Its a shame Shirley its going to affect a lot of people. Not me as i can only afford one holiday a year but it dosnt stop me feeling sorry for the people that want to go back. Multiple entry should mean what it says.

I wonder if you are the first Shirley?
Have a great time in Thailand
Fizz

shirley this is awful you have to do this Goa is getting beyond a joke ...have a super time when you go to Thailand ..

Good move Shirley,i'm in Thailand at the moment it's buzzing,really busy.
Spoke to a few friends who have got busineses they say they are doing well. What a difference you get free visa,pavemants to walk on,no dust and rubbish everywhere and nobody spitting on the road or peeing up the wall!
Why pay and go through all the visa hassle for that lot,when it's as plain as day we are not wanted.
I loved Goa and spent years there,the majority of the year...but no more,enough is enough!

Spaldy,

Small correction.The visa for Thailand is not free it is added to the cost of your air ticket and collected from the airlines by the thai government.

However have to agree visa on arrival is a big draw.No hassle at all.

Papa

Have just returned from Egypt[ Nile Cruise ] which was fantastic
visa on arrival with no hassle $15
annx

Although Mickey Mouse, or whatever his name is, is making us feel unwanted by his stupid 'doles' statements and the ridiculous new 2mth visa rule, I still know I will be welcomed with open arms by the people there. The lovely family who run the guest house we stay in, the restaurants and shacks where the waiters welcome you back, the beach sellers who treat you like long lost friends and remember every detail of what you bought/did last year and the years before that.
I know when I get there I feel 'at home'. I have travelled very many places throughout the world but have never felt the same bond anywhere else.
I love Goa and will always love it there, they can make it as hard as they like but they aren't getting rid of me that easily

Nice post roxey

Its a shame you couldnt book for Goa because of this silly 2 month rule Shirley.
I reckon Goa will be much quieter next season (its already quieter this season as well).
Its such a shame because everyone losses out

I still know I will be welcomed with open arms by the people there. The lovely family who run the guest house we stay in, the restaurants and shacks where the waiters welcome you back, the beach sellers who treat you like long lost friends and remember every detail of what you bought/did last year and the years before that.
I know when I get there I feel 'at home'. I have travelled very many places throughout the world but have never felt the same bond anywhere else.
I love Goa and will always love it there, they can make it as hard as they like but they aren't getting rid of me that easily

Roxey thats such a great post babes

Just been to see friends who have a friend who returned from Goa yesterday - says he will never go again as he felt he was being ripped off by everyone from taxi drivers, stall holders to hotel employees and shacks. He usually goes to Thailand and will be back there in April.
We told him nothing about Goa before he went as we said he had to make up his own mind - not impressed were his words today and he said he was glad he will not have to go through the visa procedures again to have a 2 week holiday.

Just back from 2 days in Bangkok and 19 days in Koh Samui. Very impressed.

DIY is the way, don't book a resort for full 2 weeks as you are tied down and some are expensive for food.

Beaches better than Goa. Some you can walk 1/2 a mile up to your waist in clear blue water.

Accomodation better than Goa and can barter due to recession. Beds are so comfy and even cheap accom' is clean and all have AC.. Stayed in 5 different Resorts all varying ratings but all were great value.

Beer... better.... Chang is 6.5% and lovely.

Food cheap if you eat Thai.

Roads, easier to drive on, no one uses the horn as they drive so slow. Car hire £10 a day. Tourist walk on/off buses... stop ANYWHERE fab!

If you do your sums/ research you can get great eateries and resorts even with the poor rates.

What's missing from Goa..... not a lot, the chaos, curry, smell of incense and dirt.

If Goa took some tips from the Thai tourist board, I would go back.

There are a few minor negative points but the plusses outweigh them. Te Goan Govn' need to seriously get a grip. I wouldn't imagine anyone going to Goa after having been to Thailand.

Well I went to Goa after visiting Thailand at least 6 or 7 times and fell for Goa hook , line and sinker, I am abolutely besotted with it, I do think Goa has a very special innocence about it and that is why I love the place (can't really explain it properly)
I would never visit many parts of Thailand nowadays, i.e Ko Samui, Phuket, Ao Nang................all terribly commercialised , I think Hua Hin has changed a lot too
I am trying Ko Chang next as that seems more unspoilt, yet in Goa I love the commercial Baga/Calangute area ? doesn't make sense really does it??

Yes Koh Samui is very commercialised in about 1/3 of the island. That's why I like to get away from those spots, I did look out of curiousity .... not for me.

Isn't Goa pretty commercialised these days?

Got to admit that apart from a few stretches in Goa, the beaches and water in Thailand seem to be so much better.

Goa is still cheap but i suppose you get what you pay for. The 'boutique' hotels in Thailand are amazing if you want that and are now cheaper than Goa if you haggle.

The plus point in KS is how good transport is.

Wished I had gone there 20 years ago.

I did go 13 years ago and I have to say Ko Samui was pure paradise ... if it had stayed as it was then I would have never gone anywhere else. It was pure bliss

Yes i can see why.

Loved Ban Taling Ngam area.

Koh Samui was bliss 10 or so years ago but there are still parts of Thailand and also Cambodia and islands that are as nice.
Good to hear you had a nice time Neil..i know Thailand isn't 100% perfect but my god anywhere would put Goa to shame at the moment and now with the visa shambles on top of evrything else.
As i said prepare for a mass exodus Goa because i am off that's for sure and there will be many more.
Roxey i'm sure you have lots of "long lost friends" so long as you keep giving handouts and that is the truth of it.
I know how these people work and think but of course most holidaymakers will say they are "true friends"...after a certain amount of years you come to realise and come to your senses.

shirleyV: I thought the same about Goa years ago.....but it's gone,long gone.

Well done Shirley i think many people who are long termers and frequent visitors to Goa are feeling the same now, I am off to Thailand and will look over there and other places where i can move to and enjoy my life and not have to keep putting up with this hatred of the British people.

Mike