Marbela Beach Club (Club M)

Marbela runs as two moods in one venue. By day it is a beach-and-pool club: white loungers, private cabanas, a pool a few steps from the Arabian Sea, and a menu of cocktails and light plates you can order without leaving your bed. It suits couples, families and groups who want a comfortable sunbed day with service rather than a plastic-chair shack.

As the light goes, the champagne terrace and lounge become a sundowner spot, and on party nights Club M — the resort's own nightclub, with its own beach entrance and dance floor — takes over. The crowd skews affluent and dressed-up, pulling people from across North Goa's beach belt. Music leans to house and commercial DJ sets rather than the psytrance you get further south at Vagator. Because it is out on the Morjim-Ashwem road, it rarely feels as crushed as the Baga clubs; the trade-off is that quieter weeknights can feel sleepy, so it is worth checking whether an event is on before committing to the taxi.

This is a drinks-and-grazing venue more than a dining destination, so play to that. Cocktails and sundowners are the point — order one and settle into a bed or the terrace for the sunset, which is the single best thing on the menu here.

For food, treat it as beach-club sharing: seafood, grills and Mediterranean-leaning small plates to keep a cabana afternoon going, rather than a serious multi-course dinner. Prices are premium for what it is, so a couple of well-chosen plates plus drinks is the sensible way to enjoy it without a shock at the bill. If you are here for a cabana, ask up front about any minimum spend so the running total holds no surprises.