Hi Everyone!!
Just got back from Goa after 5 years away and thought I'd do a little trip report
Booked 3 flights to Goa for the wife and mother in law (who hates a) heat, b) spicy food and c) any form of insect) in August and found flights with Qatar via Doha for the reasonable price of £550 each, leaving from Heathrow and arriving back in Gatwick for a two week stay. Transfer times in Doha were 4 hours and 2 hours respectively.
Sorting out the visas were pretty straightforward even though I had to get an Indian passport surrender certificate from the Indian high commission and the wife's and MOL's passports were Slovak ones. Arrived and vfs in London early and was processed within 10 minutes. Arranged for the visa's to be sent back via courier and had them back within 10 days with a 3 months multiple entry tourist visa.
Flight from Heathrow to Doha was in a nice Airbus A330-200, with Oryx video on demand with a good selection of films and television programmes. Food was excellent and the hot towel before each service was a nice touch. Leg room was more than adequate at about 33" and there was a blanket and a foot rest provided. A far cry from our previous more expensive flight with Monarch. Flight to Doha was 6 hours and nice and smooth. Our luggage was checked all the way through to Dabolim.
The stop over in Doha was OK. The Duty Free is VERY expensive and not worth buying anything apart from a fridge magnet with 'Qatar' on it. There's plenty of sit down space in the airport as it seems to be just a transit hub with people travelling to other places. It can take a little time to get through the transfer security checks especially if a few flights arrive at the same time.
The flight to Goa was on an Airbus a321 which was comfortable but lacked inflight entertainment. Never mind, had the kindle with me. Service was excellent as usual and unlike to leg to Doha, they served alcoholic beverages to anyone who wanted one. Embarkation cards were handed out and we decided to fill ours in on the plane.
Arrival at Goa was 3.00am and it didn't take too long to get through immigration especially with our already filled out forms. Went to the counter to get Indian rupees. The rate was 64 rupees to the pound with a 300 rupee charge which was a rip off. Better to source rupees outside India.
A taxi to my parents house just south of Margao was 700 rupees from a bloke outside the terminal which was the same price as the ticket booth but less hassle.
The journey to Chinchinim was uneventful apart from the fact that the roads seem to have improved no end despite the random placement of mountain like speed (axle?) breakers along the highway.
Arrived at parents at 4.30am and had a nap for an hour. Got the new Tata Nano out of the garage at 6.00am and drove to Benaulim beach which was only a 10 min drive along some OK roads. Checked in at our favourite beach shack, Domnics and were recognised by Naik who seems to be the head server there despite it being 5 years since we were last there.
Ordered our favourite of Prawn Chilly fry and watermelon juice.
The beach was pretty empty and seemed to be populated mostly by Russian tourists. The hassle from the beach sellers was less this year as the local Panchayat has employed men with sticks to chase them away. There were also life guards on patrol on the beach and the normal assortment of dolphin watching and para sailing bumpf.
Benaulim didn't seem to be busy at all for our 2 weeks and we were always able to get our favourite sun beds. Unfortunately on our second journey I lost my swimming trunks and had to spend my time lying on the sunbed instead.
Drove into Margao a few times during the day with the trusty Nano which was fine for lugging 3 people around Goa which involved a trip to Old Goa for the feast of St Francis Xavier and a trip up to Mapusa to visit the market and the church in Saligao.
We also visited 'Big Foot' in Lutolim which was pretty interesting as an introduction to things 'Goan' as was the Alvares house next door.
The weather was generally good, we had a couple of short storms and the power was generally OK, about 5 power cuts of 10mins each. There were a heck of a lot of mosquitoes which we kept at bay with the electric tennis racket. It got very hot during the afternoon and we generally went exploring in the morning and beach in the afternoon which gave the water time to heat up.
