Dona-Paula on your holiday in Goa.
This beach is named after Dona Paula de Menzes, daughter of a viceroy (during the Portuguese rule), who threw herself off the cliff, when refused permission to marry a local fisherman, Gaspar Dias. There is a myth attached that goes along that Dona Paula is entombed in the Cabo Chapel of the Raj Bhawan and is supposed to be seen emerging from the moonlit waves wearing only a pearl necklace. With the romance and myth attached to it haunted by Dona Paula de Menzes. Tourists throng the Dona Paula Beach not only in search of the deceased beloved, but also to indulge in water sports on the clear waters.The Dona Paula Beach offers an opportunity to the tourists to have a sunbath and buy cheap seaside goods from local vendors along the road side. The most important attraction of this beach is the water sport facilities available here. The Dona Paula Sports Club offers water-scooter, cycle, and motorboat rides. Other water sports include windsurfing, parasailing, water-skiing, toboggan ski-biscuit, skibob, sports fishing, snorkeling, harpoon fishing, kayaking, and yachting.
Set up in the 1960s, the National Oceanography Institute delves not only upon marine biology, but incorporates almost all the major branches of coastal and marine oceanography. The major attraction of the institute is its Marine Biology Museum and Taxonomy Reference Center. The Cabo Raj Niwas (the Governor’s House) is half a kilometer away from the National Oceanography Institute. It houses the tomb of Dona Paula de Menzes in the Cabo Chapel. The Raj Bhawan offers an excellent view of the nearby coastline and the Aguada Fort.
Seven kilometers west of the Indian state of Goa’s capital Panjim (Panaji), Dona Paula Beach is nestled on the southern side of the rocky hammer-shaped headlands that divide the Zuari and Mandovi River. Providing a good view of the Mormugao harbor, this beach is fringed by palm trees and casuarinas groves. The proximity of the beach to the capital city makes it a popular tourist sight.
The climate is equable and moist throughout the year. While it is pleasant and temperate from October to May, it rains from June to September. Temperature variations throughout the year are mild. May is the warmest month with a temperature of around 30°C and January is coolest with a mean daily temperature of 25°C. Due to its proximity of the sea, the territory is generally humid and even during the summer months humidity is generally above 60 percent. Be prepaid if your visiting in summer on your Holiday in Goa.
