Something odd is going on this year in Goa - and it has to do with the rows of empty sunbeds . With the rouble in trouble , Russians are freezing at home , rather than sizzling in India 's flop-in-the-sun western state . Sorry to be mean , but it 's all too good to be true for the rest of us . Blissful : Agonda Beach is one of the many relaxed stretches of shoreline along the edge of Goa . The beaches are more relaxed , the restaurants and bars quieter , the accessories less shiny . My friend Alex and I find direct flights for £348 return through Thomson . On arrival , we head for Ashvem Beach , in the north , for three nights at Yab Yum Resorts . Our seaside accommodation , with en-suite bathroom , is chic and tucked away in palm trees . We 're paying £49 each for three nights . You wo n't find those prices in the Caribbean . On the beach , Goans peddling pedicures and sarongs smile and tell us we are 'very pale ' , adding : 'You wo n't stay that way for long . ' Even without the Russians , the beach is a hive of activity . There are yoga and Pilates classes , massage sessions , trinket sellers , football kick-arounds , Frisbee games , joggers . Watching the sunset on Arambol Beach - Ashvem 's neighbour - is spectacular , after which we take a ten-minute ride on a tuk-tuk taxi back to our hotel . Goa has 11 hours of sunshine a day at this time of year . And it retains something of its European flavour , a leftover from its days as a Portuguese colony for 450 years . One of its greatest assets is the food . The ball 's in your court : Goa has a famously relaxed ambience , and is a real favourite with tourists . You can eat famously here for no more than £20 a head . After a few days in the north , we take a two-and-a-half-hour taxi ( £27 ) to Palolem in the south and fetch up at Ciaran 's Camp - a smattering of beach cottages costing £50 a night . It 's altogether livelier here , with music blaring and enough nightlife to keep the most earnest raver happy . Agonda , a ten-minute drive away , is gloriously serene , with one solitary bar . Its genial owner looks a little downcast . His displeasure is our fortune . Which is to say that he hopes the rouble revives and the Russians return . Thomson ( 0203 451 2688 , www.thomson.co.uk ) and Thomas Cook ( 01733 224 800 , www.thomascook.com ) both fly direct to Goa from £336 return . A standard cottage at Yab Yum Resorts ( 0091 832 651 0392 , www.yabyumresorts.com ) costs from £35 a night B & B , and at Ciaran 's ( 0091 832 264 3477 , www.ciarans.com ) from £40 a night .
Yab Yum Resorts is India 's smallest state but one of its most popular travel destinations . It offers bargain beach breaks ( and luxury too ) in the west of the country . Weak Rouble means there are currently fewer Russian visitors than usual .