Palolem beach was a huge disappointment, I remembered it 25 years ago as deserted and this visit was a mare. 50 rupees to park and hardly anywhere to relax as it seemed to be populated by people living on the beach. Noticed the dreaded 'sunbed reserved by towel belonging to absent person' so went on the little river cruise which was only 100 rupees each and glimpsed kingfishers and comoronts.
Decided to stay with visits to Benaulim instead. Things seemed to be a lot busier in Margao and driving and trying to park were terrible. The standard of driving was the usual 'beep beep, get out my way, I'll overtake you on a blind bend, OMG'. I carried an international driving permit which was only £5.50 from the post office just in case.
Overall things didn't seem too pricey compared to 5 years ago and the infrastructure seems to have improved. Spent (wasted?) a few days visiting relatives and generally farting around. The mother in law was very unhappy with the food and ordered steak and chips everywhere and the nights were punctured with her screams every time she saw any form of flying insect. She also didn't like the heat, which was the wife's fault as she wasn't able to wake up before 10am so were were frequently out in the midday sun.
Drank mostly bottled water but ate anywhere that took our fancy but avoided ice and peeled fruit. No cases of 'Goa guts' fortunately.
Stocked up on presents and cashew nuts as well as a few bottles of home brew cashew feni. Our two weeks were up pretty quickly and time to get back. The Nano did 700km in our 2 weeks and was great for driving around and really convenient. It also drank very little petrol and was easy top park and drive despite the lack of power steering, air con or a radio.
Left for the airport at 1.00am and check in was smooth but it took forever to go through immigration at Dabolim. The flight to Doha was on a different Airbus A321 which had a new touch screen entertainment system as well as the ability to make calls and send sms's whilst in flight. I didn't try as it was very expensive. Transferring into Doha took a little while but we were soon through and comfortable. Our onward flight to Gatwick was delayed due to the snow but by only a couple of hours. The flight back was as good as the flight out and I can't honestly fault Qatar for the service they provided.
Soon back at Gatwick and freezing cold and planning our trip back, this time with the father in law who does like spicy food. Anyway hope you enjoyed my little musing!
great report with a couple of interesting things I didn't know/wasn't sure about.
especially the alcohol free outward flight and the fact that luggage goes straight through.
The 300 rps charge for money exchange is worth knowing about as I had planned to change £10/20 at the airport for immediate use, don't think I will bother now as I assume that the taxis will accept a crisp £10 note which works out cheaper than a poor rate plus charges.
Did MIL enjoy the holiday even if not the food, temperature and insects?
especially the alcohol free outward flight and the fact that luggage goes straight through.
The 300 rps charge for money exchange is worth knowing about as I had planned to change £10/20 at the airport for immediate use, don't think I will bother now as I assume that the taxis will accept a crisp £10 note which works out cheaper than a poor rate plus charges.
Did MIL enjoy the holiday even if not the food, temperature and insects?
Many thanks for your report
Great report! I am really enjoying reading everyone's experiences before we go off in Feb for the first time.
Thanks for the feedback.. I did eventually change enough money to pay for just the taxi, quite grudgingly but I suppose it's worth asking at the taxi driver if they'll accept sterling, it's pretty easy to exchange and the many changing places in the towns.
The MIL did enjoy various parts of her trip but she doesn't speak English, only Slovak and Russian so the only stuff I could understand was her swearing (constant).
Talking about ATM's I found that the AXIS bank ones the easiest to use and having looked at my statements got a reasonable 71 rupees to the pound with a 3% charge.
One thing I can definitely recommend is that the electrical shops over there do sell power adaptors that have a connector for UK plugs. We didn't use the travel adaptors we took along with us.
A word of warning, the seemingly deaf and mute girls on the beach are nothing of the sort and I would advise against giving money to them. We gave one girl 100 rupees as she seemed to have a legitimate document to prove she was deaf and dumb until the moment her friend shouted that the local beach patrol were coming and she scarpered whilst shouting to her mate.
