Unlike other posters getting the visa was relatively easy to sort out ( strange really because I,m a total technophobe, must have been lucky !! )
Flew out with Thomas Cook from Manchester and was pleasantly surprised with the leg room, a good non eventfull flight until 15 mins to landing when a woman front end decided to clump her hubby and carried on doing so right down the steps to the tarmac, luckily he kept his cool while she was banging on. The TC transfer was also well organised and they let us off at the Nizmar in Calangute in no time.
As for the Nizmar, the staff were very friendly and helpfull. The one night eating at the restuarant, the steak was really good ( water bufallo I was told ). They do supply some free vouchers for the night buffet and many guests made good use of this and were very complimentary about the quality of the food. Breakfast was fine, mainly cereals followed by a couple of boiled eggs to your liking with toast done on the slowest toaster in the whole of India, well Goa certainly !! If you want bacon/sausages there is a charge.
Not being happy with the cleanliness of the first room on the 2cnd floor, last block by the back gate ( mold and dirt especially in the bathroom ) and with the help of the TC rep managed to get moved up a couple of floors and was much happier with a spotless and non smelly room with a view of the football pitch through the palm trees at the back.
I have already posted on here about getting robbed out of the safety deposit box and wont bore anyone else with it.
The pool area is kept very clean and was used by many of the guests ( Brits and Indians with a few Russki and some really nice Danes, Brits sizzling by the pool and Indians mainly using the seating in the shaded areas ). Personally I prefer getting out and about to different beaches and areas, if sitting by a pool was my thing I would probably stay nearer home. All in all a pleasant stay and met some funny and interesting people also staying at the Nizmar as you always do in Goa. By the way the karoake nights are chronicly bad, and that includes the guy who runs it, but the traditional indian threesome band I thought were pretty good.
As for the Russians I must say the odd ones I met were actually ok, good and bad in all races for sure, I did find some of the affluent Indians knocking about to be a bit annoying with no manners and treating the bar/restuarant staff with absolute disdain.
A good tip is to pay for your bar drinks as you get them and also clear your mini bar bill as you go along as the hotels systems are archaic and there was some good old rows about bills at checking out time.
Although based in Calangute the beach for me aint the best and much preferred Candolim beach, Bonos shack being the best of the couple visited ( good service, good food, very cold beer and spotless WC,s ) Spent some good days at Candolim and will probably stay there next time.
Other beaches visited were
Mandrem (twice) lovely quiet beach, few shacks but classy.
Ashwem (twice) bit busier but just as nice, watch out for the hidden rocks in the sea in front of Paradise shack, I managed to stumble into them, very sharp, very sore. Good Tibetan massage though and saw dolphins just off the beach.
Vagator (once) and not for too long, after being harrassed by an ear cleaner then the rest of his extended family.
Anjuna (once) Spent the day at Lilliput shack, hippy chicks and men with daft hairstyles but good food and music
Baga (once) busy and enjoyable, nice at sunset
A good trip out is the spice plantation, inland, tour and nice food 400r all in, elephants are extra 600r but worth it, I thought I would be washing the elephant but oh no its the other way round. Better I think to go using a taxi doing Mapusa market first ( good little 1st floor bar facing the front of the market ) makes for a full day.
Also went out on the dolphin trip from down by Coco beach which was a bit of a farce with all the boats chasing around to the spot where the last sighting was, a bit like an under 8s footie match with all the kids following the ball about, cheap at 200r right enough and some great photos with the lovely Indian families aboard.
My favourite restaraunt was Kim Faa on the Baga Rd ( I love chinese food ), then Fernandos Hideaway in front of the Nizmar but I did,nt have a bad experience at any of the eating places visited and amazingly had no Dehli belly at all.
Hiring a scooter is ok, if your not intimidated by the crazy traffic its a great way of getting around. I took mine straight back the first day after nearly getting totalled by a truck, and took a couple of days to work up the bottle to get another ( shamed by the sight of two ninety year old women blithely weaving down the road on one ) Getting one is easy enough and quite comical too, they only ask if you have a licence after you have paid and then when you say no, they say no problem, just stay by the coast roads and the police wont bother you. Everything is completely unregulated and free of controls and I LOVE IT.
Happy holidays,
drumbear
) 
a replay and we will need to up the ante a bit - not good enough today I am afraid and a waste of £40!!!!
