Taj Exotica Reviews

On the whole a lovely relaxing holiday. Weather absolutely fantastic although humidity on the rise. The Taj is a very impressive Hotel staff are so polite and the rooms well maintained, but as always there is a down side, as so many have mentioned the prices for food and drink are at least twice the price as eating out. Kingfisher beer 250ml 125 Ruppee at the Taj bars, the shacks or anywhere for that matter 60 ruppee will buy a 650ml?!. By far the best place to eat in our opinion was the Sun and Moon Shack the most expensive meal we had being the seafood platter which consisted of Huge Tiger Prawns, Kalamari (Butter garlic) a Huge lobster and Huge Crab all absolutely Delicious by far the best we have tasted this meal also included a bottle of Pink Zinfadel Wine, beers and whiskey and coke all at the princely sum of 2000 Ruppee ....Bargain! The range of food far exceeded our expectations and we worked our way through the fantastic menu. In order to play fare we did try the Lobster shack at the hotel and this was by far the worst meal we had and I have never known anyone to muck up a club sandwich to be fair.........the cocktail 350 Ruppee ???????????

All the staff are aware the prices are killing the restaurants in the Hotel and customer feedback is sent to head office they say, so maybe they will listen one day as at night the guests leave en mass.

Undoubtedly you will enjoy this Hotel don't be frightened by the sellers on the beach just tell them when you leave you will visit ( I do reccommend lying about your actual leaving date as we did, we left Friday Am and I am sure they all laid in wait as we had actually said we were leaving Saturday! it worked they left us alone) buy an ankle chain and wear when on the beach as this acts as a deterent meaning you have already bought! Lastly have a fantastic time we did. March 2006.

Take notice of the previous reviews. This is the best hotel for service we have ever experienced. It's worth the extra price - it is so peaceful and relaxing, and the staff really can't do enough for you.

Try to time it so that there are no business conferences going on in the hotel. It wasn't a problem, but Tata had there annual conference at the hotel and it was overrun for 4 days. Thankfully, it's big enough to avoid crowds.

It doesn't matter that the hotel food and drink is expensive - we only had one dinner there at the Lobster Shack, but the rest of the time we went to the beach shacks and local restaurants. Definitely worth doing - don't worry about the warnings not to eat in the shacks - they're fine and do the best curries.

We found Sun and Moon and Joecons OK, but not the best. Gigi Park, just outside the main entrance to the hotel, does the best curries. But by far the best time we spent was a little way down the beach towards Colva - only a 10 minute walk along the beach to Rex's bar. Rex and his staff are the best. Rex also has a taxi driver - Ragu (pronunciation, not necessarily the spelling). He was so courteous and drove us everywhere. People always head back to Rex's shack and spend the whole day/evening there (we did).

Don't go to the the Dugout. The chef left last year and hasn't been replaced with the same standard.

We got engaged while we were out there, and now wish we had bought the ring from Cosy Nook. They are the best place to buy jewellery and really know what they are talking about when it comes to diamonds. Don't procrastinate like we did!

You don't go to the Taj to experience real Goa - you go to be pampered, and then get the real experience from the beach shacks, Margoa etc.

We'll be going back.

Our fourth time back to the Taj Exotica and it is as superb as ever.
The staff are the best I have come across in any hotel.
My only gripe is the incredible price rises in drinks since we were there in Dec.

The Sun and Moon is consistently the best shack we have eaten in. It is next to the Taj set behind Joecons shack on the beach.
Kapil one of the waiters is a total star and it is worth going there just to experience his humour and personality.
The food is always supperb and very reasonable.

If you want a reasonable and reliable taxi who won't drag you around half the shops on the way to somewhere check out Peter Periera on 9822586638. He is great and has a lovely air conditioned people carrier.

For the best and most reasonable Jewellery whether self designed or copied from a picture you cannot beat the COSY NOOK in Colva and SHAFI ARTS also in COLVA.
A branch of the COSY NOOK also next to Joecon's garden restaurant on the road to the Taj. This is the only place to buy diamonds, emeralds and sapphires at prices that make jewellers in the UK cry when you bring them to be valued here.

We cannot wait to return.

This was the second time that we have stayed at the Taj and it was even better than we remembered.

We ate mostly in the hotel and sometimes at Joecons. The food was excellent everywhere although our experience of the standard of hygiene at the beach huts and the Goan Hideout (ask to see the kitchen) meant that we would not want to eat there.

I can't understand why some people would feel that the Adega bar in the hotel was expensive. If you get there for happy hour, they will continue to serve at a reduced price all night if you ask them nicely ( besides £2 for a cold 750ml Kingfisher with a basket of tortilla chips and spicy tomato/garlic sauce seved with style isn't too bad, try ordering that in the Met Bar!)

We would highly recommend the hotel and staff, who cannot do enough for you and don't hang round for tips like they do at the Leela! (10 rupees goes a long way in Goa!)

Margoa and Panjim are well worth a visit, don't worry if the clothes you want to buy don't fit, the shops have tailors who will alter for you within the hour for about 50 pence and you wouldn't know that they weren't made just for you originally!

If you can upgrade to the sunset pool villa we would highly recommend it .The price is US$100 per night but the view, pool and room are unbelievable. There really is nothing better than sitting in your own pool with a beer watching the sun set over the golf course and the sea with the occasional palm tree braking up the view!!!

Just don't go anywhere else! This hotel is by far the most superior we have ever visited. This is Paradise, with everyone at the hotel falling over themselves to make sure you enjoy what they have to offer.

Because the acreage is enormous, there is never a feeling of being crowded, no need to worry about the availability of loungers around the pool and your choice of venues for settling during the day are many. i.e. poolside, on the beach, on the grass, in the hammocks dotted around the place, or under the canopies overlooking the beach.

The breakfasts are ENORMOUS and they really set you up for the day. In the evenings, all the restaurants we tried produced good food, at a price. The bar was ridiculously expensive, so we gave that a miss as often as possible.

We mainly ate at the Sun and Moon beach shack which is just outside the property perimeter fence (to the right). This was by far the most superior place to eat. The staff are wonderful. Their sizzlers are to Die for at only 100 rupees (Just over £1.20. They could fill you up on their own, but the menu was so inviting, that we just had to keep going! We ate at Joecon's once, but weren't terribly impressed, the Hideout twice (Not bad) and Martin's Corner, a taxi ride away in Colva. This place has a fine reputation, especially as the tables, floor and decor are upmarket by comparison to everywhere else. The food was good, but we preferred the Sun and Moon shack.

We enjoyed our trips to Margao, got new glasses at a fraction of the price at home, at veg and meat samosas in Longhuinos to die for (4p each!) and at masala dosa's in the upstairs of the Kamat Hotel, just near the bus stops down south.

Up grade on the plane is absolutely ESSENTIAL in our opinion and well worth the cost.

If you go nowhere else in Goa - please try the Taj. They have really worked hard to spoil you, and if you like relaxation, this has it in abundance.