If anyone fancies a nice Thali and they're in Margao I can recommend Tatus (not sure about spelling). They've got a nice air conditioned section upstairs.
With Qatar as well if you are thinking about using them again, join there privilege club, it's free and once you've done a return leg you'll get an increase from the 23kg limit to a 30kg limit.
Also as our return flight to Gatwick was half empty they asked all the privilege club members first what choice of meal we wanted as well as served us drinks first
The MIL did enjoy various parts of her trip but she doesn't speak English, only Slovak and Russian so the only stuff I could understand was her swearing (constant).
Talking about ATM's I found that the AXIS bank ones the easiest to use and having looked at my statements got a reasonable 71 rupees to the pound with a 3% charge.
One thing I can definitely recommend is that the electrical shops over there do sell power adaptors that have a connector for UK plugs. We didn't use the travel adaptors we took along with us.
A word of warning, the seemingly deaf and mute girls on the beach are nothing of the sort and I would advise against giving money to them. We gave one girl 100 rupees as she seemed to have a legitimate document to prove she was deaf and dumb until the moment her friend shouted that the local beach patrol were coming and she scarpered whilst shouting to her mate.
If anyone fancies a nice Thali and they're in Margao I can recommend Tatus (not sure about spelling). They've got a nice air conditioned section upstairs.
With Qatar as well if you are thinking about using them again, join there privilege club, it's free and once you've done a return leg you'll get an increase from the 23kg limit to a 30kg limit.
Also as our return flight to Gatwick was half empty they asked all the privilege club members first what choice of meal we wanted as well as served us drinks first
Excellent report. I just wondered if your MIL managed to talk with any of the Russian tourists!
We flew twice with Qatar last season and were served plenty of alcoholic drinks on the UK to Doha flight.
We flew twice with Qatar last season and were served plenty of alcoholic drinks on the UK to Doha flight.
We too have had alcohol on the UK-Doha leg. I noticed that none was offered on the return journey though, but it was a morning flight and I draw the line at having a gin & tonic with my breakfast. 
We too have had alcohol on the UK-Doha leg. I noticed that none was offered on the return journey though, but it was a morning flight and I draw the line at having a gin & tonic with my breakfast.
Wimp!
a great report, thanks for taking the time... MIL sounds hard work 
Just a quick question re your comments on no alcohol from UK to Doha is there a reason for this ? I assumed that you would be able to have any drinks you liked on both legs of the flight, I havent heard anyone mention this before ? thanks in advance
Not sure why there was no alcohol on the UK to Doha leg. The flight was fairly early I suppose so that may be the case. I do remember the only alcohol that was served was on the Doha to Goa leg which was late evening so perhaps it was more a timing thing.
I sure did need a stiff drink for the taxi ride from Dabolim
I sure did need a stiff drink for the taxi ride from Dabolim
Good report vrbarreto; thanks. Enjoyed the snapshot of essentials, from visa to Gatwick return.
We did this about 3 seasons ago, and was also fascinated with the tour.
Agree with you about Palolem? Pah!! (gone way down in our estimation). We give it a miss and go next door to Patnem - much more palatable. :tup. Scootering back to the North we MAY stop off at one of our favourite restaurants in Palolem - 'Cheekie Chapatti'. It offers a varied and tasty customized meals, although on the last visit it seemed to have a faded glow
Tasty cashews - can't get enough of them...especially the black-pepper flavoured
vrbarreto wrote:We also visited 'Big Foot' in Lutolim which was pretty interesting as an introduction to things 'Goan' as was the Alvares house next door.
We did this about 3 seasons ago, and was also fascinated with the tour.
Agree with you about Palolem? Pah!! (gone way down in our estimation). We give it a miss and go next door to Patnem - much more palatable. :tup. Scootering back to the North we MAY stop off at one of our favourite restaurants in Palolem - 'Cheekie Chapatti'. It offers a varied and tasty customized meals, although on the last visit it seemed to have a faded glow
vrbarreto wrote:Stocked up on presents and cashew nuts...
