AIRPORTS/FLIGHTShttp://
Manchester was shambolic for our Friday afternoon departure. It was less organised than Dabolim (and that takes some doing!) with security queues to get into the departure lounge tailing back and going at wildly different paces. Baggage was weighed carefully and the check in girl
The taxi to Candolim ccost 690 rupees.
http://did" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://
Manchester was shambolic for our Friday afternoon departure. It was less organised than Dabolim (and that takes some doing!) with security queues to get into the departure lounge tailing back and going at wildly different paces. Baggage was weighed carefully and the check in girl
The taxi to Candolim ccost 690 rupees.
[url]CANDOLIMStayed at Albuquerque Villas again and it is excellent. Great location but quiet and very clean. Tried to book for next year but already booked up for the weeks we want! Had a look around other hotels and rooms and prices are getting hiked up. A reasonable room with AC seems to average 1500 rupees per night during December/January/February. It is no longer necessarily cheaper to buy flights and rooms separately as it has been and if the prices continue to increase at the rate they are doing the smaller places that depend on people who do this will lose out. Friends paid £1050 for two weeks (for two) in a good room at Phoenix Park - more than we paid going flight and room.
The resort is growing - Jazz House gone as reported elsewhere, the new apartments opposite Sea Shell Inn and behind the HBR still going on.
The River Princess is still there but there is work progressing and if you believe the press (many locals don't!) it will be refloated and shifted before April. Many shacks are right at the very back of the beach and encroaching upon the land behind the beach so let's hope the removal of the River Princess will allieviate some of the problems being encountered at the Sinquerim end of the beach.
The new flashy hotel, The Lemon Tree Resort, being built next to the Health Centre opened on 9 December - see other posts.
Taxi drivers are making it up as they go along - Candolim to Calangute anything from 80 to 150 rupees being asked. I noticed a lot more people using the bus and Tuc-Tucs are cheaper (and more fun!).
[url]OTHER STUFF" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://did ask for an accommodation voucher - never done this before.
The Monarch flight was poor. No TV for those seated near the front - and it still wasn't fixed on the return flight two weeks later. Headphones that didn't work, a film that stopped after five minutes, restarted and stopped again after 10 minutes and then disappeared completely! The meal between Goa and Bahrain was inedible.
No problems at Dabolim besides the usual scramble for cases and then fighting off the guys trying to carry them for you. We fought them off but talked to first-timers who had paid out £30 to various bag carriers and lifters between the luggage carousel and the taxi!
The taxi to Candolim ccost 690 rupees.
[url]CANDOLIM" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://did" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://
Manchester was shambolic for our Friday afternoon departure. It was less organised than Dabolim (and that takes some doing!) with security queues to get into the departure lounge tailing back and going at wildly different paces. Baggage was weighed carefully and the check in girl [url]did ask for an accommodation voucher - never done this before.
The Monarch flight was poor. No TV for those seated near the front - and it still wasn't fixed on the return flight two weeks later. Headphones that didn't work, a film that stopped after five minutes, restarted and stopped again after 10 minutes and then disappeared completely! The meal between Goa and Bahrain was inedible.
No problems at Dabolim besides the usual scramble for cases and then fighting off the guys trying to carry them for you. We fought them off but talked to first-timers who had paid out £30 to various bag carriers and lifters between the luggage carousel and the taxi!
The taxi to Candolim ccost 690 rupees.
[url]CANDOLIMStayed at Albuquerque Villas again and it is excellent. Great location but quiet and very clean. Tried to book for next year but already booked up for the weeks we want! Had a look around other hotels and rooms and prices are getting hiked up. A reasonable room with AC seems to average 1500 rupees per night during December/January/February. It is no longer necessarily cheaper to buy flights and rooms separately as it has been and if the prices continue to increase at the rate they are doing the smaller places that depend on people who do this will lose out. Friends paid £1050 for two weeks (for two) in a good room at Phoenix Park - more than we paid going flight and room.
The resort is growing - Jazz House gone as reported elsewhere, the new apartments opposite Sea Shell Inn and behind the HBR still going on.
The River Princess is still there but there is work progressing and if you believe the press (many locals don't!) it will be refloated and shifted before April. Many shacks are right at the very back of the beach and encroaching upon the land behind the beach so let's hope the removal of the River Princess will allieviate some of the problems being encountered at the Sinquerim end of the beach.
