from Candolim head towards Calangute, just past the football ground,Rising waves etc.
On the same side of the road as the football ground.

cheers del

Hello all. My wife & I ( both fit pensioners) want to visit North Goa for the very first time and would be grateful for your expert advice. We have looked at Thomson, Thomas Cook, Airtours & Sunmaster websites with prices starting around £980 each for 3wks B&B going in late Feb 2014. Ideally we would like a place VERY close to the beach so we can experience the fabled beach shacks & we would hope the hotel offered a/c's in rooms, fridge, safe, cleanliness & comfort whilst staying at a reasonable price! Are we expecting too much? We read about the Blue Sea Beach Resort on here & it seems really nice but I cannot find it on the website mentioned in the post or any other website. Any advice on that, or any other travel websites & recommended hotels etc. would be very welcome. Many thanks & regards to you all.

http://www.blueseabeachresort.com/
not certain that you can book this hotel except directly.
The Silver sands hotel is as close to the beach as it's possible to be.
As to 'are we expecting too much', that rather depends on your definition of comfort!
Most, if not all hotels are fairly basic, the Blue Beach resort is not typical of most.
Air conditioning is usual in hotels offered by the tour companies, fridges maybe not as often offered but still widely available, sometimes at a local charge.
Cleanliness has never been a problem for us, all the hotels we have used have always been clean, not always pretty though!
Just a mention as its your first time, don't forget that you need a visa!

del949 wrote:

http://www.blueseabeachresort.com/
not certain that you can book this hotel except directly.
The Silver sands hotel is as close to the beach as it's possible to be.
As to 'are we expecting too much', that rather depends on your definition of comfort!
Most, if not all hotels are fairly basic, the Blue Beach resort is not typical of most.
Air conditioning is usual in hotels offered by the tour companies, fridges maybe not as often offered but still widely available, sometimes at a local charge.
Cleanliness has never been a problem for us, all the hotels we have used have always been clean, not always pretty though!
Just a mention as its your first time, don't forget that you need a visa!

Very good advice

Del949
Many thanks for your reply. I asked about the Blue Sea because a poster wrote that he had booked it through Kwik Travel & got a very good price & it was well liked. Cleanliness is subjective in Goa of course so we have our eyes wide open on that. Is that the Silver Sands hotel or Holiday Village or Beach Resort? Are these all the same place? It certainly looks good but are there many beach shacks there? Which hotel & on what beach in N. Goa would you recommend? We really do want to experience the beach shacks on a daily basis if possible! Which travel company are best? Would I be able to watch Sky Sports in the hotel or local,bars? Sorry for all the questions but we do want to get it right! Many thanks for your help and advice. Best regards. David & Belinda.

Hi David
The Silver Sands is the same wether its called the holiday village or beach resort
There is only one in Candolim but there is also the Silver Sands Hideaway.
That looks nice but is much further from the beach, still walking distance though.
The SS is approx 100 yds from the nearest beach shack and then there are beach shacks every 20yds, definately not a problem getting to a good selection of shacks.

My personal choice for beaches, /resort is Candolim , although Baga runs a close second. I am not really fond of Calangute

Which tour company is best ?
we go independant now but used to go with First Choice and had no problems.
I did notice that Jewel in the Crown seemd to have some good prices this season.

Sky sports
you will find many bars etc with sky sports on, I think that the SS also has sky in the TV room but not certain.

and there is no need to apolgise for asking questions! go ahead and ask whatever you like

Silver Sands is a great location but that's all. We had a look round last feb and the rooms are small dark and dingy. We stayed at the silver sands hideaway which is a palace compared to SS near the beach although its a bit more expensive but the beds are huge and comfy. It's only a 10 min walk to the beach maximum where you will pass the Blue beach resort. Had a look round there too and the rooms are big with fridges and a big bed. As its new it looked really clean and bright. It's also cheaper than the hideaway. I'd definitely stay there. I agree with del Candolim beach is best. As for tour operators we've been with both first choice and jewel in the crown and prefer first choice as don't like the cramped monarch flight. Like Del though we usually book flight and accommodation separately. Be careful as some accommodation look ok in the brochures but are dumps. Im sure youll enjoy goa. Good luck.

http://s56.photobucket.com/user/del949/library/#/user/del949/library/silver%20sands%20goa?sort=3&page=1&_suid=137561322790408943419650356557

with a bit of luck this link should show some pics of Silver Sands superior rooms.
I'll have a look and see if I can find any of the Phoenix park, which we found fairly reasonable.
Most, if not all hotels in Candolim are within a 10 /15min walk to the beach.

edited to add, just noticed that there is one pic of the Phoenix park rooms tucked in there.