Tasty cashews - can't get enough of them...especially the black-pepper flavoured
Qatar serve drinks on both legs to Goa. They might not come around with the trolley but if you ask for one they bring it ! Certainly on the 4.30am Goa-Doha leg I wasn't interested !
DaveWales
Did I read somewhere that you recently stayed at the Santana Beach Candolim, if so could you give me a run down on the place,
rooms, food & drink (prices) cleanliness, staff, also the Calamari Shack. beach near hotel 4 of us are going for 3 weeks in Feb. and any information would be appreciated
Thanks
The Preacher
Did I read somewhere that you recently stayed at the Santana Beach Candolim, if so could you give me a run down on the place,
rooms, food & drink (prices) cleanliness, staff, also the Calamari Shack. beach near hotel 4 of us are going for 3 weeks in Feb. and any information would be appreciated
Thanks
The Preacher
I have put in a short report on the hotel review section Preacher.
You have not made a bad choice, rest assured. We will go back next time we go to Goa.
The hotel is very well maintained, very clean and the staff are superb.
The grounds are delightful, the restaurant is by the side of the splash pool and breakfast is fruit juice,cornflakes, eggs and fresh toast made to order plus a different extra each day such as fresh fruit, baked beans or cheese and tomato.You can pay for other things too. It's a delightful setting to start the day. Having spent the day by the pool most days, we didn't want to stay in the hotel in the evening so didn't stay in to eat. We didn't use the two bars in the evening but the pool bar was used during the day ( it closes around 6.00pm) . Drinks were hotel prices, R30 for a lime soda, R70 a small beer.
The mini bar is the same price. Everything has 10% service added too. We were cheap skates and bought our own drinks in, a litre water is R15 and a 650ml beer R50 in the shop just outside the hotel on the main road.
The room are spacious and the layouts varied. We had two rooms whilst we were there. We had booked in two blocks of 7 and 10 days so they asked us to move after 7 days which wasn't a problem. The first room was over the side road leading to the beach. The room was spacious, even had a large settee, and quiet but the balcony was not usable as it was tiny, had a poor view and was subjected to the heat from the a/c from two rooms. Made a good drying room though ! Our second room was slightly smaller but better laid out. The balcony was in the right spot for the evening sun but the view was over the next door hotel restaurant and the big minus was that their phone started ringing very early in the morning, especially at weekends, for room service breakfast.
The balcony issue was minor compared to the overall satisfaction, and the beach is 2 minutes from your room. Prices in Candolim are a bit higher than Baga/Calangute. Some shacks only sell small beers too which is a way of charging more. Average price for a small 330ml was R50, a 650ml R90. Calamari shack sold small ones or 500ml cans for R80. We ate at Calamari the first night and it was awful, the worst meal by far. In fairness, other Santana guests said their meals were awful too on that night ( there was a "do" on) but they had eaten there previously and had enjoyed it. We didn't give them a second chance but did return for beers the next couple of nights. Service was slow, attracting the waiters attention difficult and when they brought the drinks they simply plonked down two empty glasses and two tins. On the last occasion I called the waiter back and asked him if he was expecting a tip, because with that level of service he wasn't going to do too well. He apologised, said some people like to open their own cans and poured the beer. He got a tip...again, but we never returned.
A walk along the beach to Candolim Beach Rd takes about 25 minutes. It's very pleasant and relatively empty down the bottom end ( you are right by the River Princess), gets busier as you approach C,B. Rd. We tried several shacks for drinks but one evening some German guests persuaded us to try Antonio's food as well. It was very, very good. I have been wary of eating in shacks but their standards are superb. We ate there several times including their eat all you can BBQ for R500 which was fabulous value.It's on the beach which was remarkably quiet, at the bottom of C.B.Rd., next to the Arabian shack.
