Looking for a new place to stay in Goa? Our local Goa expert, Jules, recently stayed at the very cool and very tropical Jamboree Creek in North Goa, Mandrem. Here’s what to expect if you want to stay! 

Jules has started this Staycation Series to bring some love to businesses around the state. She’ll be taking some staycations in both North and South Goa to highlight the cool, quirky, and sometimes slightly secret options Goa is lucky to have.

Travel still seems to be as confusing as ever and even as I write this blog nearly one whole year since the first staycation blog, we don’t seem to have made much progress worldwide. This is why I believe we need to spend more time closer to home and appreciating all the beauty it has to offer. 

Luckily for me, I get to call Goa my home and having places like Jamboree Creek, just a short drive away really makes staycation-ing feel like a big holiday treat! 

Cute huts at Jamboree Creek

Rooms at Jamboree Creek

Jamboree Creek is a very cute and very tropical property on the main road in Mandrem. Past the main Mandrem Beach and heading towards Arambol where it is a lot quieter and and a lot less touristy. The property is made up of the cutest wooden huts both with AC and Non-AC. You get your own little terrace with a few chairs to sit outdoors and appreciate the surrounding jungle. Every room has the most amazing outdoor bathroom that allows you to look up at the sky whilst showering or appreciate the neighbouring banana tree while sitting on the loo! 

Outdoor bathrooms really change the whole vibe of a place and it is the must-have I never knew I always needed. You honestly can’t beat a shower under the fresh blue morning sky or dark starry evenings! 

Can’t beat a shower under a blue sky!

All Rooms are double rooms with one or two huts having space for an extra bed for families. They are also a pet-friendly property allowing you to bring your dog on holiday with you for an extra charge. The property really is the perfect place for your dog to join you on your vacation! 

Who owns Jamboree Creek? 

Priyanka Sharma AKA Sharma AKA The Female Boss!

Jamboree Creek is owned by the lovely Priyanka Sharma who started the place in 2013. She has been running the show alongside her great team of staff who really have a passion for all things permaculture. Priyanka was a great friend of Rachel, the founder of this beautiful blog, Hippie In Heels, and Rachel spent a lot of time hanging out here. 

The Permaculture of Jamboree Creek

Priyanka knows what the people want and Jamboree Creek isn’t just any old standard accommodation. They pride themselves on giving back to Mother Nature and basically re-using and reducing all forms of waste. Permaculture is a system of agricultural principles centred around copying and simulating patterns in natural ecosystems. 

All water for the huts is sourced through 2 wells situated on the property. The water from the wells are sent to the bathrooms and then drained back into the garden to be used on the plants and to maintain the luscious green jungle. 

All waste is strictly segregated between wet, dry, plastic and glass and what can be turned into compost is done so and again added to the garden to enrich the soil. The materials used to build certain parts of the property are all home grown and not outsourced. The bamboo used in your bathrooms and for your outdoor seating area is all from their own bamboo garden. The yoga shala is a mud hut built with mud from the garden and coconut tree leaves for the roof. 

The garden is full of fruit trees that give the most delicious berries used to serve homemade jams and preserves at breakfast in the right season. They have an edible garden that includes Pineapples, LoveApples, Bananas, Pomegranate, Jackfruit, Papaya, Cinnamon, Basil, Lemongrass and so much more!

In a day and age when us, as a human race seem to be taking so much from The Earth it is so refreshing to see a place working so hard to give back. When you plan your stay at Jamboree make sure you ask for a tour to have a look at all the goodness I have mentioned above! 

Activities

The Yoga Shala

As mentioned above, they have a lovely spacious Yoga Shala where you can take morning or afternoon yoga classes. This part of the property faces the river which is so peaceful and relaxing. This Shala has also been home to a lot of retreats including Aerial Yoga, Yoga Retreats, Acro Yoga, Capoeira, a Ukelele Festival and they are also open to private parties and weddings. 

If you are interested in booking some specialised yoga classes, please get in touch with them before your arrival so they can find the right teacher for you. 

Amazingly, they also have a swimming pool. The perfectly sized pool to take a dip in while lounging on the sunbeds they have out for guests. The pool is in the middle of the beautiful jungle with the rooms on one side and the river on the other. When I stayed, I only saw one other person using the pool so in the day it was as though I had my own private spot. 

If you just want to relax and not move too far, there are a few hammocks set up by the river and connected to a few of their coconut trees. There are also some concrete sofas set up with cushions, creating the perfect spot to read your book and let the day slowly roll by. 

If this peace and quiet by the river is your vibe, you may be lucky enough to spot the beautiful heron doing its afternoon fishing and if you are really super lucky, maybe even some river otters which I would have so loved to have seen. 

And as if that wasn’t enough to do, Jamboree Creek is just a 5 minute walk away to the nearest beach which is one of my favourite beaches in Goa – Mandrem Beach. When staying at Jamboree, you get your own pass to use their private access to the beach. You have to take a short walk off the property and over a lovely rickety bridge, through another property and wow you really get to paradise. 

This part of the beach does not have many or any beach shacks due to it being a turtle nesting site. This means you pretty much get the whole beach to yourself as there are no sunbeds and usually not many other people at all. So, take your own towel, your book, an umbrella if possible and set yourself up for the day. 

Food

Jamboree Creek of course has a beautiful spot for their cafe serving up delicious home-cooked and sometimes home-grown food. With options from Vegan to Veg to Non-Veg, they have something for everyone. Food can be eaten in the cafe, by the pool on your sunbed, chilling by the river in a hammock or sat on the little front verandah of your room. 

Make sure you try the home-brewed Kombucha, the Hummus Sandwich and the Noodle Bowl with homegrown lemongrass, which was yummmm!

I also tried the home-made peanut butter and banana jam which was so good, I had to buy some to take home! 

If you want to venture a little bit down the road then make sure you try Verandah for dinner and their amazing gin cocktails or Prana Cafe at Vaayu for smoothie bowls and tacos! 

And just a short drive down towards Ashwem you can find La Plage, Babu’s Huts, Palm Grove, Saz On the Beach and Silver Sands. 

When to Stay?

As you may know, Goa is usually a seasonal place with the sun shining from October until May and the monsoons taking over in between. A lot of places in Goa close during the monsoon but as Goa remains busy, more and more are staying open. Jamboree Creek is now open all year around, so if you want to come and enjoy the beaches make sure you come from November – April but if you are happy to enjoy the green and see a different side to Goa then June – September would be amazing! 

How to Book?

You can check out their website here where you can book direct and see all they have to offer. The rates vary depending on the type of room and time of year you are booking for. 

Be sure to follow @jamboree_creek_yoga_goa for more pictures of the property

And if you do make a booking, say hello to Priyanka from Jules at Hippie In Heels!