Patnem is what Palolem was fifteen years ago. The bay is a little more open, so there is a modest swell on some days, and the restaurants sit further back, which leaves the sand feeling wider. It attracts people who stay a month rather than a weekend — yoga in the mornings, a book in the afternoon, an early dinner.
It is close enough to walk to for a change of scene and far enough that you feel you have been somewhere. Most guests end up with a favourite shack here by the third day.
Best time: Afternoons — it is the beach for a long, slow one.