Other great dining was had a Bomras and Ceceilias, both just outside the hotel. The latter was a firm favourite. We tried others... Top Nosh. Kalinga and Palmland, all close by but none was a patch on Ceceilia. A meal for 2 averaged R1000 approx. Fish Masala, Chicken Cordon Blue, Seafood platter, Chicken in Cashew and fish cakes for starters were among many excellent dishes. Service is attentive and friendly.
Further afield, Calangute is an hours walk or a R220 Tuk Tuk. We only went once, just for a third visit to the Thai at the Mira hotel ( superb!).
We also took a taxi to return from After Severn which I seem to remember was R200. This was the most disappointing meal we had, edible yes, but a real let down as we had expected fine dining which it certainly wasn't.
There is no need to venture very far to eat out, so we didn't ! If you want night life there isn't any other than live music in the restaurants. Places like Stonehouse, which is very close too, were avoided because I want conversation not noise while I eat. It also was the reason we cancelled our BBQ booking at the Santana.
If you want to, there is a pleasant walk towards Fort Agonda. You can also book a dolphin trip here. Most enjoyable at R250 pp for 50 minutes and good views of dolphin. A tour company like Johns Boat Trips were asking R500 if you booked in their office.
That's about it I think.
Santana is, IMO, perfect for anyone looking for a quiet holiday. It's fully booked so that speaks for itself.
You should enjoy. cheers Dave
You have not made a bad choice, rest assured. We will go back next time we go to Goa.
The hotel is very well maintained, very clean and the staff are superb.
The grounds are delightful, the restaurant is by the side of the splash pool and breakfast is fruit juice,cornflakes, eggs and fresh toast made to order plus a different extra each day such as fresh fruit, baked beans or cheese and tomato.You can pay for other things too. It's a delightful setting to start the day. Having spent the day by the pool most days, we didn't want to stay in the hotel in the evening so didn't stay in to eat. We didn't use the two bars in the evening but the pool bar was used during the day ( it closes around 6.00pm) . Drinks were hotel prices, R30 for a lime soda, R70 a small beer.
The mini bar is the same price. Everything has 10% service added too. We were cheap skates and bought our own drinks in, a litre water is R15 and a 650ml beer R50 in the shop just outside the hotel on the main road.
The room are spacious and the layouts varied. We had two rooms whilst we were there. We had booked in two blocks of 7 and 10 days so they asked us to move after 7 days which wasn't a problem. The first room was over the side road leading to the beach. The room was spacious, even had a large settee, and quiet but the balcony was not usable as it was tiny, had a poor view and was subjected to the heat from the a/c from two rooms. Made a good drying room though ! Our second room was slightly smaller but better laid out. The balcony was in the right spot for the evening sun but the view was over the next door hotel restaurant and the big minus was that their phone started ringing very early in the morning, especially at weekends, for room service breakfast.
The balcony issue was minor compared to the overall satisfaction, and the beach is 2 minutes from your room. Prices in Candolim are a bit higher than Baga/Calangute. Some shacks only sell small beers too which is a way of charging more. Average price for a small 330ml was R50, a 650ml R90. Calamari shack sold small ones or 500ml cans for R80. We ate at Calamari the first night and it was awful, the worst meal by far. In fairness, other Santana guests said their meals were awful too on that night ( there was a "do" on) but they had eaten there previously and had enjoyed it. We didn't give them a second chance but did return for beers the next couple of nights. Service was slow, attracting the waiters attention difficult and when they brought the drinks they simply plonked down two empty glasses and two tins. On the last occasion I called the waiter back and asked him if he was expecting a tip, because with that level of service he wasn't going to do too well. He apologised, said some people like to open their own cans and poured the beer. He got a tip...again, but we never returned.
