Hi Dee,

I could have written that post myself!

We usually holiday in Turkey and have decided to go to Goa this year. We too have decided to go to Candolim and have booked the Silver Sands!

The Highland BR and Lemon Tree both seem to be popular alternatives.

This forum has been a mine of information and I am sure people will be along to give their advice. We fly out in February so once we are home I can give more of an experienced opinion.

Hello and to the Forum equalised ..
We are going to Silver Sands in Candolim in Feb its right at the beach very handy to everything we have been to the hotel before it was very good so thats why we are going back ....
Gooorooo if your there in Feb say hello and if any of you need to ask anything just ask away ...colleen

I have no choice but to fly on the 15th of April for 14 days holiday. We have been quoted around £1600 for the two of us bed and breakfast. Would this be considered a good deal? Would we get a better deal if we waited a while longer to book?

Hi Dee and welcome. Personally I think £800 each B&B at the end of the season is quite expensive. If you are tied to travel dates though you may prefer to pay more to ensure that you get the dates and accommodation you want.

Don't tie yourself to all inclusive unless there is very little difference in price to B&B as it's so cheap to eat out.

It will be very hot and sticky in April so make sure you have accommodation with good airconditioning in the bedroom or it will be difficult to sleep. I know that the Highland does, but I'm not sure about Silver Sands or Whispering Palms.

You will need to obtain a visa in advance of travel. There is a sticky thread that should provide all the info you need.

Candolim is a good choice for a first visit and there are plenty local buses if you feel like being adventurous.

Silver Sands does have air conditioning. It is included if you have the superior rooms, and you pay extra for it if you are in the standard/bungalows.

We paid £2,083 for two of us in Feb for 10 days - but that included upgrading our flights to Premium economy which was £600 alone.

Colleen it seems a few people from HT will be at the SS when we are!

Equalised All the hotels you have mentioned are close to the local buses , which run along the main road in Candolim. I personally wouldn't recommend All Inclusive, and agree with Colleen on the Silver Sands.

The buses run regularly, during the daytime, and are very cheap, but don't expect a lot of comfort. At times they are very crowded, where you will really get the chance to be up close to the locals.
If you look at my Media Gallerie, there are a couple of photos, on the bus.

xx lassi

Many many thanks.

I am still looking but have just found a holiday to Santana hotel at £1386 b and b for the dates I can go.

The question is do people who go to Goa regularly still think that this is expensive? Do I book or wait a while to see if we can get a better deal later on. Tricky, like asking how long is a piece of string type question.

Many many thanks for the help I have been given. Definitely got the resort sorted just the accomodation and visa and not forgetting the vaccines to go.

Dee

I don't think £1,386 is bad for a package, if your not up to DIY have another look round/haggle for a better price, or book it.
Don't know about the Santana - sorry.
Candolim would be the best choice for you. Forget Whispering Palms, nice looking set up, but all- inclusive is not needed, unless you are prepared to get away from the place and try restaurants every other night..
Another to look at is the Sunset Hotel, next to Whispering Palms. B & B and a great tidy place - only thing to keep an eye if choosing those 2 places are the removal of the River Princess, and the use of the road by plenty of over sized trucks.
Who mentioned the Lemon Tree ? Last time I looked at there website, it was around £100 per night !!

We've stayed at the Santana the last 3 times we've been to Goa - Nov 2009, Feb 2010 and Nov 2010 - and are gutted that we can't get in for this Feb.
It's the best hotel we've stayed in in Calangute/Candolim and it will be our 12th time in Feb 2011.

Is £1386 expensive?
Well, we paid £745 each for 3 weeks in Nov 2010 flying with Monarch from Gatwick and that was booked July 2010 so not last minute and not at the very end of the season - BUT it didn't include Premium seats.
Does your price? If it doesn't, I'd say it was a bit on the pricey side for 2 weeks.

But we really like the Santana - and there's not a lot of availability leading up to the end of the season so it might be a 'grab it before it's gone' situation if you decide it's your choice of hotel.
It's a bit out of the centre of Candolim, towards Fort Aguarda but we generally walk into the centre of Candolim to eat during the evenings - maybe a 15 minute walk.
There are some nice restaurants down that end, including Bomras (Burmese), Kallinga, Stonehouse and Cecelias.
Local buses to Calangute & Mapusa stop outside the hotel, for buses into Panjim it's a 15 minute walk to the bus stop.

The first part as you come out of the Santana is on the road but a couple of hundred yards on (opposite the Stonehouse) there is a pavement.

The rooms at the Santana are light, airy, and above all clean.
The room boys are great.
I thought I'd done a hotel review but I must have forgotten - note to self.
98% of reviewers on Tripadvisor recommend the Santana and for accommodation in Goa that's saying something!
The gardens are very well kept and the head gardener is a real sweetie.

One downside is that the beach outside the hotel has been eroded by the River Princess but it did seem slightly better last Nov than in Feb 2010.
There's a good beach shack attached to the hotel - Calamari - or you can turn right along the beach and choose from any number of shacks.

The Santana has 2 pools, neither particularly large but both spotlessly clean.
Breakfast is toast & eggs so we don't usually bother with it.

