Candolim and Calangute are very good places to go, but I would not make the mistake of going all inclusive, there are dozens of cheap resturants, on every street, that serve amazing meals for very low prices, by going all inclusive you will miss out on these.

yes feb is good weather ,

you definately do not need to go all inclusive ,

the south is quieter than the north no discos night life revolves around great places to drink and eat and meet people ,

the north is buisier and im sure someone who goes to the north on a regular basis will give you loads of info i have heard there are dicos up there im just not clued up on that ,

goa is not that big you can go from north to south in a couple of hours

i would recomend you visit palolim beach and spend a couple of nights in the beach huts there are lots of photos in the photo gallery

baga will probably tick all the boxes for you, mega beach, if a little too busy sometimes, quite a few bars and a few nightclubs and only 5 mins in a taxi to Calangute.
As previous posters have said it is better not to go A I , it is so cheap to eat and the restaurants are lovely.

NEVER EVER go All Inclusive.. Period!!!

You miss out on the sights and sounds, the smells, the ambience of eating out at other restaurants.
The only time I would go All Inclusive is the Maldives, thats because there's nowhere to go and its expensive to pay as you go!

all inclusive??? NO,NO,and NO again!!!! As said so many times before on this forum,do not miss the chance to eat at so many different restaurants and shacks.good food,good prices and really friendly staff in abundance. Paula

gotta disagree, go all inclusive by all means if the hotel suits you and the price is good.

we went all inc. one christmas as it was the cheapest package available, had a few beers in the hotel and a couple of snacks if we were round the pool, treated it as a bonus really.

admittedly you dont need to go all inc. but if the price is as good as a b and b or self catering, why not!

h.

Thanks for the replies, this makes the decision making a little easier.

We went to Sun Village , which is all inclusive. After our first visit to Goa we realised that you really don't want to stay in the hotel to eat, as the variety is just so great it's a shame to be tied to the hotel.

That said, we returned to Sun Village 3 times afterwards, basically because we loved the hotel and the staff there, but the only thing we really partook of was the drink, before going out to eat and a night cap on our return. So really not worth the extra. Last Christmas we went to Marinha Dourada for the first time, and I now think there is no turning back, such a lovely hotel, B&B (although breakfast is not as good as the Sun Village - and we tended to just grab a slice of toast and a cuppa and then head to a shack for breakfast).

So from our experience I would definately say no to All Inclusive and recommend B&B so that you can take full advantage of all that Goa has to offer.

I really get annoyed with people saying don't go all inclusive. The Sun Village and the Santiago in Baga, ARE EXCELLENT hotels for their choice and quality of food, as good as any restaurants in Goa. See my reviews on the Santiago and I am a regular visitor to the Sun Village.

We all like to visit good restaurants but sometimes it gets monotonous and you know you will get a good meal in the hotel and don't forget the drink is free.Don't forget those bad restaurants, I can think of quite a few bad places over the years, and then a quick dash back to the hotel and some good food.

You do not have to stay at the hotel all day, certaimly we don't, we are out all day on the beach and using the beach shacks.

If you find a good hotel , who cares and the extra you pay is not worth thinking about. In fact its sometimes cheaper.

So if you hav'nt tried it don't knock it.

My reply was not supposed to get you 'annoyed' Rokerender. As I stated I have been to the Sun Village 5 times, so I think that that speaks for itself in terms of the standard of hotel.

How going to a different restaurant each night classes as monotonous is beyond me, surely eating in the hotel every day qualifies for that award. The drink and food are not free in AI Hotels, you have paid for them when you paid for your hotel.

The original question in this thread was asking the opinions of members as to what is best. Why pay All Inclusive when you can have the best of all worlds, chosing to eat out at restaurants/shacks or staying in your hotel and eating in their restaurant and paying for each meal as you go. When you have paid for All Inclusive you are sometimes more reluctant to fork out again for a meal outside of your hotel.

As you can see, I have tried it and therefore give my opinion from experience.

No way would I go AI in goa.We stayed at the Nizmar last year and would have liked to go back.However it is now gone AI so not for us this year.I think AI is a good option if you either have kids or for expensive destinations such as the Caribbean or the Maldives but Goa has so much variety and for so little money.

Regards

Papa

My response was not based on your comments , at least you have been and done it , but at the usual response from all and sundrie whenever all inclusive is mentioned.
I don't even consider that I have already paid for the meal, as I have said sometimes its cheaper in any case, and I can only say that the hotel I use , the Santiago , is as good as it gets in Goa and the food is excellent.

All inclusive certainly does not restrict us eating out or anything else for that matters, but we find it convenient.

I think the answer to the OPs query is that you don't HAVE to go AI as there are many great places to eat around about.You don't have to worry about costs or standards. However, some of our members do enjoy AI hotels for various reasons, many also eating out a lot as well. It's really about what you want in a holiday- everyone has different ideas

For me anyway my thoughts are that people who go all inclusive lack imagination and that it is convenient and they hav'nt got to work at their holiday.

Well SteveM , what a load of rubbish.I go there to relax , NOT TO WORK, or to go to McDonalds????????????????

Stevem
Its Rokerender's choice and hes paying for it. You have your opinion and you chose what you want to do, give your opinion but dont knock someone elses preferences as its their holiday choice not yours.
As long as you get what you want from your holiday is what counts in my opinion of course.

Please lets not make sweeping generalisations about people based on what type of accomodation they want, or where they choose to eat.
Lets get back to helping out the OP please. Does anyone have resort suggestions for him?

Thanks Ginlizzy , as usual some common sense. I'll be there in November for 3 weeks, but not all inclusive. In February I will be all inclusive at the Santiago, lacking imagination but I won't be going to McDonalds to eat.

Regards and I will say no more!!!!!!

Miccie is right All Inclusive is not free!
example--- I have just booked the Dona Sylvia for Christmas for two weeks on B&B basis, the AI package would have cost £600 more for the two of us. You can do a lot of eating and drinking in Goa for that.
So IMO unless you spend all day and night at the hotel it's not worth it