Who in their right mind would go all inclusive to Goa???
For you first timers looking at this website DONT DO IT.
The whole thing about the Goan experience is getting out there and sampling the food, the people, the life, the culture,.........................
Not to mention that it's totally not worth it financially.
Just take a look at the posts about the restaurants, beach shacks, trips etc.
If you go all inclusive you could be anywhere, i.e Majora,Spanish Costas, Dom Rep, it's all the SAME.
You may as well bypass the 10 hr flight and go to the Med.

No DON'T do it. It is not the place for all inclusive! We have had some of the best food ever. Graham is an ex fisherman so knows alot about fish and I've got to say he eats it most days. You cannot beat sitting on the beach watching your own lunch being caught! I don't think you can get much fresher than that (and yes it is cheap!).

To go all inclusive you are missing out on a great experience....yes you might have to wait a while for it to be cooked, but hey you are on holiday....what's the rush? and at least you know what you are getting is fresh, not some predictable slop that the all inclusive hotels have decided to serve up that day.

Don't get me wrong we have been to alot of all inclusive hotels in the Carribean and have had some great food but in Goa don't go all inclusive. The beach shacks are good......you cannot miss that experience.

we got back 3 weeks ago from our first trip to Goa & we went all inclusive & only at the hotel twice in 2 weeks, there seemed to be alot of folk at the hotle more than happy to drink as much as possible & never leave the complex, whenever we left the hotel in the morning, the same people had the same sunbeds & when we returned, they would still be there!

I cant understand it, as earlier mentioned, if this is all you want, why go on a 10 hour flight??

I think many people book AI as they feel "safer". Let's face it, there are countless travel programmes which have warned everyone to be very careful what you eat when in India. I remember the presenter in Globe Trekker( my favourite travel programme!) being very ill when he was in India.
Hopefully forums like ours can reassure people that it is ok to eat outside the hotels.

I have travelled quite a bit through the Indian Subcontinent and have as yet to get sick but I am carefull where I eat . I would rarely eat from a roadside stall, but when you see Globe Trekker the 'travellers' go for the cheapest food in towns and small villages which often is cooked in very unsavoury conditions on these stalls. The beach shacks are a different matter, the people owning them make their living from tourists so the food has to be fresh and well cooked or they will lose their business. It's a major part of my holiday trying new foods, but I am always cautious and as previous posters said AI can be the same the world over, quite often bland, probably well cooked but nothing to do with the country at all.

Judith
I am the same- trying new dishes is a very important part of my holiday.

We visited Goa for the first time in January and were A/I. I thought this was a mistake after reading some of the posts on this forum. However we loved the hotel and the food was fantastic. We did eat out during the day at various places but always had the evening meal in the hotel. We've booked the same hotel for December and can't ever see us wanting to go anywhere else. I understand what everyone is saying but if you find somewhere that suits all the family why change it. We can still enjoy what the rest of Goa has to offer.

I second previous motions. There is nothing better than walking around the streets discovering new restaurants and foods you have never tasted before!

diplomacy

I agree with MCB we have gone AI twice now and will be doing the same again next March. We like the food at our hotel and we also eat out lunch times and evenings when we feel like it. I think we get the best of both worlds. Neither way is bad, everyone is different and what suits one person might not suit another.

Sue

Our holiday nightlife is going to different restaurants etc - roll on Jan 1st.

Neither way is bad, everyone is different and what suits one person might not suit another.

I think Susan sums it up nicely!

Very true Fiona - horses for courses

Why pay AI prices when you can have total choice? Generally food is far inferior on this deal in the hotels than you can get outside in restaurants, if you want to eat at the hotel fair enough but the choices of good eating places in Goa is so extensive! I don't think that anyone who has been to Goa on multiple visits would consider AI. I know many people who did AI on the first visit for comfort reasons who would never consider it again.

tell me though
I have looked at several hotels I have liked the look of only to find they are AI. So, is it the case sometimes that a hotel will be picked despite the fact it is AI?

We always go to the Dona Sylvia which is AI we only eat breakfast there and have drinks, but the hotel is in a fantastic location no need for taxis you just walk out the gate. Been to 3 other hotels in South Goa B/B had to get taxis everwhere so the cost really is not much different

Well, have to say the Dona Sylvia has good reviews. I have to say that, as hotels are so cheap in Goa anyway, I might consider AI even if I'd no intention of eating dinner there. If the reviews are good.....Who has the right to tell anyone what is best for them? ( as long as it is not harming anyone)

Surely the main argument against AI is the damage this does to local restaurants and bars etc.

I notice that many AI'ers state that they don't stay in the hotel all the time but many others will do just that, and as these hotels seem to be getting more popular each year then this is bound to have an effect on local businesses.

everyone makes their own choice as to what suits them and I don't criticise those that do go AI .
dle949

Thanks Susanh for your support. I have found that the company we use (Direct Holidays) is cheaper for A/I than most other companies who do B&B. The Aldeia Santa Rita is a fantastic hotel with Goan staff who are the best I have ever come across.

We spent a lot of our holiday at Starbucks shack and they were building quite a large resort behind which encroached upon the back of the shacks more and more each day so that I'm sure by now 5 months later the shacks there will have disappeared
Anyway we got into a discussion with the manager of the shack one day and he was telling us that this was becoming more and more prevelant in the area. He blamed the Russian & East European tourists -His words not mine- as that is what they expect from a holiday a large luxurious resort that is all inclusive, that in these areas they prefer to pay for their holiday up front at home and they need relatively a small amount of cash when they come out. He said he would only give the region anther two years before the all inclusive hotels had ruined the area, there will be no shacks, no local restaurants dire warnings but it brought to mind a family holiday to Rhodes in September 1995. When we arrived to the quiet solitary resort we saw about six tavernas on the beach. We were thrilled because this seemed like a lovely holiday, nice quiet resort but some local tavernas to sample in the evening. However evening arrived and not one of the tavernas was open. We were talking to the manager of the hotel who told pointed out a huge concrete monsrosity on the hill in the distance "see that, it's owned by an East German company, since the fall of the wall, the East Germans have more disposable income than ever before, which they are now spending on holidays we thought it would be good for us but will only go all inclusive they don't want to sample local restaurants they want to play safe" I was reminded of this in Goa in November and although as I say this is not my opinion or thoughts it has made me think an awful lot about what we are doing to the area