Digha: Escapade to the Sea. Review on New Digha

Probably the most visited sea beach in West Bengal, Digha is one of the popular tourist destination in India. When you are planning for a 2-3 day vacation with family or friends, Digha can be a perfect option, if you are in West Bengal – preferably Kolkata.

Time has taken its toll and Digha is not a virgin beach anymore; since it is crowded by thousands during most of the times of the year, yet there are small beaches like Talsari and Mandarmani, close to Digha which are less crowded and are more tempting for the ones who prefer peace and serenity amongst loneliness. If you want numbers, there are over a lakh footfalls each year in Digha.

Probably all bongs have some memory/special moments associated with Digha - be it their childhood, adolescence or adulthood. I have been of no exception to this rule – Digha has always been a special retreat for me as a child and I always cherish those golden days I had enjoyed with my family.

Ask a Kolkatan - a typical vacation to hills would mean either Gangtok or Darjeeling and an escapade to sea would mean Digha or Puri!

How to Reach – By Road

Digha is a good 200km drive from Kolkata. It is a 4 hours journey and road conditions are pretty good. The present government has taken serious steps to improve the road conditions and long bad stretches of road are a myth now! It is less tiring and is a good retreat for the ones who love driving.

How to Reach – By Train

Daily Train Service run from Kolkata to Digha and is frequented by the ones who prefer to avoid the road. The train journey is effortless and less time consuming.

Places to Stay/Eat

There are multitudes of places to stay – hotels and resorts, where one can spend quality time with family and friends. Digha is one such place where you can bargain hard, really hard and get an AC Double Bed room semi-furnished at Rs.1300-Rs.1500 even today. The sea-facing rooms generally attract more moolahs. It is always better to bargain yourself or book online rather than involve a third party. There are numerous food options to try out as well. While the modern hotels have in-house kitchens and you can directly order food to your room, it is not bad to taste the plethora of sea foods available at local sheds – good food always comes in the most unlikely places.

Some Recommended Places to Stay:

1.Hotel Palm Resort.

2.Hotel Roofers Pearl.

3.Hotel Gitanjali RPL.

4.Hotel New Classic Inn.

5.Hotel Sagarpriya.

6.Government Accommodation.

Places to Roam

While there are a handful of places to move around while in Digha, the common toured places are:

1.The Beach – Strolling on the beach at sunrise or sunset enjoying the light cool breeze is as relaxing as it sound. It is a complete stress buster and is a must try for all. Enjoying the morning tea on the beach in the midst of this environmental wonder where there is close to zero activity all around is unmatched. The sound of the sea waves combined with the flight of the sea gulls mates well with beautiful light effects on the water. Post 10 in the morning the beach attracts thick masses and the gets crowded with time.

There are some recent water sports that have been introduced in New Digha and it attracts the young masses. Makeshift stalls run by locals are equally interesting to probe into amid the frolic and energetic tourists. Beach patrolling at night is regular and it is pretty safe to stroll in the evening.

2.Mohona – A good 5 km from Digha, this place has wide expanses of bare beach where you can see that the sea has retreated much. A favorite haunt for photographers. It is advisable to travel the beach on foot to absorb the beauty all around. But be aware of red crabs!

3.Shiv Mandir at Chandaneshwar – A sacred place of worship some good 9 km away from Digha and during peak seasons, there are multitudes of footfalls from different places.

4.Mandarmani/Talsari – These are the ad joint beaches close to Digha at a distance of 30km-40km, where the beach is less crowded and clean. For overnight stays, there are good number of hotels and resorts for accommodation. Food isn’t as cheap as in Digha and can cost you a premium – so research the neighboring eateries to fish out a good deal.

My Recommendation: If you come to Kolkata for a holiday and have 2-3 days buffer time, Digha is a must visit.

~Somjeet~