I'd never go all-inclusive in Goa unless you get an exceptional deal where you're not paying much more than for B&B.

Let us know what you decide.

Dithering at the moent. I do like a bargain, as most of us do, but I have no flexibility with dates. Am thinking I will give it another fortnight and see what is what and then bok.

If we went diy what is the best place to look for flights? The ones I have looked at are aound the £600 mark

Once again many thanks

Dee

Sorry just had another thought. The transfer cost to be added to the holiday is £85 return for the two of us. Is that good or is it cheaper to grab a taxi at the airport?

Thanks

Dee

A taxi from the airport to Candolim costs around £10, maybe a little more with exchange rate - possibly up to £15 to return to the airport at the end of your holiday. Much cheaper and nicer than transfers!

The transfer cost to be added to the holiday is £85 return for the two of us. Is that good or is it cheaper to grab a taxi at the airport?

Now that really IS extortionate!

When we book a package, transfers are usually included - if they weren't we wouldn't bother including them.

The way we work it is if our luggage comes off pretty quickly we take a taxi, if not we take the transfer bus.

Take a taxi rather than paying for transfers.

Whick company have you seen the deal with? (if you don't mind sharing it with us).

http://www.cheapholidays.com/ is the site I have been looking at

Cheers

Dee

Hi

What's included in your £1386?
Looking at the link, the basic price for 2 pax is £1159.00 with an extra £76.00 to add 20kg luggage and £34.00 to add in-flight meals.

As a comparison, Monarch Holidays are doing the Santana flying ex Gatwick 16th April (they fly Thursday & Saturday from LGW) for £1661 inc 20kg luggage, in-flight meals & bus transfer, which makes your deal sound reasonable.

Your flight is with Thomas Cook which most people feel are better than Monarch - although a flight home leaving Goa at 01:20 is not great, imho.

Decisions, decisions.
ETA:
another thing to consider with the Santana is that the cost of air conditioning and fridge is included in the price.
You may have to pay extra locally for these facilities at another hotel.
Safety deposit boxes (availability in reception 24 hours a day) is only 25 rps per day (36p).
I read ages ago that the Prazeres were charging 1400rps per week (£20 = £2.86 per day), although that may have changed.

On the downside, read the later posts about starting work on the River Princess which might restrict your access to the Candolim side of the beach i.e. you might not be able to walk from the Santana down onto the beach and up to the busier end of Candolim beach.
Personally this wouldn't bother us, we'd just walk on the road and get onto the beach further down past where they are supposed to be working.

Hope I haven't put the 'cat among the pigeons' with this good news/bad news.

hi equalised, you will probably be heading home on the final charter flights of the season so this ups the price a bit as i found out last year....and that was before the volcanic ash problems. i managed 3 weeks last april for £650 but that was in an indian 2* also B&B. will be very hot and humid but it is manageable. personally i had a fantastic time, so much so that i am returning this thursday...this time with my girlfriend, to the same hotel. total cost £1100 for 2. indian 2* hotels are very basic so you might want to go for a 3 or even 4. only ever heard good things about silver sands, very popular. what made my 1st trip to goa really special was the advice and knowledge of members of this website. goa is a unique experience....love it or hate.... it you will never travel to anywhere quite like it....have a fantastic holiday\1

Prettypollycat

I have just read your post regarding the Santana, 4 of us are staying there for 3 weeks from the 12th Feb, we have done a DIY job this time booked Qatar Airways (13hrs out, and 13 and a half back booth via Doa)£609, we booked
the Santana through Hotels4you £228-59 each.

After reading the H/T reports about standard of Qatar flights, and your glowing report on the Santana I am quite happy
with what we have paid, and soooooo looking forward to it,

Visa :yikes, wristbands,jabs, malaria tablets, all taken care of, just the wait now.
Hope to see you at one of meets, if not have a great time.

The Preacher

I have just read your post regarding the Santana, 4 of us are staying there for 3 weeks from the 12th Feb

Huh!!!!
So THAT'S why I couldn't get in to the Santana - YOU'VE pinched my bloody rooms!

I'm sure you'll have a really good time there, I hope so anyway.

We might decide to go to one of the meets so you may well see us.
We are there the same time as you, flying Monarch ex LGW on 12/2 and back on 6/3.

We're staying at the Magnum, we've stayed there before and it was OK.
We opted for that over the Prazeres and Valentine's Retreat because of the really good location - which is (imho) the only downside to the Santana.
But I will miss saying 'Hello', 'Good evening' and 'Goodnight' to all the restaurant, shop owners and stall holders that we pass on the way into the centre of Candolim.

Should have made it clear that we will fly from Manchester.

Many thanks for the help already given and if any one else as anything to add please do so.

I am convinced that I am doing the right thing in going to Goa and that the resort is right for us. Just need to find the bargain holiday.

I agree Preacher man this site has been really hepful

Dee

I can see your deal now, flying with Monarch on MON6382.

Same holiday with Monarch Holidays is £1707 - the only thing you get with that option that your price doesn't include is transfers - which as we've already said is around £10 each way, so your deal is £300 cheaper.