Hi,
We stayed at Dona Alcina in March, our room was near the front. The room was basic and rather shabby i.e. needed a lick of paint and the furniture had seen better days, but it was cleaned regularly. As others have said we did not spend much time in the room and used it for washing and sleeping. We had a great time in Goa so dont be put off! The staff were friendly and nothing too much trouble. The food was OK but was better in the nearby restraunts. Hope you enjoy your holidays.

Twoshoes

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Hi toe,
Please do not even visit the dona alcina. It is terrible. We paid to change straight away and stayed at the sea breeze resort. We only paid 7oo rupees for two people per night and had a fridge,cable tv etc. I know a lot of people say it`s only somewhere to put your head down for the night but i wouldn`t put mine there for i minute, i respect myself too much.It dosen`t even warrant a minus rating. You need to get in touch with your tour operator now and pay extra to upgrade to a better hotel.
sue.

Quote
Oh dear flyingfox, you must really live a lfe of a very posh person, i agree with you, but i think the dona alcina should be a 5 star hotel,,,,

whoops ! just fell out of bed,i was having this dream that when i stayed at the dona alcina it had gone all posh....

100% awake now .....it was a shambles of a place again,went in dec for 2nd time there and then went back to goa in january but this time stayed in a really great guest house.....

Hi

Anyone come back with anything new to report on this hotel good / bad/ worse than last year??

looking forward to any posts, I'm going there the 14 of Jan.

thought I would bump this up, in case it disappears.

Hi

I was in goa from the 3rd to 18th nov - we stayed at the dona alcina.

Its basic but that what we expecte for a 2star - we asked to change our room when we got there as we just a had one room which was at the back of the hotel and it wasnt very nice. They moved us with no hassle to an apartment nearer the front of the resort - this had a seperate lounge, better fridge and better view from balcony.

Its a basic hotel but gets cleaned everyday and clean sheets and towels are put out. The pool is nice aswell.

I fell in love with the dogs there - if you see a white depressed looking dog give him a cuddle - she is called snowey - used to be owned at the hotel as a pet but the owner left her and now she dog is depressed as it doesnt get cuddles anymore!! very sad to see. wasnt interested in biscuits just wanted to put her head on yr knee

Thank you for posting that Sharyn. The wife and me are staying there for 3 weeks from Jan 14th. We were a bit worried, but you have set our minds at rest. We'll look out for Snowie.

Sharyn. Could I be cheeky and ask you what you know about Bobby's Shack. We found him on the net, but wondered what the place is really like. My wife wants to know, is there a toilet

What is his food like, and how much does it cost.

Cheers.

Barrie.

Has anyone stayed at the Dona Alcina recently. I'm going there for one month in Jan' (doubt if I'll stay that long in the DC).

I read a few terrible posts somewhere else. Anyone with views.

Been to Goa 4 times before and always like to avoid the Lager/Tikka/Sy TV brigade.

We are going there 14th of Jan, our first visit to Goa. We are also worried about staying there.

Barrie,

I'm also going on 14th. Have a month booked. Was the only way to get a 4 week ticket. Know goa well.

I have passed the DC before.

I have stayed in 2 star hotels in Goa before. They are OK if you just want a base. The staff will always run around to please (do tip them). They all do tea and toast free at breakfast but your best bet is have breakfast at a beach shack, they are cheap.

It's a 20 minute walk to the beach or 100 rupee taxi if you are lazy. Remember Taxis are dirt cheap in Goa.

What worries me about the DA is that it is an 'old' hotel (over 20 years), which is old in Goa. Things wear down quick in India. Might have that prison camp feel : ).

A lot of people complain about sheets being grubby in hotels. I've got to laugh because most washing is done a few miles inland and they spread the sheets on the paddy field to dry sometimes and occasionally get slightly grubby. Its the indian way! You also get pretty dusty in Goa as the earth is rich in Iron so there is a lot of red dust about. Don't take your best clothes and ladies don't wear high heels unless you want to look like a real idiot!

We stayed at the Dona Alcina the first year we went to Goa, and this is our 6th time, so the hotel didn't put us of going.
Admittedly the hotel isn't the best around but you only use it as a base, the pool is alright though, at least you do get sun on it all day.
The staff were friendly as all Goans are, it is pretty central in Candolim but if your getting charged a 100 rupees for being taken to the beach then i'd suggest you get a different taxi , as we only paid 150 rupees for a return journey from Calangute to Candolim in January of this year unless you were going to Coco beach that is.

jayne

100 rupees was a guess.

Thanks for the info'.

The DA has been given a lick of paint to the rooms at the front of the hotel. I was told that someone had bought into this chain and would be spending some money on improving the hotel (don't hold your breath.) I suppose that paint job could constitute a total hotel refurbishment in Goa
Neil, which hotels have you stayed at before, and which did you like/dislike. Makes it easier to judge if you'd be able to put up with the DA.

Stayed at Silver Sands, Candolim Ok clean and basic (cheap), had a bit of Butlins feel unfortunately. Staff were v nice.

Marquis Beach Resort Very nice place indeed only 30 or so rooms and mixed tourists (my all time favourite). People had a respect for others and was very relaxing.

Royal Goan Resort Baga Road, good but not what it is cracked up to be.

Royal goan Benaulim OK.

My whines... Noise is my main problem. Can't stand hearing people drinking at 1am from my room. Also whingers and people not respecting others space, complaining all the time and not realising they are in India.

Hi,
Please do not go to this hotel, not even for a base, i would never put my head down here even if you paid me. We were in candolim in december and decided to see if there was any improvement and there was`nt. It is an absolute dump, The best thing anyone could with it is pull it down and start again. The dissapointment on travellers faces as they off loaded the clients is disgracefull. Within half an hour of arrival you see the same people traipsing around looking for alternative accomodation. It`s no good people keep "saying it is only a base", fair enough it is a budget hotel but it is not fit for human habitation.
sue

OK I get your point, it's a s**t hole. Thanks very much for your info'.

Manage to find an old post of years. Sure sounds like a hovel. If it was my first time I would go nuts.

Well it can't be worse than some of the remote places I've stayed down south. Anyway, as someone said "you get what you pay for".

We got 2 weeks free the Next Year at the Royal Goan because our "suite" was a hovel and I hustled so much.

It works out at £50 for the whole month! No way I'll be staying there.

I don't particularly want to use the pool or eat there.

What I might do is get a taxi straight there from the airport rather than wait for the tour op' bus. This means we can hustle for a better room.