The new flashy hotel, The Lemon Tree Resort, being built next to the Health Centre opened on 9 December - see other posts.
Taxi drivers are making it up as they go along - Candolim to Calangute anything from 80 to 150 rupees being asked. I noticed a lot more people using the bus and Tuc-Tucs are cheaper (and more fun!).
[url]OTHER STUFF
I took an old mobile and went to the Elephant Shop to get an Indian sim card. Cost 750 rupees (he needs to see your passport) and you get about 40 minutes to the UK. It is probably cheaper to use the payphones but phoning your mates from the beach
has a value, doesn't it? It's also handy to make local calls for restaurants etc.The exchange rate was pleasant surprise - fluctuating between 84 and 87 rupees to the £ whilst we were there - the highest I've known it.
Whilst we were there the International Film Festival of India was taking place in Panjim and security was very tight. The beach had undercover police with guns mingling with the sunbathers. Whilst we were enjoying a Kingfisher in a shack a policeman (not in uniform) came to give us a right telling off for leaving unattended bags by the sunbeds. He said he was "equipped to deal with any eventuality" and lifted his shirt to reveal a gun. It was straight out of Inspector Clouseau! He said the Goan police were corrupt and couldn't be trusted (no argument there) and he was part of an elite undercover team from Delhi sent down to Goa to deal with a specific terrorist threat. He said they had detained three Kashmiri suspects in the past two days.
The following day he was there again with his rather attractive female accomplice. After reading some papers titled "Human Rights in India" (no giveaways there, then) they strolled off down the beach together - leaving their bag unattended on the sunbed. You couldn't make it up!!
Whilst we laughed, there is clearly a serious security issue that is being taken very, very seriously.
Hired a boat (with two drivers) for the day along with three other couples and sailed up to Arambol and then stopped for lunch at Mandrem - getting really close to dolphins on the way, Great day for 4000 rupees all in.
RESTAURANTS" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://CANDOLIM" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://did" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://
Manchester was shambolic for our Friday afternoon departure. It was less organised than Dabolim (and that takes some doing!) with security queues to get into the departure lounge tailing back and going at wildly different paces. Baggage was weighed carefully and the check in girl [url]did ask for an accommodation voucher - never done this before.
The Monarch flight was poor. No TV for those seated near the front - and it still wasn't fixed on the return flight two weeks later. Headphones that didn't work, a film that stopped after five minutes, restarted and stopped again after 10 minutes and then disappeared completely! The meal between Goa and Bahrain was inedible.
No problems at Dabolim besides the usual scramble for cases and then fighting off the guys trying to carry them for you. We fought them off but talked to first-timers who had paid out £30 to various bag carriers and lifters between the luggage carousel and the taxi!
The taxi to Candolim ccost 690 rupees.
[url]CANDOLIMStayed at Albuquerque Villas again and it is excellent. Great location but quiet and very clean. Tried to book for next year but already booked up for the weeks we want! Had a look around other hotels and rooms and prices are getting hiked up. A reasonable room with AC seems to average 1500 rupees per night during December/January/February. It is no longer necessarily cheaper to buy flights and rooms separately as it has been and if the prices continue to increase at the rate they are doing the smaller places that depend on people who do this will lose out. Friends paid £1050 for two weeks (for two) in a good room at Phoenix Park - more than we paid going flight and room.
The resort is growing - Jazz House gone as reported elsewhere, the new apartments opposite Sea Shell Inn and behind the HBR still going on.
The River Princess is still there but there is work progressing and if you believe the press (many locals don't!) it will be refloated and shifted before April. Many shacks are right at the very back of the beach and encroaching upon the land behind the beach so let's hope the removal of the River Princess will allieviate some of the problems being encountered at the Sinquerim end of the beach.
The new flashy hotel, The Lemon Tree Resort, being built next to the Health Centre opened on 9 December - see other posts.
Taxi drivers are making it up as they go along - Candolim to Calangute anything from 80 to 150 rupees being asked. I noticed a lot more people using the bus and Tuc-Tucs are cheaper (and more fun!).
[url]OTHER STUFF" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://did ask for an accommodation voucher - never done this before.
The Monarch flight was poor. No TV for those seated near the front - and it still wasn't fixed on the return flight two weeks later. Headphones that didn't work, a film that stopped after five minutes, restarted and stopped again after 10 minutes and then disappeared completely! The meal between Goa and Bahrain was inedible.