A walk along the beach to Candolim Beach Rd takes about 25 minutes. It's very pleasant and relatively empty down the bottom end ( you are right by the River Princess), gets busier as you approach C,B. Rd. We tried several shacks for drinks but one evening some German guests persuaded us to try Antonio's food as well. It was very, very good. I have been wary of eating in shacks but their standards are superb. We ate there several times including their eat all you can BBQ for R500 which was fabulous value.It's on the beach which was remarkably quiet, at the bottom of C.B.Rd., next to the Arabian shack.
Other great dining was had a Bomras and Ceceilias, both just outside the hotel. The latter was a firm favourite. We tried others... Top Nosh. Kalinga and Palmland, all close by but none was a patch on Ceceilia. A meal for 2 averaged R1000 approx. Fish Masala, Chicken Cordon Blue, Seafood platter, Chicken in Cashew and fish cakes for starters were among many excellent dishes. Service is attentive and friendly.
Further afield, Calangute is an hours walk or a R220 Tuk Tuk. We only went once, just for a third visit to the Thai at the Mira hotel ( superb!).
We also took a taxi to return from After Severn which I seem to remember was R200. This was the most disappointing meal we had, edible yes, but a real let down as we had expected fine dining which it certainly wasn't.
There is no need to venture very far to eat out, so we didn't ! If you want night life there isn't any other than live music in the restaurants. Places like Stonehouse, which is very close too, were avoided because I want conversation not noise while I eat. It also was the reason we cancelled our BBQ booking at the Santana.
If you want to, there is a pleasant walk towards Fort Agonda. You can also book a dolphin trip here. Most enjoyable at R250 pp for 50 minutes and good views of dolphin. A tour company like Johns Boat Trips were asking R500 if you booked in their office.
That's about it I think.
Santana is, IMO, perfect for anyone looking for a quiet holiday. It's fully booked so that speaks for itself.
You should enjoy. cheers Dave
Lovely report, thanks for taking the time to post 
Great report Dave.
Hope we enjoy it as much as you seem to have done
Hope we enjoy it as much as you seem to have done
Excellent and informative report Dave 
I have just stuck this report on the hotel section, Gemma, as an ex Marinha Dourada aficionado you may well be interested !!!
It was our third visit and probably our last for several reasons.
You can't fault their communications, e mails sent prior to arriving were dealt with promptly and a request for somewhere to leave our bags on a 6.30am arrival was met with the offer of immediate check in despite the room having been booked from the following night. We were also told to expect some improvements which we were curious about too !
So what are the improvements ? The boarded up windows ( just the rear view ones !) have been replaced with curtains now that the building work behind the hotel has been finished and the curtains, although left closed all the time we were there let a lot more light in. Each room now has a wall clock, take your choice ... easy to read in the half light when you have been alerted to the ticking !!! The big improvement is that each room now has a wide screen TV, the bad news is you can only receive about 4 worthwhile English speaking channels , no BBC or CNN but at least you can get the footy on ESPN. I preferred the old ones which were small and had more channels however, TV isn't very high on my lit of priorities and I would have preferred them to spend money on things that needed doing more urgently.
To be fair, this was the first time we have been at the hotel so early in the season, last year arriving 2-3 weeks later. This year also happened to be Diwali. The hotel was heaving with domestic tourists and to see so many children was a shock to the grey wrinkly brigade. Extra mattresses were being delivered en mass as large families took over one room. On one or two occasions the children were running around slamming doors during the night for both early and very late arrivals. In the pool areas it was the adult males who tended to be very loud, however, it's nice to see domestic tourism increasing and families having fun during their festival.
