Goa Holiday Reviews

so much to do - the night market, elephant trips, spice plantations, waterfalls, monestaries, churches - the list goes on!!!!

i would definitely go back there - maybe not to the hotel but for the adventure and beauty of Goa - amazing!!!

Mobar Beach is very quiet and would not suit all. This area is more for couples and people with young families, teenagers may get a little board. We loved it, but my daughter is only eight and was quite happy playing in the pool all day and going down to the beach, the sea is fantastic, so warm but, it is quite rough, so be warned for younger children, I took my daughter in and held her close and she loved it. The beach has got a lovely breeze, and has lots of umberellas for use from the Hotel, am not sure if you have to pay if you go away from the hotel. There are a couple of really good shacks on the beach there is Bettys and Sams, if you go in Bettys say hello to Benson. If you want to go shopping you will have to go up to cavalossum (think thats how you spell it). You can get your money changed there in the chemist, you can buy most things from the chemist.

love the hustle and bustle of calangute and baga,good eaterys excellent shopping

we choose here as we wanted a quiet chilled out week so it suited us perfectly if you want somewhere with nighlife this would not be the resort for you

Clean beach but not a lot to do ther but nice to relax. one beach hut. Only thing i will say is watch out for stray dogs but if you ignore them they wont bother you too much. Can get very hot on the sunbeds and you have to buy a drink from the nearest shack to get them. Watch fishing boats go out at 6 am local time people say its good.

Busy Not my Idea of Fun, Baga beach hassle from sellers even when asleep on sunbeds,hassle from beach shack's until you agree to stay at their sunbed.But then their price's are more than fair for drinks / food. Just choice one you like or try one of the many others. I do Not think Goa is suitable for children because the roads are mostly un lit in the nights and traffic is a problem

This was our first time in Goa and when we arrived we were horrified, I was expecting a similar layout to our European holidays were all the hotels were on the front and in prominent positions, but all we could see was delapidated buildings, cows and dust everywhere. This definately isn't a place for the faint hearted. If you want to experience India then don't expect anything and you won't be dissappointed. The streets are very dusty, so you always feel dirty, there is no real entertainment as such, unless its in your hotel so you need to make your own. There were no noisy bars or clubs that we knew about, so most evening we ate out at local resteraunts and bars and chatted to a lot of the locals and ex pats. AND WE LOVED it!! 5 minute walk from the hotel there is a Thomas Cook Office we found this is the best place to exchange money as they gave the best rates. Straight opposite is a street which leads to the beech, on this street there is an English cafe bar, called the Why Not a lot of ex pats go here and on Wednesday they have bingo, not my cup of tea but each to their own. Also on the main street there is a small resteraunt called the Kishor, if you want to sample Goan food this is brilliant the food is good, dirt cheap and you don't get the tummy grumbles the following day. Basically the beeches of sanguerim, candolim, calangute and baga all run along the same coastline so the beech is the same. There are beech shack all along the beech and the traders will entice you in with free sunbeds as lonG as you buy food and drink from their shack. By the way the food from the shacks is ok to eat but just remember the rules on salad, and ice! The water temperature is really pleasant, but its not safe to swim, red flags are out every day, and the waves, tides and undercurrents are very strong. If you want to go to Anjuna don't bother with the beech the market may be ok but there isn't really a beech its mostly rock. Also a few people told us that Coco Beech was nice but we were disappointed when we got there as there was a strong smell of deisel from the fishing boats and it was only a small beech front. The best way to get around is to get freindly with a particular taxi driver, this seems to be the done thing, he will then become your driver for the holiday if you want to go anywhere. Always agree a price before, if you are going far they will wait and bring you back. At the entrance to the Nizmar you will find the going rates on a lampost.

If you want to take you partner somewhere for a fortnight,where you can both relax,unwind,read a book or two,and sunbath - this is the place.Cheap package holidays,cheap when you're there,exotic beaches,fantastic food,and truly friendly Goans.No real problem with malaria(make sure you get the jabs the doctor advises),but when the sun goes down,spray with mosquito preparations,and all will be well.be careful with malaria tablets,some couples treat these as optional,due to their side-effects.No threat of terrorism.We've been to this part of South Goa four times and love it,being well situated for all the beaches and towns.To off-set the 19 hours total flight time,once you're there,everything is very,very,cheap.When we went to Goa the first time,we were amazed how many couples had been there so many times,6,7,8, times and more - it spoke volumes about Goa,and impressed us,so much so that we try and go every year. South Goa,do it !