No problems at Dabolim besides the usual scramble for cases and then fighting off the guys trying to carry them for you. We fought them off but talked to first-timers who had paid out £30 to various bag carriers and lifters between the luggage carousel and the taxi!
The taxi to Candolim ccost 690 rupees.
[url]CANDOLIM" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://did" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://
Manchester was shambolic for our Friday afternoon departure. It was less organised than Dabolim (and that takes some doing!) with security queues to get into the departure lounge tailing back and going at wildly different paces. Baggage was weighed carefully and the check in girl [url]did ask for an accommodation voucher - never done this before.
The Monarch flight was poor. No TV for those seated near the front - and it still wasn't fixed on the return flight two weeks later. Headphones that didn't work, a film that stopped after five minutes, restarted and stopped again after 10 minutes and then disappeared completely! The meal between Goa and Bahrain was inedible.
No problems at Dabolim besides the usual scramble for cases and then fighting off the guys trying to carry them for you. We fought them off but talked to first-timers who had paid out £30 to various bag carriers and lifters between the luggage carousel and the taxi!
The taxi to Candolim ccost 690 rupees.
[url]CANDOLIMStayed at Albuquerque Villas again and it is excellent. Great location but quiet and very clean. Tried to book for next year but already booked up for the weeks we want! Had a look around other hotels and rooms and prices are getting hiked up. A reasonable room with AC seems to average 1500 rupees per night during December/January/February. It is no longer necessarily cheaper to buy flights and rooms separately as it has been and if the prices continue to increase at the rate they are doing the smaller places that depend on people who do this will lose out. Friends paid £1050 for two weeks (for two) in a good room at Phoenix Park - more than we paid going flight and room.
The resort is growing - Jazz House gone as reported elsewhere, the new apartments opposite Sea Shell Inn and behind the HBR still going on.
The River Princess is still there but there is work progressing and if you believe the press (many locals don't!) it will be refloated and shifted before April. Many shacks are right at the very back of the beach and encroaching upon the land behind the beach so let's hope the removal of the River Princess will allieviate some of the problems being encountered at the Sinquerim end of the beach.
The new flashy hotel, The Lemon Tree Resort, being built next to the Health Centre opened on 9 December - see other posts.
Taxi drivers are making it up as they go along - Candolim to Calangute anything from 80 to 150 rupees being asked. I noticed a lot more people using the bus and Tuc-Tucs are cheaper (and more fun!).
[url]OTHER STUFF
I took an old mobile and went to the Elephant Shop to get an Indian sim card. Cost 750 rupees (he needs to see your passport) and you get about 40 minutes to the UK. It is probably cheaper to use the payphones but phoning your mates from the beach
has a value, doesn't it? It's also handy to make local calls for restaurants etc.The exchange rate was pleasant surprise - fluctuating between 84 and 87 rupees to the £ whilst we were there - the highest I've known it.
Whilst we were there the International Film Festival of India was taking place in Panjim and security was very tight. The beach had undercover police with guns mingling with the sunbathers. Whilst we were enjoying a Kingfisher in a shack a policeman (not in uniform) came to give us a right telling off for leaving unattended bags by the sunbeds. He said he was "equipped to deal with any eventuality" and lifted his shirt to reveal a gun. It was straight out of Inspector Clouseau! He said the Goan police were corrupt and couldn't be trusted (no argument there) and he was part of an elite undercover team from Delhi sent down to Goa to deal with a specific terrorist threat. He said they had detained three Kashmiri suspects in the past two days.
The following day he was there again with his rather attractive female accomplice. After reading some papers titled "Human Rights in India" (no giveaways there, then) they strolled off down the beach together - leaving their bag unattended on the sunbed. You couldn't make it up!!
Whilst we laughed, there is clearly a serious security issue that is being taken very, very seriously.
Hired a boat (with two drivers) for the day along with three other couples and sailed up to Arambol and then stopped for lunch at Mandrem - getting really close to dolphins on the way, Great day for 4000 rupees all in.
RESTAURANTS
This is always subjective and I am vegetarian so doubly so. However, I almost always ate with meat/fish eaters and I'll base my comments on the overall view of the party.
Mermaid: Deservedly popular. Very good food but limited veggie menu
Plantain Leaf : Very good value and quality. The Thali de Luxe is excellent and enormous. Purely vegetarian but don't let that put you off!
Tibetan Kitchen : Again, great value but opinions mixed. I love it.
