Some of the hotels luxuriant gardens or simple hotels are separated from the beach by only a fringe of hammock strung    palms, which are great for lazing and watching the myriad water-sports or, later in the day, watching romantic sunsets across the Arabian sea. For those who want to escape from the sombre coldness of a British winter we can think of few better places than Goa. In winter in this idyllic setting, you will enjoy almost unbroken sunshine, with an average in the eighties. It has 120 kilometres of coastline and boasts in general the most modern, international-style hotels and the best beaches.

The  New  Goa, the 25th. State of  India, is now   the key to the tourist  India of Today.  It   has all the  modern  amenities   and with  77,  3 to 5  star hotels, one  can enjoy the Goa  of the past  and  the present  day.  Goa which has  besides  its  natural   beauties, easy access to  every  part  of   India by  Air.  
Old City of  Goa was a thriving and prosperous city during Adil Shah's Bijapur Dynasty (1400-1500) and made it his 2nd capital with his Palace surrounded by walls, towers, and a moat, temples and mosques, which were ruined later.

Under the Portuguese, Old Goa city grew rapidly and was once   described   as  an   Oriental   Rome  and eulogised by modern writers as the  Angel of the  Eastern  Window,  with its  baroque  churches,   the  sunkissed seas which surround it, and the miles  of   palm trees  which   cover  the  landscape, give the  tourist  an   impression of  a Tropical  paradise.

Goa   still  maintains  her  links  with   Portugal   and   Brazil   as   well  as with   East   Africa.

For a detailed history on Goa look up http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Goan_history