just had a look at my travel

not very good either xmas or new year but not both and about double + the normal price.

We are going for the first time to Goa over xmas and new year. Is what i paid expensive then?? We paid £2,180 for two people for 16 days, with Mytravel.

On second thoughts I dont want to know if this is too dear, we are happy

Happy is the word.

I used to go to my travel auctions and get holidays for £25/£50 for 2 in the med. now thats HAPPY


sadly no more

We have booked with MyTravel for the second year running. Last year it cost us £2,900 All iclusive. That was for four persons for two weeks from 31.12.05 exluding insurance etc. This year we have booked to go from 28.12.06 and the price has gone uo to about £3,600. Sounds alot but have seen the same holiday with other companies for over £4,000. I'm sure we could get a cheaper deal but not for the same hotel which is now virtually booked up.

MCB that was why we booked, it was the area we wanted to go to and availabilty was getting low. I do realise this is what TA's do but hey ho.

Ours includes all insurance. What i think we will do while we are out there (thats if we enjoy it as much as lots of you guys and decide to go back) is see about booking hotel direct then finding our own flights. Would it be cheaper to do it this way??

£1904 for the 2 of us with 1st choice fly out on the 25th dec for 3 weeks staying at the highland again

Got flight only for two weeks on 23rd December for £620 with Manos.

First choice have some quite reasonable deals 25 Dec from manchester.They have cheap prices for Osborne hotel and Santa Monica also Prazeres.
Not everyone want to fly Xmas day so not bad prices.

What kind of prices are the flights on Xmas Day Shirley? Lots of folk in the shacks and the hotels etc say it is too busy at Xmas and New year which I dont really think I would like.

We went for Christmas/New Year 2004. The best deal I could find was with Travelpack. They worked out cheaper than First Choice or Jewel in the Crown; it is worth shopping around. Having said that I think you will be paying approx double the price just to be out there in the festive season (same as every where else). Having done it, we don't think it's worth the extra expense and would prefer to go in January or Feb. It is very busy over Christmas and New Year, predominantly with rich Indian tourists from Mumbai and Delhi who seem to have a bad attitude to the local workers in shacks and restaurants. The holidays sort of disrupt your time away with Barbqs and Banquets in the shacks and restaurants...
Maybe I'm just being a bah humbug, but I'd save your money and spend a cold chrimbo at home looking forward to a chilled new year in the sun!

My Travel/Manos seem to be booking up very quickly this year for Christmas/New Year and they are I think the best price wise. However, we eventually booked with Eclipse Direct on line (part of First Choice) £940.00 each with extra leg room at Highland Beach Resort - for three weeks - although I did then realised - could have got same £20.00 cheaper with Manos - however the flight timings are better ie we arrive around 07.00am on NY's eve and when we come home flight lands at Gatwick at 2.10pm in the afternoon - so get home at a resonable time...... Try them! Also agree with Janeywhit place packed Christmas/NY with "rude Indians" as the Goan's say, but do enjoy my NY at beach shack. So my personal advice would be to skip Christmas, prices normally drop a little for NY and thereon in and Goa goes much quieter from about 3/4 Jan.

We have been for the last two Christmasses and New Years and figure we have got a good deal if we can get a 2* B&B for under £700 each. It's the most expensive time of the year for most destinations. It's the only time in the year when we have to go when kids are off school (we don't have any) which is probably another reason why it's so expensive.

Still, as we don't really 'do' Christmas as such, it's nice to get away from it and get some sun.

I fly christmas day 2004 dn spend the new year into 2005 on the beach in Goa - it was the highlight of my year however Goa was much more busy than Jan or Nov and by flying Xmas Day I felt as if I lost all of Christmas.

I haven't returned at xmas due to having to queue to eat in restaurants and it taking 1 hour to travel Candolim to Calangute due to amount of traffic on the road and rude Indians in large 4 by 4's.

I Love Goa but now go later in Jan once new year revellers have disappeared

We try and go every other Xmas and New Year and the prices do jump quiet abit. Last time we went was 2004 and because we flew out on Xmas day it was cheaper than flying out to be there for Xmas. This year we are flying on the 23rd Dec, land 24th for 3 wks with My Travel, 2 adults and we are paying £2,128.00. We did think about flying in to either Mumbia or New Delhi staying there for a few days then getting the train down to Goa. I am sure it would of worked out cheaper but I didnt want to be left with either no accomadation or bad accomadation. So now we are going to travel by train up to Delhi and do the Taj and spend a short time there.

Hi just a quickie i never managed to get away last year but we are going back at xmas 06 got 21 nights with thomas cook online for 1800 for 2 of us sounds dear but it is 3 wks and and there for xmas 7th dec to 29th dec.
stopping at our favorite hotel sunset beach at candolim been going since 1994 and only missed a couple of times.
Oh how its changed the 1st time we went you could walk from candolim to the fort without seeing anyone and there was only a couple of shacks between sunset and the steps at calangute.
I was there in 2004 for xmas and flew back boxing day the day the tsunami hit the otherside of india is the big tanker still grounded at candolim does any one know?
There used to be another one just by the fort aguada a few years ago but they cut that up and took it away for scrap.

casky,
yes it's still there
Read all about it here
http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=40843
del949

We've been to Goa every month of the season including the Millenium new year and it's the one time I would never go. The place is packed , the traffic manic , the Indian tourists are'nt the ones you get at the likes of Diwalli but the ones from Mumbai with the money to throw around and although they are disliked by the Goans their money calls the tune, if they use your favourite shack they can spoil it for everyone. You ca'nt get in the good resturants without waiting and the taxis up their fares. This is the time the big tour companies know they can charge what they like and get away with it, and if you happen to know any hoteliers they will tell you that all the increases dont come the hotels way but go straight into the tour companies profits Some of the bigger hotels such as the Goan Heritage just gave up dealing with the big tour companies as it was just exploitation on the tour companies part. So unless you have kids or have to go at this time, or dont mind paying double I'd say avoid at all cost Alan