Fisherman's Cove: Entertainment a bit close to eaters but food good and value.
Delhi Darbar in Panjim : Fantastic food and service. Go here after a sunset cruise on the Paradise boat and you'll have an unbeatable night's entertainment!
A Reverie :Confusion reigns!! We ate here and had a pleasant but overpriced meal only to find that the people who had put the place on the map had built a stunning, brand new, all singing dancing restaurant directly across the road. They had had a dispute with their landlord and decided to go head to head. The name of their new retaurant? A Reverie!!
All Spice: Highly regarded by HT'ers and rightly so. Very good.
Cactus - Shepherds Pie :The view is the Indian food was better than the Shepherd's Pie! Good value, though.
After 7 : I'm not saying it's the best restaurant in North Goa but I haven't been to a better one. Superb!
Bistro: Good ambience and food
JEWELLERY[url]
We had planned to replace some stolen jewelley whilst in Goa and not being in the slightest bit interested in diamonds, I did some basic homework before going - colour, clarity, cut, carat etc. Got some good info from the "Jewellery" thread.
We tried several jewellers and almost without exception the first diamonds they showed us were seriously flawed when examined with a 10 times magnifying glass. If my totally untrained eye can see that, they must be real duffers.
It nearly put us off but we persevered with the guys in Living Jewels in Candolim and ended up with what I hope will be a good deal. We'll get our purchase valued and find out!Without a doubt there are some dodgy diamonds being sold in Goa and it really is a case of "Buyer Beware".
HOLIDAY TRUTHERS
Went to a meet up and what we lacked in numbers we made up for in quality! Had a great hour or so with Helen and Clive, Pauleen and her man (sorry-name's gone) and two HT readers (names also gone - duh!)that will hopefully now become contributors.
Also whilst having a conversation upto my chest in the Arabian Sea, I found myself talkingto "Birdie". Great company and what a small world!
I think that's about it!!" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://did ask for an accommodation voucher - never done this before.
The Monarch flight was poor. No TV for those seated near the front - and it still wasn't fixed on the return flight two weeks later. Headphones that didn't work, a film that stopped after five minutes, restarted and stopped again after 10 minutes and then disappeared completely! The meal between Goa and Bahrain was inedible.
No problems at Dabolim besides the usual scramble for cases and then fighting off the guys trying to carry them for you. We fought them off but talked to first-timers who had paid out £30 to various bag carriers and lifters between the luggage carousel and the taxi!
The taxi to Candolim ccost 690 rupees.
[url]CANDOLIMStayed at Albuquerque Villas again and it is excellent. Great location but quiet and very clean. Tried to book for next year but already booked up for the weeks we want! Had a look around other hotels and rooms and prices are getting hiked up. A reasonable room with AC seems to average 1500 rupees per night during December/January/February. It is no longer necessarily cheaper to buy flights and rooms separately as it has been and if the prices continue to increase at the rate they are doing the smaller places that depend on people who do this will lose out. Friends paid £1050 for two weeks (for two) in a good room at Phoenix Park - more than we paid going flight and room.
The resort is growing - Jazz House gone as reported elsewhere, the new apartments opposite Sea Shell Inn and behind the HBR still going on.
The River Princess is still there but there is work progressing and if you believe the press (many locals don't!) it will be refloated and shifted before April. Many shacks are right at the very back of the beach and encroaching upon the land behind the beach so let's hope the removal of the River Princess will allieviate some of the problems being encountered at the Sinquerim end of the beach.
The new flashy hotel, The Lemon Tree Resort, being built next to the Health Centre opened on 9 December - see other posts.
Taxi drivers are making it up as they go along - Candolim to Calangute anything from 80 to 150 rupees being asked. I noticed a lot more people using the bus and Tuc-Tucs are cheaper (and more fun!).
[url]OTHER STUFF" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://did ask for an accommodation voucher - never done this before.
The Monarch flight was poor. No TV for those seated near the front - and it still wasn't fixed on the return flight two weeks later. Headphones that didn't work, a film that stopped after five minutes, restarted and stopped again after 10 minutes and then disappeared completely! The meal between Goa and Bahrain was inedible.
No problems at Dabolim besides the usual scramble for cases and then fighting off the guys trying to carry them for you. We fought them off but talked to first-timers who had paid out £30 to various bag carriers and lifters between the luggage carousel and the taxi!
The taxi to Candolim ccost 690 rupees.
