This basic beach shack became our preferred daytime home, and we were treated as long lost friends. We weren’t naïve enough to think it was because we were being viewed as "someone special," but that’s how the staff at Goan Waves made you feel.

One night we ate there for our main meal and were served by SB, who became our personal waiter each time we visited. Food here is cheap, and a main course with rice will only set you back around 110 rupees (around £1.50). However, we’re talking fairly raw and spicy dishes with a not too subtle use of local spices. We tried a vegetable makhamvala, aloo gobi, and a couple of other veggie dishes. They were substantial, and satisfying, but not particularly memorable.

However, what this place did particularly well were the starters / nibbles and Naan Breads. The Gobi Pakoras were delicious, and the cheese parantha just delighted the palate. The nighttime ambiance cannot be beaten with the gentle sound of the waves as they clipped the beach, merging with some of my all-time favourite music (Chris Rea, Dire Straits and the Stones). Flickering candles, supplemented by low-wattage bulbs, provides semi-romantic lighting for the venue, aptly hiding the worn and weathered appearance of the shack.

During the daytime, we used the free sun-beds that Goan Waves were proud to make available for customers. They were handcrafted wooden benches with an apology for a mattress laid across them. However, we "got demanding" and SB ensured that we always had a couple of mattresses for our "added comfort."  A towel would be ceremoniously placed over the mattresses, and as we clambered onto the bed he would be heading off for our first drink of the day (a litre of ice water and a glass beaker of cold coffee). We became totally predictable, but holidays aren’t the time to make earth-shattering decisions!

Snack lunches were of good quality and my choice of their omelets offered a substantial mid-day snack. There must have been at least 4 or 5 eggs in the omelets, and with lashings of a local tomato sauce and a couple of slices of fresh bread I don’t reckon you can go far wrong at 40 rupees.

Throughout the day, all we had to do was raise our hand and SB materialised to take our drinks order: Fresh-lime soda, various milkshakes, freshly squeezed fruit juices, beer, etc. All served beautifully chilled, and at crazily cheap prices.

There was never any pressure to buy, and often it seemed as if the staff were just pleased of the company. Certainly, for around 500 rupees a day, we could eat and drink and be pampered whilst taking in the gorgeous Goan sun. This was the life and the staff at this beach shack helped contribute to a perfectly relaxed holiday in the sun. Thanks to SB and his colleagues. Long may they prosper!