What!!!!!!! not like Goa? Stupid question!!!!

how can anyone not like(love )goa are they crazy

Hi philfell,its not a stupid question...out of the 20 or so people i know who have been to wonderful Goa ...1 couple did not like it ........the wife ruined 2 pairs of high-heels and said everything tasted of curry ...they have been to the Costa-del-sol ever since........best place for them...cheers

Hi Noggin,
What a silly women what did she expect everything to taste like Paella, and who wears high heels on holiday (except my ol' man secrets out).
let her go to the costa del sol, leaves more room for us goa lovers .
you know what they say "theres nowt so strange as folk"
Jayne

Hoping to go to goa in around 6 weeks any tips? or recommended accommodation.

Hi, we just got back from our first trip on Sunday. Be prepared at the airport when you arrive it is chaos. Have a couple of £1 coins ready for the bag boys who grab your bags (they will ask for english money).Be prepared for the poverty. The food is excellent, the prices are so cheap, the people so friendly. I hated the constant hassle from the shop keepers. I would love to look round and would probably buy, but hate it when you are not left to browse. Did buy jewellery and have a sari made though. Don't take decent shoes as there are no pavements (in Candolim anyway). Have alternate spicy food days and plain food days. My stomach has just caught up! Have a great time!

hi val1234

Where did you stay in Goa, what was your accommodation like ?

The glory hunters don't like Goa. They tick it off their list off places to go.
These people go to 5* Hotels in The Seychelles, Hawaii, Mauritius, Martinique etc, etc.

Do they ever venture out of the complex?

I must admit I did not like my first trip to Goa.

I could not cope with the constant pestering of the beach sellers or the shop keepers. The airport I thought was absolutely horrendous and chaotic, how anyone found their suitcase was beyond me. All the people at the aiport seemed to be on the make especially those who picked up your suitcase off of the carousel even though you did not ask them to. I also did not like the fact that if you wanted toilet tissue the lady gave you two sheets and expected £1 coin.

I also thought it was a dirty smelly place.

However, my husband convinced me to go back the following year.

I now see Goa as one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to and the people so friendly. The airport is just something that you put up with after all you do not spend too long there (I take my own toilet tissue - I know, don't say it, how flipping petty?).

I guess my problem was that I had never been to a place like Goa before and went with my western expectations. What a big mistake. I was also not used to people coming up to me, grabbing my arm and steering me towards their shop or stall. I now see it as part of the fun. You get to know the owners and their families. You start to care about what happens to them when you are not there.

I have been five years running and will continue to go. In fact I am returning this Saturday (assuming the Monarch flight from Gatwick isn't delayed 11 and a half hours like last year).

I cannot wait.

Hi Smiley, we stayed in Fort Auguada (4 star) right down end of Candolim beach. Ate lunch in shacks on beach every day (our fave was Monica's just a nice walk from where we were staying - 20 mins each way down beach). Each evg. went to Calangute or Candolim. We never had a bad meal. Need any more info?

Oh yeah! That airport! We spent so long queueing for passport control (and that heat!), when we got through the bags were waiting for us and we were out of there in seconds. However, we then spent ages sitting on a [i][b]VERY HOT coach waiting for everyone else! At least the rep gave out cold bottled water for the trip. The journey from the airport to the hotel was amazing - everyone was busy watching out the windows - couldn't get over how one minute you saw the poverty, the cheap shacks, and then the next minute a fantastic villa or two set in lovely gardens .....

We loved Goa so much we bought a house there (Anjuna) which is nearing completion. We're going back March 19th but as the house won't be ready, we're going back to the Sun Village Resort in Baga which was cracking. We are determined to get out the hotel even more this year (although we saw a lot last year) and definitely heading back to Mandrim Beach. We missed out on Mapusa last year, so are heading for there for the market, with an eye on buying stuff for the house! A friend, who has been many times before, has just told us about the overnight ferry from Panjim to Mumbai so might give that a try.