[url]CANDOLIM" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://did" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://
Manchester was shambolic for our Friday afternoon departure. It was less organised than Dabolim (and that takes some doing!) with security queues to get into the departure lounge tailing back and going at wildly different paces. Baggage was weighed carefully and the check in girl [url]did ask for an accommodation voucher - never done this before.
The Monarch flight was poor. No TV for those seated near the front - and it still wasn't fixed on the return flight two weeks later. Headphones that didn't work, a film that stopped after five minutes, restarted and stopped again after 10 minutes and then disappeared completely! The meal between Goa and Bahrain was inedible.
No problems at Dabolim besides the usual scramble for cases and then fighting off the guys trying to carry them for you. We fought them off but talked to first-timers who had paid out £30 to various bag carriers and lifters between the luggage carousel and the taxi!
The taxi to Candolim ccost 690 rupees.
[url]CANDOLIMStayed at Albuquerque Villas again and it is excellent. Great location but quiet and very clean. Tried to book for next year but already booked up for the weeks we want! Had a look around other hotels and rooms and prices are getting hiked up. A reasonable room with AC seems to average 1500 rupees per night during December/January/February. It is no longer necessarily cheaper to buy flights and rooms separately as it has been and if the prices continue to increase at the rate they are doing the smaller places that depend on people who do this will lose out. Friends paid £1050 for two weeks (for two) in a good room at Phoenix Park - more than we paid going flight and room.
The resort is growing - Jazz House gone as reported elsewhere, the new apartments opposite Sea Shell Inn and behind the HBR still going on.
The River Princess is still there but there is work progressing and if you believe the press (many locals don't!) it will be refloated and shifted before April. Many shacks are right at the very back of the beach and encroaching upon the land behind the beach so let's hope the removal of the River Princess will allieviate some of the problems being encountered at the Sinquerim end of the beach.
The new flashy hotel, The Lemon Tree Resort, being built next to the Health Centre opened on 9 December - see other posts.
Taxi drivers are making it up as they go along - Candolim to Calangute anything from 80 to 150 rupees being asked. I noticed a lot more people using the bus and Tuc-Tucs are cheaper (and more fun!).
[url]OTHER STUFF
I took an old mobile and went to the Elephant Shop to get an Indian sim card. Cost 750 rupees (he needs to see your passport) and you get about 40 minutes to the UK. It is probably cheaper to use the payphones but phoning your mates from the beach
has a value, doesn't it? It's also handy to make local calls for restaurants etc.The exchange rate was pleasant surprise - fluctuating between 84 and 87 rupees to the £ whilst we were there - the highest I've known it.
Whilst we were there the International Film Festival of India was taking place in Panjim and security was very tight. The beach had undercover police with guns mingling with the sunbathers. Whilst we were enjoying a Kingfisher in a shack a policeman (not in uniform) came to give us a right telling off for leaving unattended bags by the sunbeds. He said he was "equipped to deal with any eventuality" and lifted his shirt to reveal a gun. It was straight out of Inspector Clouseau! He said the Goan police were corrupt and couldn't be trusted (no argument there) and he was part of an elite undercover team from Delhi sent down to Goa to deal with a specific terrorist threat. He said they had detained three Kashmiri suspects in the past two days.
The following day he was there again with his rather attractive female accomplice. After reading some papers titled "Human Rights in India" (no giveaways there, then) they strolled off down the beach together - leaving their bag unattended on the sunbed. You couldn't make it up!!
Whilst we laughed, there is clearly a serious security issue that is being taken very, very seriously.
Hired a boat (with two drivers) for the day along with three other couples and sailed up to Arambol and then stopped for lunch at Mandrem - getting really close to dolphins on the way, Great day for 4000 rupees all in.
RESTAURANTS" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://CANDOLIM" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://did" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://
Manchester was shambolic for our Friday afternoon departure. It was less organised than Dabolim (and that takes some doing!) with security queues to get into the departure lounge tailing back and going at wildly different paces. Baggage was weighed carefully and the check in girl [url]did ask for an accommodation voucher - never done this before.
The Monarch flight was poor. No TV for those seated near the front - and it still wasn't fixed on the return flight two weeks later. Headphones that didn't work, a film that stopped after five minutes, restarted and stopped again after 10 minutes and then disappeared completely! The meal between Goa and Bahrain was inedible.
