Hi everyone, just returned from our 4 week plus holiday so I thought I might share a few observations. I haven't read too much of what has been posted whilst I was away, in fact very little other than a read through Papa's report but I read every scrap I could before we went and much of what I read was depressing.
Here we go then
Travelled independently using Qatar flights and accommodation booked using the Monarch website.
Qatar flights were excellent and the stopover in Doha offers a chance to stretch the legs in a very comfortable airport. Food is expensive in the snack bar , 2 coffees and a small bottle of water cost $14 but the airline had kept us well looked after so no problems there. Anyone with a quick stop over of less than 60 minutes is given a special card to get them through security clearance faster, curiously both our flights from Doha were delayed for between 30-45 minutes and it does make you wonder if it's because they have some tight schedules to meet.
Dabolim airport has not improved and customer care takes a low priority. On the way in we had to stand in the rain as the que was so long for a pointless exercises of getting your swine flu card stamped. The only people that appeared to be monitored closely were the flight crews !!! On the return journey we were made to return to the outside of the building, having previously sat inside, to get our baggage security scanned and checked as it was not in operation when we arrived. We were then made to wait before being allowed through to the departure lounge because immigration wasn't open yet. There were not enough seats for the whole of the Qatar 4.30 am flight so many people were standing in another que instead. ( Mind you some people just love to stand and que, to board first, to disembark first, I don't understand why but it's their choice !!)
Our first stop was the now named Royal Orchid Galaxy at Utorda beach. Taxi from the airport R360. We arrived at about 6.00am following our ordeal at the airport and were offered a room immediately despite not having booked for that night.A pot of coffee was sent up to as too, F.O.C. The hotel offered a very high standard of accommodation and I had paid less than £40 per night B&B. walk in wet room shower, flat screen wall mounted TV. Superb pool and top of the range poolside furniture, beautifully maintained gardens with access directly to the beach. I was very impressed. Talk of there being no decent beaches left in Goa is wide of the mark. I like deserted beaches and if you walk from Utorda beach north wards as far as you can go it's 3.5 km with hardly a person to be seen. There are plans for only 3 shacks plus there is a small area taken by the Hyatts loungers.There is a small fishing village which is nice to see and otherwise the majority of persons around are the lifeguards who offer good coverage as the swimming is not that safe.The draw back here is that there are not too many eating options locally and taxi's do seem dearer than the north. However we found Victors, Island View and Pentagon were all acceptable choices which were within walking distance.
Our next stop was the Wildernest. It was to be a highlight and, being keen on bird photography I was really looking forward to it having read nothing but good reports both on HT and other forums. We had negotiated a small discount of 5% for 4 nights but at R7000 for a valley view room including meals it's still a bit expensive. We arrived to monsoonal rain which didn't help but access to the rooms can be difficult in the dark, especially when it's wet. Our room roof leaked all over the place, even wetting the side of the bed and we didn't know where we could safely leave our luggage ( they don't offer many options for storage as I don't think many people seem to arrive with much) as there were so many drips !
We found the food too "ethnic" for our taste. I enjoy a spicy hot curry but this was not for me. It was a once in a lifetime to try some things and that is all you need !! There is little to do, the two offered walks take up very little time and the advertised 45+ acres of grounds and limited trails are soon covered. The place was only built 5.5 years ago but already it's showing signs of wear. The original mission statement seems to have lost it's way and the web site is very misleading. The staff were all lovely but had little knowledge of their surrounds in terms of wildlife. We left after 2 nights and moved on to the always welcoming Marinha Dourada . I had paid £24 per night for a 16 day booking but walking in from the street I was informed it was R4500 for the two extra nights. I offered R3500 which was accepted but I think I could have reduced that had I tried.The MD as always offers a good standard, lovely grounds and a decent breakfast in a newly tiled now ex tennis court ! We thoroughly enjoyed or stay met some lovely people and had a great time.
Goa is what you make it. Personally I quite like the Arpora end as you can dip into Baga and Calangute to do some shopping or to eat then leave again. Not once in 18 nights did I set foot on the beach other than to walk along Baga hill to Anjuna then around the coastal footpath to Baga Creek. You could see there were less shacks around but it looked an improvement to me !