My major concern was the state of the footpath at the far end of the second block, a room at which we had requested and received ( fair play). The surface of the path was treacherous. Covered in green slimy moss like growth, when wet it was like a skating rink. I nearly fell over several times and I saw others do like wise. I decided to report it and went to reception as I had genuine concern that someone might break a limb. The response was dismissive. I was told that it was only slippy when it rained (which it was doing most days) I responded with the fact that it was the algae that made it slippery, not because it was simply wet. I suggested a weed killer or Jeyes fluid plus a stiff brush was the answer. I knew my request would be ignored. In fact the guy behind reception looked down his nose at me every time I saw him from then on, I admit 2 days earlier I had popped into reception to point out that the gate on the far side was still locked and yet there was a security guard sat there who didn't have a key. It's about a 400 metre detour to return to leave the property by the reception gate so I pointed out to him that there was little need for a security man to guard a locked gate so why not open it ! I don't make an habit of complaining, honest ! Anyway, back to the path, the day after I reported it, someone told me an Indian lady had slipped and landed on her elbow and was in some discomfort. I was annoyed, it's not fair that someones holiday could be ruined by lack of care. When the Thomsons rep appeared I informed him that, although I wasn't one of his clients, he needed to be aware that there was a potential hazard in the hotel. His reply wasn't exactly comforting either ! He told me they were aware of the problem, had written to the hotel and thus it was their responsibility to do something about it. I don't think so !!! They are responsible for the well being of their clients too ! He told me that the hotel had told them they always steam clean the paths after the rainy season so action was in hand. In actual fact, I doubt this happens anyway as some of the path had a thick black crusty deposit...that was last years dead moss. What the hotel really rely on is 1) Dry weather 2) As the foot traffic gets heavier as the season progresses more of the moss gets worn away. In my opinion not good enough. They have an army of leaf sweepers and bush trimmers, they even had two guys who spent several days painting the floor of the open air dining area between the two accommodation blocks. No on will trip over a leaf, and repainting was, IMO, not a priority compared to guest safety.
There was another major issue too. Breakfast ! Day 1 in the windowless downstairs conference room, the next few days in the almost as depressing upstairs room. We eventually were allowed back into the " birdcage" ( I quite like it, especially since they re tiled the floor !) This year the toaster broke down on numerous occasions ( look closely, they were made in 1947 !), when they were in action there were queue's and a minor irritation is a fellow guest passing me my toast with bare hands. The always attentive restaurant manager always made sure we had our fried eggs but the majority of guests who were no repeat customers would not be aware of this possibility and this year there were no chefs on hand to cook eggs on request either.
Those were the major complaints but I also have one other major concern. This is the only hotel in India that I have stayed in that requests you don't put toilet paper in the pan but use the bin provided. I have long suspected that this is because the sewage goes directly in to the lagoon in the grounds, which in turn are refreshed by incoming water at high tide. The smell when they use this water to irrigate the grass is evil, this year there was a thick black crusty deposit floating on the water surface which when blown into the corners of the lagoon in quantity virtually confirmed this is indeed sewage as the smell was unbearable walking past. When I started to think about it, it also made me wonder why so many people, myself included, seem to suffer from diarrhoea during their stay here, many seeking medical advice as they felt so unwell too. I didn't have any problems after we left though !? Interestingly, the Osprey that fishes in the lagoons across the road from the MD never fishes in the MD despite the plentiful fish. Wonder why ?
It was our third visit and probably our last for several reasons.
You can't fault their communications, e mails sent prior to arriving were dealt with promptly and a request for somewhere to leave our bags on a 6.30am arrival was met with the offer of immediate check in despite the room having been booked from the following night. We were also told to expect some improvements which we were curious about too !
So what are the improvements ? The boarded up windows ( just the rear view ones !) have been replaced with curtains now that the building work behind the hotel has been finished and the curtains, although left closed all the time we were there let a lot more light in. Each room now has a wall clock, take your choice ... easy to read in the half light when you have been alerted to the ticking !!! The big improvement is that each room now has a wide screen TV, the bad news is you can only receive about 4 worthwhile English speaking channels , no BBC or CNN but at least you can get the footy on ESPN. I preferred the old ones which were small and had more channels however, TV isn't very high on my lit of priorities and I would have preferred them to spend money on things that needed doing more urgently.