No problems at Dabolim besides the usual scramble for cases and then fighting off the guys trying to carry them for you. We fought them off but talked to first-timers who had paid out £30 to various bag carriers and lifters between the luggage carousel and the taxi!
The taxi to Candolim ccost 690 rupees.
[url]CANDOLIMStayed at Albuquerque Villas again and it is excellent. Great location but quiet and very clean. Tried to book for next year but already booked up for the weeks we want! Had a look around other hotels and rooms and prices are getting hiked up. A reasonable room with AC seems to average 1500 rupees per night during December/January/February. It is no longer necessarily cheaper to buy flights and rooms separately as it has been and if the prices continue to increase at the rate they are doing the smaller places that depend on people who do this will lose out. Friends paid £1050 for two weeks (for two) in a good room at Phoenix Park - more than we paid going flight and room.
The resort is growing - Jazz House gone as reported elsewhere, the new apartments opposite Sea Shell Inn and behind the HBR still going on.
The River Princess is still there but there is work progressing and if you believe the press (many locals don't!) it will be refloated and shifted before April. Many shacks are right at the very back of the beach and encroaching upon the land behind the beach so let's hope the removal of the River Princess will allieviate some of the problems being encountered at the Sinquerim end of the beach.
The new flashy hotel, The Lemon Tree Resort, being built next to the Health Centre opened on 9 December - see other posts.
Taxi drivers are making it up as they go along - Candolim to Calangute anything from 80 to 150 rupees being asked. I noticed a lot more people using the bus and Tuc-Tucs are cheaper (and more fun!).
[url]OTHER STUFF" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://did ask for an accommodation voucher - never done this before.
The Monarch flight was poor. No TV for those seated near the front - and it still wasn't fixed on the return flight two weeks later. Headphones that didn't work, a film that stopped after five minutes, restarted and stopped again after 10 minutes and then disappeared completely! The meal between Goa and Bahrain was inedible.
No problems at Dabolim besides the usual scramble for cases and then fighting off the guys trying to carry them for you. We fought them off but talked to first-timers who had paid out £30 to various bag carriers and lifters between the luggage carousel and the taxi!
The taxi to Candolim ccost 690 rupees.
[url]CANDOLIM" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://did" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://
Manchester was shambolic for our Friday afternoon departure. It was less organised than Dabolim (and that takes some doing!) with security queues to get into the departure lounge tailing back and going at wildly different paces. Baggage was weighed carefully and the check in girl [url]did ask for an accommodation voucher - never done this before.
The Monarch flight was poor. No TV for those seated near the front - and it still wasn't fixed on the return flight two weeks later. Headphones that didn't work, a film that stopped after five minutes, restarted and stopped again after 10 minutes and then disappeared completely! The meal between Goa and Bahrain was inedible.
No problems at Dabolim besides the usual scramble for cases and then fighting off the guys trying to carry them for you. We fought them off but talked to first-timers who had paid out £30 to various bag carriers and lifters between the luggage carousel and the taxi!
The taxi to Candolim ccost 690 rupees.
[url]CANDOLIMStayed at Albuquerque Villas again and it is excellent. Great location but quiet and very clean. Tried to book for next year but already booked up for the weeks we want! Had a look around other hotels and rooms and prices are getting hiked up. A reasonable room with AC seems to average 1500 rupees per night during December/January/February. It is no longer necessarily cheaper to buy flights and rooms separately as it has been and if the prices continue to increase at the rate they are doing the smaller places that depend on people who do this will lose out. Friends paid £1050 for two weeks (for two) in a good room at Phoenix Park - more than we paid going flight and room.
The resort is growing - Jazz House gone as reported elsewhere, the new apartments opposite Sea Shell Inn and behind the HBR still going on.
The River Princess is still there but there is work progressing and if you believe the press (many locals don't!) it will be refloated and shifted before April. Many shacks are right at the very back of the beach and encroaching upon the land behind the beach so let's hope the removal of the River Princess will allieviate some of the problems being encountered at the Sinquerim end of the beach.
The new flashy hotel, The Lemon Tree Resort, being built next to the Health Centre opened on 9 December - see other posts.
Taxi drivers are making it up as they go along - Candolim to Calangute anything from 80 to 150 rupees being asked. I noticed a lot more people using the bus and Tuc-Tucs are cheaper (and more fun!).