Despite staying next to the Saturday night market we didn't bother going in. You can buy what's on offer from the usual stalls anyway so we avoided the crowds and enjoyed the music from the sanity of our room balcony !
One thing is certain there are far less people around. Both hotels we stayed in had lots of vacant rooms with occupancy I would guess at about 45% for the Galaxy and not much more at the MD. There are lots of new builds going on and places like the once popular Abalone were totally deserted. I realise some people are looking for really cheap accommodation but personally I need a certain level of comfort and at the prices that have been around this year it's been possible on a modest budget.
Taxis are still cheap in comparison to being at home. Just before we went away we took two rides to an hotel about a mile away and with a tip it cost me £9. My journey to the airport which takes nearly an hour and was after midnight cost the same.ATuk Tuk to Arpora from Calangute was R100. The taxi is R150. There are just too many taxis for too few people and the stand by the MD has 30 and on average only 10 got trips during the day I was told. One of the only down sides of being based in Arpora is that many of the best eating places are a taxi ride away but I guess that applies where ever you stay.With this in mind we ate in Arpora more often than anywhere as the taxi ride elsewhere can represent a fair proportion of a locally eaten meal.We ate twice at Saffron Court, 3 times at the recently opened Rasus ( near the Saturday night market) and three times at Starlight. The first two offer a good choice of decent "Multi cuisine" at a reasonable cost, meals for two averaged about R8-900 including a beer or two.Starlight still beats all on price and, IMO, taste for Indian cuisine but the four legged floor show on our last visit is a bit of an off putter ! Thanks to praises on HT we went to the Oriental Thai in the Meira hotel, Calangute... so good we went three times ! Meals averaged about R1500.We also tried Souymens which has rave revues but thought some dishes superb others rather disappointing, at R2700 ( we had a bottle of wine) slightly dearer than most top end places.The new Sublime venue in Saliago is magnificent, a truly magical setting , the menu mouth watering and the service superb. On arrival, the food on the plate is a work of art but in truth with so much to live up to it didn't quite make the same impression. IMO, the fusions didn't quite work.Still very worth trying and at R1450 wonderful value. Our biggest disappointment was a previous favourite , J&A's. The venue is still the magnificent same, the service still as good but I would guess a new chef. At R2000 for a bottle of wine, 2 pizzas and a shared crostini we felt over priced for an inferior product to previous years. It was enough to put us off returning. It was interesting to see most eating places were struggling to put customers on seats. Places like All Spice used to be full from 7.30pm onwards , they didn't ever appear to be half full recently. I would guess you could walk in to most places without booking but this of course was not during the Christmas /New Year period.
As for other observations.... building continues in many places. The rubbish situation is neither better or worse than the last couple of years. There were slightly more beggars around but not that many.Business is down everywhere but this is a global tourism problem not just Goa's.
We didn't feel in threat of danger anywhere. We were not offered drugs, we didn't see anyone dealing in them but we don't look too hard. No signs of a sex industry either but it may well exist. Terrorism may be a threat but it is at home just as much as there.We were not frightened by the idea of such attacks. Corruption might well be rife in politics and policing but it doesn't worry the honest and law abiding tourist one bit.If you stay in a decent standard hotel, avoid less desirable places you can't go wrong.
As for the Russians, well there are a lot around nowadays. I tried my best to smile and say hello to all I met. Some were responsive some were not. Some totally ignored a "Good morning" as you passed but I don't put that down to ignorance, just a difference in cultures and a language barrier. The older ones must have been brought up in an atmosphere of being suspicious of everyone in case they were KGB !! Some of their younger visitors were a bit noisier than the average tourist but it was interesting to note that there are many many more younger Russian visitors than British ones.In November and early December most Brits are nearer retirement age it seems.
We went to Goa thinking this would be our last visit for a year or two as we have been three years on the trot. We left undecided having had our best visit yet. As an holiday venue it ticks so many boxes. Sun, a warm pool to swim in and a choice of eating places that offer incredibly cheap prices compared to their equivalent in other parts of the world.
There are so many places around the globe I want to visit but when it comes to pricing and value, Goa appears still out in front.
We may be back sooner than planned !
PS Prices are roughly the same as last year, the exchange rate better. The most noticable increase was the average price of a bottle of Kingfisher. Last year it appeared to be about R55, this year R70 but at less than £1 for 650ml thats still great pricing !