Hi,
we stayed at the donna sylvia over christmas. Lovely hotel. Do try the tailor in the hotel, very reaonable and will make exactly to your design, amazing quality. Also the Ayuvedic massage in the hotel is astounding quality, perhaps a bit pricier than outside (around £20 but would cost £60 here for at least and hour) but the girls there are good. Loved it so much had three when we were there, pure bliss! Would reccommend one when you first get there to help recover from 'jet lag'. We were reccommended a jewellers by another English couple who have used him three years running, outside the hotel across the road there is a little shopping complex on the right. Shop Number 13 is called Jewel Collection run by 'John'. In short we bought some diamonds and have since had them vallued for insurance and have come out at almost double what we paid! If you can splurge out, do, and I belive from other post diamonds are good value. We found John to be very helpful and not pushy at all. He will also polish up any of your old rings and make any thing to your own design.

The all inclusive restuarant is superb, but for a change have at least one meal in the poolside ala carte, it's worth it. if you like lobster! Also we tried a few of the local resturants and by far the best was one called the Riverview. You will need to get directions, about a 10 min walk off the beaten track however its worth the effort as it wonderful food, had a huge amount and including drinks and wine cost around £12 for four! there is a deck over the river and if you go for lunch or just visit for a drink, take binoculars as the bird life is amazing eagles, kites kingfishers. Lovely to eat there at night as well. They will organise a boat trip up the river, best to arrange it for late afternoon. The boat provies binoculars and bird book and if your lucky you get to see fruitbats.
The hotel has it's own private path down to the beach. Just by the exit are two or three beach shacks and yoiu will get hassled a bit to use their sun beds, just say not turn left and go along a bit to Edwins, again worth the effort. This one is owned by the local Mayor (called Edwin of course) and the snacks here a really good. He also owns the Goan Village restuarant in Cavallosam.
The boys are very sweet and will serve you drinks and look after you all day. They will also keep the beach sellers away if you ask them. The beach sellers can be a little inimidating but keep a smile and just say no thank you. we made the mistake of saying maybe be later on the first day and that just spurred them on later!
Worth also fresh pinapple and mango from a fruit seller off the beach.
We got a taxi in to the nearest large town, Margao, just ten pounds return and the driver waited. Cars are more comfortable than the little minibus ones which are very uncomfortable on the bumpy roads. The market in margao is worth a visit, all under cover, very hot and noisy and quite an experience. What else....well we did the Jungle Trip. Booked through the rep £70 per person. You stay overnight in a mud hut and the experience of seeing all the elephants there was one of the most memorable I have ever had. You get to wash them on the second day in a beutiful rock pool. They arrrange an early morning walk up very steep hills for which you need good shoes, at least trainers but worth the climb up to waterfalls. The trip also iincludes rafting up a river and visit to a spice plantation, a hindu temple when you are given a session of yoga in the grounds. All in all a packed trip and really glad we did it.
Donna Sylvia is lovely as I said. Our to teenagers wern't at all bored (boy/girl 16/14) staff very attentive and smile all the time! I am envious as would love to go again
Shazzer
p.s I have photos of the hotel and grounds, jungle book trip, if you want me to e-mail let me know ( I dont know how to post them on here)