From my experience DIY is more expensive. Its cheaper to get a cheap package deal.

Renton Manor is good (stayed there twice)

We're staying at the Calonia De Braganza this time i'll report back in March.

You can also get very cheap dorm house accommodation.

Our holiday was £475 for two weeks including BB, flights in-flight food and transfers.

You can get Dorm holidays for £390. I have never seen a flight (not very very last minuet) as cheap as that.

so where are these cheap holidays then because I cant find them. The hotels that are so cheap are ussually a trek to the beach are they not?

We have booked a dorm house package with Direct Holidays for March, we are just using the flight which is £440 each and that includes prebooked seats. We have booked Pretty Petals guesthouse in Candolim for 1300 rupees (£15.78 at today's exchange rate) per night. So for 2 weeks the total cost is around £1100 for 2 people. I dare say we could have got a package a little cheaper, but we really wanted to stay at PP again as it is in such a good location being less than 5 minutes from the beach and just round the corner from the main beach road.

DebnPete

I have paid £900 for 2 flights in March and if I can get a room for around £10 a night for the 3 weeks, I will be a happy bunny £550 each for 3 weeks
I can get a room in Vagator,en-suite with A/C for just over a fiver so they can be found if you know where to look.

Got a package last year with TC, booked 2 weeks before xmas for travel early March went to Kerela B & B hotel for 2 weeks for £350 each. At the same time they were advertising holidays to Candolim for the same price. If you can hang on and not let the excitement of booking your next holiday get the better of you, you will find the bargains.

I think you can get packages cheaper but you can get better places to stay when you just get the flight and sort out your accommodation separately. I reckon flight and accommodation is cheaper than packages for long stayers, too.

I booked Dorm House accommodation (which nobody uses) with Direct Holidays and will stay in an apartment we stayed in earlier in the year. Might be a tiny bit more expensive but it's worth it. Pretty Petals, where Debn'Pete stay is great and you can't get it in a package.

You pays your money and takes your choice!

Direct holidays is where I got mine.

Also my hotel is 5 mins from the beach apparently