I travelled with my boyfriend to Goa last March(09) for a week and stayed in Calangute, Bardez. I'd been to Goa twice before, but my boyfriend who had never been was a little sceptical at first but loved it after a week. A chilled out holiday, lots of exploring, eating and drinking. Great for a week or two or more if you want to make this a base for exploring the rest of India. Food at the beach shacks is good, lots of seafood and fish. Nightlife/ entertainment is based around drinking at the beach shacks some of which have fire eating and shows on the beach or going to the hippy night market which you've got to see even if its just to watch the hippies dance and play their music. There are a few nightclubs in Baga, but most have closed down or are very quiet. Tito's and Mambo's is still there but no one in them in March as its coming to the end of the season. The best club of all Cubana's has been closed by police. Take a trip to Panjim, the closest city for shopping, there are a few clothes shops selling designer gear, a Nike shop, some other sports shops, nice restaurants, some casino ships. The traffic getting into Panjim is amazing especially if you go by scooter, but make sure you wear a helmet. Taxi (2 seater) transfer from the airport to Calangute/ Candolim costs around 700 rupees one way, you will have to exchange some money at the airport but don't exchange more than the taxi ride as you will get a better rate of exchange somewhere in your resort. Just ask in any shop if they exchange, they normally have a little sign up outside.

Had a lovely stay here. Would return if the flights were better timed.

Loved the private beach, patrolled all the time by the hotel staff.Great setting.Beds were free but if you wanted a foam mattress you had to fork out a huge fee of 80 pence.Try getting that for 80p in Majorca.

Rooms were an adequate 3 star and are to be refurbished this winter. Lovely Thomsons rep to, not pushy at all.

Food was ok and the very drinkable wine was free.

You wont find many better 3 star hotels than this.............

North Goa is very busy. If thats what you like you should go there in February and March, they have carnivals on. The actors and actresses join in on the beach, it goes on till about 3 in the morning. If you want peace and tranquility go to South Goa. We spent a night on the beach 2 years ago in a hut on stilts, it was quite an experience. Were thinking about doing it again when we go back again next year. I would recommend B&B as the food is so cheap and fresh. Four of us had lobsters, king prawns, chips, salad, wine, beer, fruit, coffee, and cost about 35 pounds total at Jolly Boys shack on Calangute beach.

A good base to explore Goa, plenty of trips available and taxis will take you anywhere and cost very little.

One side of the beach is eroding but the other side is good.The sea can be rough with undercurrents so care is needed.Not a safe swim for children.Plenty of shops and restaurants serving different cuisines.

There is so much to see and do in Goa and whilst at the Palmarinha we were fortunate enough to go on two of the excursion trips. One was to Dudhsagar Waterfall and one to a beach bbq after snorkeling and fishing the goan way. lunch was included in each as well as an excellent tour guide. The only problem was the bumpy roads in the coach on the way.

Victor's popularity is growing fast ,and with just cause if our experience is anything to go by. We managed to find Victor's place on the Sunday,but were unable to get a table until the following Friday ,as he was fully booked. Between the four of us we ordered the Dressed Crab and the Prawn pate for starters,and both the King prawns and Tiger prawns for our main courses. All of it was absolutely delicious, including Victor's own type of "Bombay aloo" (my term,not his) which are unspiced and more like traditional roast potatoes,my friend couldn't eat enough of them! Victor chatted to us very amiably about his cooking philosophy,which basically consists of the freshest ingredients prepared with little or no spices,personaly by him. When asked why he didn't expand the business,he told us that he wanted to give his customer's food his personal attention and that he couldn't do that if he got too big. Must also mention Victor's two boys,who are both very polite and charming. All in all a memorable experience,and definitely the culinary highlight of our holiday in Goa.