To be fair, this was the first time we have been at the hotel so early in the season, last year arriving 2-3 weeks later. This year also happened to be Diwali. The hotel was heaving with domestic tourists and to see so many children was a shock to the grey wrinkly brigade. Extra mattresses were being delivered en mass as large families took over one room. On one or two occasions the children were running around slamming doors during the night for both early and very late arrivals. In the pool areas it was the adult males who tended to be very loud, however, it's nice to see domestic tourism increasing and families having fun during their festival.
My major concern was the state of the footpath at the far end of the second block, a room at which we had requested and received ( fair play). The surface of the path was treacherous. Covered in green slimy moss like growth, when wet it was like a skating rink. I nearly fell over several times and I saw others do like wise. I decided to report it and went to reception as I had genuine concern that someone might break a limb. The response was dismissive. I was told that it was only slippy when it rained (which it was doing most days) I responded with the fact that it was the algae that made it slippery, not because it was simply wet. I suggested a weed killer or Jeyes fluid plus a stiff brush was the answer. I knew my request would be ignored. In fact the guy behind reception looked down his nose at me every time I saw him from then on, I admit 2 days earlier I had popped into reception to point out that the gate on the far side was still locked and yet there was a security guard sat there who didn't have a key. It's about a 400 metre detour to return to leave the property by the reception gate so I pointed out to him that there was little need for a security man to guard a locked gate so why not open it ! I don't make an habit of complaining, honest ! Anyway, back to the path, the day after I reported it, someone told me an Indian lady had slipped and landed on her elbow and was in some discomfort. I was annoyed, it's not fair that someones holiday could be ruined by lack of care. When the Thomsons rep appeared I informed him that, although I wasn't one of his clients, he needed to be aware that there was a potential hazard in the hotel. His reply wasn't exactly comforting either ! He told me they were aware of the problem, had written to the hotel and thus it was their responsibility to do something about it. I don't think so !!! They are responsible for the well being of their clients too ! He told me that the hotel had told them they always steam clean the paths after the rainy season so action was in hand. In actual fact, I doubt this happens anyway as some of the path had a thick black crusty deposit...that was last years dead moss. What the hotel really rely on is 1) Dry weather 2) As the foot traffic gets heavier as the season progresses more of the moss gets worn away. In my opinion not good enough. They have an army of leaf sweepers and bush trimmers, they even had two guys who spent several days painting the floor of the open air dining area between the two accommodation blocks. No on will trip over a leaf, and repainting was, IMO, not a priority compared to guest safety.
There was another major issue too. Breakfast ! Day 1 in the windowless downstairs conference room, the next few days in the almost as depressing upstairs room. We eventually were allowed back into the " birdcage" ( I quite like it, especially since they re tiled the floor !) This year the toaster broke down on numerous occasions ( look closely, they were made in 1947 !), when they were in action there were queue's and a minor irritation is a fellow guest passing me my toast with bare hands. The always attentive restaurant manager always made sure we had our fried eggs but the majority of guests who were no repeat customers would not be aware of this possibility and this year there were no chefs on hand to cook eggs on request either.
Those were the major complaints but I also have one other major concern. This is the only hotel in India that I have stayed in that requests you don't put toilet paper in the pan but use the bin provided. I have long suspected that this is because the sewage goes directly in to the lagoon in the grounds, which in turn are refreshed by incoming water at high tide. The smell when they use this water to irrigate the grass is evil, this year there was a thick black crusty deposit floating on the water surface which when blown into the corners of the lagoon in quantity virtually confirmed this is indeed sewage as the smell was unbearable walking past. When I started to think about it, it also made me wonder why so many people, myself included, seem to suffer from diarrhoea during their stay here, many seeking medical advice as they felt so unwell too. I didn't have any problems after we left though !? Interestingly, the Osprey that fishes in the lagoons across the road from the MD never fishes in the MD despite the plentiful fish. Wonder why ?
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