tonysam

I would say the builder is spot on, its about 1km to the beach from that point, on foot from Martins Corner going away from Betalbatim it takes around 15-20 minutes to reach Majorda Beach Road, there must be many points along this road where you could get to the beach, when you reach the crossroads turn left and Majorda beach is only 5 minutes away.

There are three restaurants on the way to the beach, Pentagon (music every night), Fusion (steaks) and Shangrila goan, we ate in all and would recommend them

Hemingway, SilentMan and GEL,

So glad that I made contact here because it has certainly put my mind ar ease. anyway, I have booked one of the Villas as I am sure that the location is what I was looking for, Good resturaunts, with a few shops for neccesitiies nearby and within walking distance to the beach.

I have made contact with the developer and made an initial downpayment. And yes I have ensured that it is above board and legal.

Has anyone had anydealings with ICICI bank?. I am currentley based in Germany and opened an account the last time I was in London with the Knightsbridge branch for ease of payment and possibly better exchange rates. Whilst I was in london I also opened an ICICI account(Indian Ruppees) with a branch in Margoe to make life simpler when I visit India. they do seem quite professional and I managed to transfer an initial amount to the Indian account without any difficulties. Maybe a debate on the banking systen should be a separate thread altogether....

Hi Tonysam i 'm glad you have sorted it all out, i hope you have many wonderfull holidays there, thankyou Andy for all that info we will certainly try those restarants.

"I have made contact with the developer and made an initial downpayment. And yes I have ensured that it is above board and legal."

Please tell me you or your other half are of Indian origin,if not ,DONT part with anymore money.As someone who lives here i know exactly what is going on with the majority of these builders/developers and they will tell you anything to get you to part with your money.

John

John, I have tried to PM you however I do not have that privelage as yet on this site!

But I really appreciate your words of caution. As someone who lives in the vicinity, I am sure that you are ware of the scams that are being pulled by the developers and yes, we should all be wary of it.

As both of my (late) parents were of indian origin, I have applied for the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card which has superceded the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) status. This will allow me to buy property/land (less agricultural) in India.

GEL, I am really sorry that we have deviated far from your original topic but I am sure that you will agree that they are important and valid posts.

Tony

Thanks Tonysam, it's good to hear that you ARE entitled to buy.However be quick as the Goan government are trying to change the rules so only Goans can purchase property/land.

The reason i cautioned you originaly was, i have spoken to a number of couples who in the last few months are buying apartments.All of them will be buying illegaly,i tried to explain the rules to them but they have been so taken in by the developers it fell on deaf ears.

John

lets get back ontopic now please. Have a look at the Goa thread on the expats forum, which you should find interesting. By all means, feel free to add a query to it as there are a lot who can help.

Tony no problem at all i just glad that you have it all sorted out, thankyou everyone for all your advice it is much appreciated. maybe we might all be there at the same time and can have a drink.

GEL - How soon before you are due to visit Goa? I just remembered another restaurant a couple of miles down the road from Martin's Corner - It's called Samhen (I think the spelling is correct) and it's in Majorda. I think it's more of a local's place (i.e NOT big on aesthetics & decor), as when four of us ate there the cost of the (very good) food was Rs925 (approx £11.50) - they didn't sell wine, but said if I wrote down the name of what we wanted they would go out & buy it for us, which they did on 2 occasions during the same meal! Off licence price for Madeira Red is Rs250 (£3.13) & they charged us an extra Rs50 (£0.63) to go out, buy it, open it & provide us with four glasses to drink it from!! That's what I call service!

Andy.

Hi Andy were not going till xmas, i like to be organised thanks for the recommendation on the resturants, thats a great price and they sound very kind going out to buy you your wine,I dont usualy drink wine in goa as i am fairly fussy, my OH drinks claret so when we are there we will have a look and see if we can find him a nice red. Many thanks for taking the time to give me all this info.