¤ About Dona Paula Beach
This place is called the Lovers Paradise, named after Dona Paula de Menezes. Water sport facilities are the key attraction of this beach. It offers an opportunity to the tourists to have a sunbath and buy cheap seaside goods from local vendors. Festivals of Janmashtami (Lord Krishna’s Birthday) and the Feast of St. Lawrence are particular to the Dona Paula Beach. In addition, the beach also has a colorful water sports festival in November. It is named after Dona Paula de Menzes, daughter of a viceroy (in colonial India), who threw herself off the cliff, when refused permission to marry a local fisherman, Gaspar Dias. With the romance and myth attached to it—haunted by Dona Paula de Menzes—tourists throng the Dona Paula Beach. The myth says 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. Located just about 7 km From Panaji, North Goa city is the the Lover's Paradise, Dona Paula Beach. The nearby tourist attraction is Marmagoa Harbour. Water scootering is the best thing to do at this place. The residence of the Governor of Goa, which is known as Cabo Raj Bhavan is situated here on the westernmost side of Dona Paula. Along the roadside which leads to this place lies the remains of the military cemetery built by the British at their brief occupation of the Cabo, to stop France from invading Goa.

¤ Major Tourist Attractions of Dona Paula Beach

Cabo Raj Niwas - 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.

Water Sports - 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.

National Oceanography Institute - 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.

¤ Accommodation
There are a Number of hotels, guesthouses, and beachside huts available at the beach that cater to the budgets of different tourists.

¤ Climate of Dona Paula Beach
The climate is equable and moist throughout the year. While it is pleasant and temperate from October to May it is rainy 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.

¤ How To Reach Dona Paula Beach
Air - The nearest airport is at Dabolim, which is 29 km away from Panaji and 36 km from Anjuna.

Rail - Goa is connected with Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Mangalore, and Thiruvananthapuram by train. The nearest railway station is at Karmali, which is 15 km from the beach.

Road - The Dona Paula Beach is well connected by road. Seven kilometers from the capital city, regular bus and taxi services are easily available. The Kadamba Transport Corporation (Government of Goa Undertaking), and Maharashtra and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporations operate buses from and to Goa.

Local Transport - Bus, taxi, auto-rickshaw, and motorcycle services are the available means of local conveyance in the area. A bus or motorcycle-taxi from Panjim or the ferry service from Mormugao can be availed of to reach the beach. In fact, buses to Dona Paula leave every fifteen minutes from Panjim's Kadamba stand. An interesting mode of conveyance in Goa is the motorcycle taxi.

Unique to this state, these “taxis” carry only one passenger. However motorcycles can also be hired for personal use, on the basis of financial guarantee.