Del949 & TRACY
Thank you both for your input. Thomson have this hotel, called the Silver Sands Holiday Village in Candolim, with superior room, for £1217 for 3wks from 1March. Sunmaster.co.uk has flights for £527 pp from LGW on 28Feb for 3wks & a place called the Silver Sands Beach Resort but at Colva Beach. I do not think this is the same one as at Candolim. Their price for this hotel on B&B for 3wks is £227pp in a standard room. The Colva Beach one looks nicer so quite frustrating! There is also a place called Sea View Cottages at Baga that is £998 B&B. it looks OK, right in the beach but.....so much to consider! Grrrrr one worry I have is Russians! Are there any places/hotels that they will not be at? We had a dreadful experience with them in Cyprus,last year & do not want a repeat. If any of you good readers were in our position just which place would you pick? Ideally we would like a hotel very close to a beach, a/c, clean, beach shacks etc. on the doorstep, nice rooms, no Russians, SkynSports for me & value for money! Your continued, and most valued, help & advice is very much appreciated. David & Belinda

I doubt that there would be any Russians staying at the Silver Sands Candolim as I think all their rooms are chartered to UK tour operators.
Having said that there are lots of Russians all over Goa nowadays.
Certainly lots in Candolim
Personally I though that Colva was dirtier than Candolim, but that is only my opinion and I have no idea about the hotel.
Sorry I have no idea on the Baga one you mention.
The price you quote for 3 weeks at the Silver Sands in a superior room seems reasonable to me, I wonder if that is a Monarch flight?

Have a look at the Santana http://www.onetime.com/hotels?talid=297605&property=651438&mcid=15024&taparam=EOTMSNUK_K42026020_A339999908_NS&supmt=e&supai=2042360726. Just a stones throw from the beach and have their own beach shack, has excellent reviews from many British visitors. Its at the quieter end of Candolim still surrounded by loads of great restaurants, the Tiger Bar is around the corner, shows all the sporting events you would want, also has an internet cafe. Just a 5 minute walk in the other direction you are in the thick of things.

Candolim is a wonderful place for a holiday, have a fantastic time.

Del
It is a Monarch flight! I am interested in the fact you book flights & hotels separately. We live in Devon so Gatwick is the airport we have to use. Do you fly scheduled( Etihad etc) to Goa or charter? The prices for flight only at end Febbeginning of March for 28 days are between £7-800 which is a bit expensive don't you think? Advice sought please! Do you book your hotels directly with the hotel or a Internet booking site? Your input on best sites/hotels would be appreciated.

roxey
I looked at the Santana Beach & I agree it looks brilliant & with your recommendation on top how can we go wrong! However, I cannot find it offered on Thomson, Thomas Cook, Sunmaster or other websites. Do you know if it is on any other sites that also include flights along with very reasonable prices? Do you book your holidays like Del flight/ hotel separately or altogether. If you can lead me to further info on the Santana I would be very grateful. Thanks to you both for your continuing advice & any others who may offer us advice. David & Belinda

Hi there ,can also recommend Santana in candolim, Jewelinthecrown are featuring it this year.
We book it separately with hotels4u (part of T/COOK.
It is about 23/24 pounds per night per ROOM.
We do separate scheduled flights Heathrow to Mumbai,then jet airways down to goa
Various sites for flights ,but I think jet are probably the cheapest .
I know if you do a package with jewlinthecrown it is a charter with monarch from Gatwick direct to goa.
Hope this helps ,by the way we will be going back again to Santana this year 10 march.
Noely

Hi True Brit The Santana has some great reviews and as Noely says its featured on Jewel in the crown. Country Inn and suites is another really lovely hotel and just a ten minute walk to the beach. Its located just down the lane from the fortuna. If you are going for 2-3 weeks i would defiantly check the package prices as they usually work out cheaper than DIY hotel and flight (not always). I do DIY as i tend to travel solo so dont get whacked with travel companies supplements.

If like most of us you fall in love with Goa then spend an afternoon checking out hotels and some of the small family run guest houses You can rent an apartment or large room with a balcony very reasonably. Get the contact details for your next trip and then just play the waiting for flights game that we all play The people the places and amazing food and nailed on weather you will love it.

NOELY & MazD
Many thanks to you both for taking the time to give us that information. I will check the hotels you mention & also the feasibility of booking flights/hotels separately. We really are quite excited at the prospect of going to Goa so late in our lives & reading the Goa pages on here has us straining at the leash! Going to trawl the websites now so many thanks to you both once again. Best regards, David & Belinda

You are very welcome David & Belinda Candolim is a fab choice some great places to eat all close by. The breeze on the beach makes it very nice for people watching and relaxing in the shacks with a beer.Depending on what you like doing there are lots of places to visit markets, spice plantation waterfalls quieter beaches up north trips on the river. My one and only warning GOA IS ADDICTIVE lol it gets under your skin and into your heart and you will want to return. Have a lovely time.

Have a look at this place, 2 mins walk to beach, easy walk to many bars and restaurants, we are booked in for mid March time, enjoyed a few stays here.
http://www.sunsetcandolim.com/

Thomas Cook are offering some very good flight only prices at the moment, INVALID URL brings up some bargains.
Many of us who are regular Goa visitors book flights and accommodation seperately, however I think going for the first time I would be happier with the security of going with a travel company.however, we found a guest house a few years ago and now wouldnt stay anywhere else, so can thoroughly recommend Angelas Guest House, an apartment or studio is around £10 per night, owned by a lovely family, the apartments are immaculate. They collect you from the airport so no worries about getting to the village and trying to find your accommodation. Let me know if you would like contact details.
Goa is like Marmite, you will love it or hate it, I hope you will love it. My love affair with Goa started almost 20 years ago, booked on a whim through Teletext because my then partner loved vindaloo!!!. It is a special place, my 'heart' home.
Don't worry about being pensioners, you will be in good company, a few years ago took a friend in her late 70's she had never been outside europe before, she had mobility problems, she had the best time ever.
Have a fantastic holiday, we missed last season due to my o/h being poorly but we are going for 28 days from mid November, can't wait.