around the whole place independently without depending on any public transport. We had decided to drive down so we had our own car for local commute . We still hired a two wheeler to make sure we get to park it easily as weekends are full of crowd in some of the popular beaches. An average upper and middle class Indian family probably visits Goa once in every year. Its a very small state like Sikkim so the whole state can be covered in a long weekend trip.
Entrance to Goa crossing Western Ghats via Chorla
Chorla is probably the best route to enter Goa if you are travelling from central India. Its a hilly drive and very low/short visibility in the morning due to fog but roads are decent as compared to others. While entering govt charges INR 250 and while existing you will be searched for any alcohol bottles as it is illegal to carry them out of Goa. Due to low taxes alcohol is relatively cheaper in state.