[url]OTHER STUFF
I took an old mobile and went to the Elephant Shop to get an Indian sim card. Cost 750 rupees (he needs to see your passport) and you get about 40 minutes to the UK. It is probably cheaper to use the payphones but phoning your mates from the beach
has a value, doesn't it? It's also handy to make local calls for restaurants etc.The exchange rate was pleasant surprise - fluctuating between 84 and 87 rupees to the £ whilst we were there - the highest I've known it.
Whilst we were there the International Film Festival of India was taking place in Panjim and security was very tight. The beach had undercover police with guns mingling with the sunbathers. Whilst we were enjoying a Kingfisher in a shack a policeman (not in uniform) came to give us a right telling off for leaving unattended bags by the sunbeds. He said he was "equipped to deal with any eventuality" and lifted his shirt to reveal a gun. It was straight out of Inspector Clouseau! He said the Goan police were corrupt and couldn't be trusted (no argument there) and he was part of an elite undercover team from Delhi sent down to Goa to deal with a specific terrorist threat. He said they had detained three Kashmiri suspects in the past two days.
The following day he was there again with his rather attractive female accomplice. After reading some papers titled "Human Rights in India" (no giveaways there, then) they strolled off down the beach together - leaving their bag unattended on the sunbed. You couldn't make it up!!
Whilst we laughed, there is clearly a serious security issue that is being taken very, very seriously.
Hired a boat (with two drivers) for the day along with three other couples and sailed up to Arambol and then stopped for lunch at Mandrem - getting really close to dolphins on the way, Great day for 4000 rupees all in.
RESTAURANTS
This is always subjective and I am vegetarian so doubly so. However, I almost always ate with meat/fish eaters and I'll base my comments on the overall view of the party.
Mermaid: Deservedly popular. Very good food but limited veggie menu
Plantain Leaf : Very good value and quality. The Thali de Luxe is excellent and enormous. Purely vegetarian but don't let that put you off!
Tibetan Kitchen : Again, great value but opinions mixed. I love it.
Fisherman's Cove: Entertainment a bit close to eaters but food good and value.
Delhi Darbar in Panjim : Fantastic food and service. Go here after a sunset cruise on the Paradise boat and you'll have an unbeatable night's entertainment!
A Reverie :Confusion reigns!! We ate here and had a pleasant but overpriced meal only to find that the people who had put the place on the map had built a stunning, brand new, all singing dancing restaurant directly across the road. They had had a dispute with their landlord and decided to go head to head. The name of their new retaurant? A Reverie!!
All Spice: Highly regarded by HT'ers and rightly so. Very good.
Cactus - Shepherds Pie :The view is the Indian food was better than the Shepherd's Pie! Good value, though.
After 7 : I'm not saying it's the best restaurant in North Goa but I haven't been to a better one. Superb!
Bistro: Good ambience and food
JEWELLERY[url]
We had planned to replace some stolen jewelley whilst in Goa and not being in the slightest bit interested in diamonds, I did some basic homework before going - colour, clarity, cut, carat etc. Got some good info from the "Jewellery" thread.
We tried several jewellers and almost without exception the first diamonds they showed us were seriously flawed when examined with a 10 times magnifying glass. If my totally untrained eye can see that, they must be real duffers.
It nearly put us off but we persevered with the guys in Living Jewels in Candolim and ended up with what I hope will be a good deal. We'll get our purchase valued and find out!Without a doubt there are some dodgy diamonds being sold in Goa and it really is a case of "Buyer Beware".
HOLIDAY TRUTHERS
Went to a meet up and what we lacked in numbers we made up for in quality! Had a great hour or so with Helen and Clive, Pauleen and her man (sorry-name's gone) and two HT readers (names also gone - duh!)that will hopefully now become contributors.
Also whilst having a conversation upto my chest in the Arabian Sea, I found myself talkingto "Birdie". Great company and what a small world!
I think that's about it!!
been back two weeks already, just so busy at this time of the year 
Hullsmoggy sounds like a plan 
down a bottle of Honeybee brandy before the flight 
my friends probably came back on the same flight into Manchester as yourselves last Saturday. Spoke to him yesterday and he said that after 7 was very over rated and expensive, they tried to order 3 chicken rogan Josh but the waiter insisted on bringing 1 and 2 different dishes which they didn`t order or want and was very insistant on them trying the dishes they didn`t order. This scenario reminds me of East meets West last year 
In the end they got what they wanted but it put a real downer on their experience there.
disgusting 
if they were they'd have known better.