So to all who are about to go - we're jealous - but we'll be there in about five weeks!

i took my partner for her first visit last year and she did not like it,she wanted to come home,in the end she stayed ,it was not until she got home and started talking to people about her experiance that she realised what a wonderful place it is.although i shall be returning she is very much on the fence.
i personally i prefer to travel alone as you tend to do and see more and not have to consider anybody but yourself//

Hi Anjunagirl,we always go up to mandrem,and stay at Sea Paradise for a couple of days........fantastic
We always go onto the beach and use the Golden Eagle shack....have become very good friends with owners..jeny,ivo and agnus...realy nice people who cannot do enough for us. But this year they were not give a lisence ...but they have bought a plot on Morgim beach .We saw them at xmas,and will be back to see them in 36 days

1st time in Goa (7 years ago) got a total culture shock starting with the airport.Could not belive how they opperate,they have improved a bit but getting used to it is now a doddle.
Traveling on the tour bus with the rep,we couldn't imaging what we were heading to,and the smell of the fish docks was a fright to say the least.
As we have not missed a year since then,we have grown to love it more and more.We don't just stick with the 'tourist' areas (and i hope others do get out to the local villages - some very lovely friendly people).
Can't say much more really apart from brilliant place.......................ok, I will go on !! Yes lots can be done to improve areas for tourists but then again many visitors do not want this.The one major concern in Goa is the amount of rubbish (land of plastic bottles).Having Goan friends who work really hard to make a decent living say to me, ''that there are many Goans who do not wish to get off there backsides and look for work''.The government (especially the tourist minister) knows about the plastic problems - but will they ever get it sorted ( no !!!)
Occasionally you will see beach cleaners,but look around the sand dunes and roadsides it's full of rubbish.Still this will never put us off going but others think twice before returning.
I think Goa has changed since our 1st time - for some that is good, for others it's not what they want to see.

I agree with most of the replies, the first time we went all I wanted to do was get back on the plane and go back home but withing 24hrs I had fell in love with the place and we have being going back for the last 8 years or so, part of the fun is meeting the people and watching the everyday life, my only worry is it could become the next spain if we are not to carefull. only 25 days to go and I'll be back there.

Glenc

It took my husband a while to talk me into going to Goa. We'd been to the caribean a couple of times and after seeing our friends photo's I thought, no thanks its not for me. When we arrived I thought what the hell have we done but after 24 hours I knew we were going to have the best holiday ever. We'll be there again in 17 days, for 3 weeks this time. Really cant wait!!!!!!!

Only been once ( only becuase I wanted to go to other places in the world), about 10 years ago and had a great time. What did irritate me was the fact that we found it impossible to get a cab at night and the drivers that we did come across were very drunk.

Having travelled to rajasthan and other places to India, Goa was very expensive in comparison ( I know it seems odd) and the cab drivers were trying to rip us off left, right and centre.

Im sure its changed considerably in the past 10 years and Im trying to persuade my wife to go, next year or the year after. Although we stayed at some 2/3 star place when we went, I recall going to the Taj in calangute for the mango milk shakes and i think Id like to go back and stay there.

The other thing that wound me up were the travellers ( trvalling all over) as they had a terrible attitude towards the locals, and were very harsh on them. I know that in some places where you are travelling for a while, its the only way to survive, but I have to gave me a very unpleasant feeling when hearing them talk so dismissively to the locals.

Well how things have changed, there must be 10 cabs now for every tourist so no probs on that front, and local fares are about 60 or 70 pence. Probably 3 times what the locals pay but hey-ho we can afford it. As for rudeness to locals, well they dont deserve it, they are the best bunch of people in the world, although we have also seen examples of it too. But if you really dont fancy Goa again, don't worry cause that means more kingfisher for the rest of us, and it is getting a bit crowded at times.

there is no excuse or need to be rude to these welcoming and friendly people,you may not want to buy their goods but it costs nothing just to smile and politely say no,after all it is their home and way of life as a guest you should act like a guest.most goans i spoke to would not want to venture to our lands as so many people cannot understand the spirit of goa