I'm Going!! For 9 weeks again. Been for the last 8 years, and have seen a lot of changes this year. But it is still the best place on earth for me. I think staying at the Marinha Dourada helps! Going December 27th. Can't wait!

Hi hapi
we first visited Goa in 1994, then again in Feb 2003, Nov 2004, Feb 2005 and Feb 2006, so you can imagine the changes that we have seen.

I've read all the reports about increasing numbers of sunbeds, harrassment by beach-sellers, the 'lager-louts in football shirts' (not my quote, by the way) etc.

We actually thought there was LESS hassle from beach-sellers this year than in previous years, certainly from people asking if we wanted a massage.
Although there were a lot of sunbeds on Candolim beach, these didn't seem to be full every day.

We're not people who return to Goa twice a year every year, but we do love it as a destination.

The thing that is likely to put us off returning are the prices currently being quoted by holiday companies for our next holiday (Feb 2007).

There is NO way I'm going to pay £670 per person for 2 weeks B&B in a 2 star hotel in Candolim in February when I can go to Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur & Penang) and stay in 4 star hotels (and Far East hotels really ARE good quality hotels) for £745.

There's also the difference between travelling Monarch charter on an Airbus and Malaysian Airlines scheduled on a 747 - no comparison really.

Polly

myself and smoggie had our first trip this march and loved it... so we have booked again to go in january 2007, this time we are going b&b as we went AI last time and it was wasted on the both of us.

Polly has hit it right on the head here, there is no comparison between the flights and standard of accomodation between Goa and the hotels in the Far East and airlines such as Malaysian. We will be returning to Goa next season but no way would I pay the brochure prices being asked at present and I suspect many more Goa fans wont either. I have been visiting for the last 15 years and it's a magical place but the hotel standards and charter flights certainly dont merit the funny money the operaters think they can get. In the middle of March this year I flew to Goa for a last minute price of £199 and I suspect that out of the peak xmas and new year period they will be many deals like that next season as loads of peole wont be willing to pay the inflated prices the tour operaters think they can get away with Alan

I agree Alan, it will become a buyers market with the silly prices quoted so far. Most visitors to Goa I would say are people who have been before and will not put up with Carribean prices, the whole thing could leave them with egg on their faces forcing a lot of last minute price drops ....... Here`s hoping

It would serve the Tour Operators right if that happens.

Unlike Alan, at the moment we do not have the advantage of being able to book right at the last minute.
My hubby needs to give at least 2 months notice at work, but I'm hoping for not-so-last-minute price drops, too.

The last 4 times we've been, we got good deals (just under £500 per person) booking 8 or so weeks before departure.

I've been looking for a few weeks now for Feb/March 07 and so far it's looking doubtful that we'll be going back.

We'll be looking at Malaysia and Thailand as alternatives, we've been to both before and know that the hotels are great value.

We found a similar thing happened to Sri Lanka, we used to go to Brown's Beach B&B for around £550 pp for 2 weeks.
The price of all holidays to Sri Lanka has risen steeply, so we just look elsewhere now.

As much as we love Goa, we're just not going to pay through the nose to satisfy Tour Operators' greed.

Polly

hapi. We are back in January 2007.

We went for our second visit this year to the Heritage in South Goa and still loved it, so yes we are going back again March 2007. In fact we were lucky to get booked in and we tried as soon as we got back this March, managed to book a room and it is not much dearer than we paid this year.

Sue

I'm going back again last 2 weeks in Feb 07 - Can't wait will be my 5th time!!!!

Donna
XX

I am off to Goa again at Xmas, but I think prettypollycat has a very good point, I usually go to Thailand and really I could have a very good hotel in Krabi using emirates airlines for the same price as I have paid for a 2 star in Candolim on the same date - the only reason I booked Goa instead is because it is still very new and exciting to me and I have been to Thailand 5 times before and I am visiting again this summer.
The standards in the Far east are much higher than the standards in Goa - but I must admit Goa is drawing me back.
I do think though that Goa could lose a lot of regular customers due to the fact that they can get far better hotels in the Far East.

im giveing goa a miss this year just to give it a rest!! been the last 2 years.
im going to malaysia this xmas and new year backpacking to kuala lumpur, penang, langkawi. and malaka, we will be going back to goa maybe next year a change is as good as a rest!! maggieomx

I am not going back been 6 times, the world is such a small place now and I have been a bit spoiled with Cape Town and the garden route in South Africa, been to Malaysia hotel fantastic flights are wonderful.

I'm going back in November. Sure - it's changing fast and in many ways not for the better but there's something about the place that keeps drawing us back.

Not sure we'll have many more years there if the changes continue.

It's a complex scenario. Greedy tour operators trying to capitalise on Goa's increasing popularity and more discerning travellers, many of whom find Goan standards woefully inadequate compared with further east.

The tour operators need to understand that there's a certain type of person that gets into Goa. You only have to read an earlier post about the 10 things you love and hate about the place to realise what odd things people like about Goa...the smell for goodness sake! The thing is, I'll bet all us Goa addicts know exactly what is meant by that and love the smell too! I reckon we're all a bit odd - in the nicest possible way of course!

I don't think it will ever be a mass tourist place because there are too many people who just "won't get it". Let's hope for those of us who do, it doesn't get too slick and polished. We like our luxury 3 star with twist rather than 5 star perfection!

Booked already for March/April - will be our 10th year there.

We are going back in March, but totally agree about the increase in costs to get there.
sadly the tour operators have a market to tap into as places like Turkey become more expensive, as Greece did a couple of years ago.
So I assume that the TO's won't be too worried about losing a few of the regulars.
have to say thoughm that even with the extra costs of the package , the cost of eating etc brings the price of 2 weeks in Goa down to around the same as 2 weeks in Turkey, so in my book still a worthwhile deal.
del949

Hi hapi, i cant wait to go back next feb although i have not booked yet so i must get my skates on. I just find it hard to imagine what the place must have been like a few years ago for people to have fallen so out of love with it. As a first timer in feb we were blown away with the place and i believe all the other newbies will feel the same.

We are booked up for Phoenix Park in Candolim Nov 2006 and Marinha dourada in Arpora in Feb 07.
This is our 3rd visit to Goa and in a way I am glad we never got to see the Goa of old cos of all the changes etc.
I love it at the moment and want to go there forever, and I hope that never changes but we will just need to wait and see.

well, as I'm sure you are all sick of hearing by now( :lol:) , I make my first trip to Goa next year! I have to admit to being a tad concerned that husband is not going to like it. We love the Far East and pay ridiculously low prices for hotels there and also day to day costs are very cheap. To help stop him from fretting too much I have looked at places such as Taj Holiday village but this is coming out as more than twice the rates I paid for in Saigon( 5 star) and Bangkok( 4 star+) and doesn't compare at all in the standard it offers. If all the other hotels are following that example I am sure it will certainly put off potential new visitors, if not some of the regulars.

I know what you mean Fiona, I have stayed in Thailand, Singapore, China for 6 months and the but is Goa has something I don't know what it is, all I can think of is "relaxation" I have never been so relaxed in my life, including hypnosis.

As for the prices, they will have to come down just because people wont pay for 2* hotels when they can get 5* in other countries for the same price,

That's my two-penny-worth

Lez