Goa

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We went to Goa a couple of times in the early 90's and really enjoyed it. In 2010, after a trip around Northern India we were really looking forward to a return to Candolim in Goa but were disappointed at how it had changed. The area from the Aquad Fort to Baga had seen a lot of development and the infrastructure was struggling to cope. There was the problem of the ship that had run aground near the Taj hotel and that spoiled the beach but I believe that has now been sorted. There were lots of Russian tourist who were not not very well behaved and disliked by the Goans.
It might have been that when we first went we were working and the rest was what we were looking for and now retired we need something more than a beach.
We still love India and intend going back to the South which is our favorite region (with the exception of Kovalam).
We all like different holidays so this is just my slant on things.

We are still working and like it lively, but not too lively if you know what I mean.
As for the Russians they are everywhere now and always treat the locals badly and don't show respect, however I would not let them spoil my holiday. Where would you recommend for a couple in their mid forties:cool:
 
Hi Kenny, what time of the year are you thinking of going ,Xmas and new year are very busy and expensive ,we come then but only because we are off work anyway ,new years eve on the beach is really good with many thousands of people ,the beach at this time of year is quite dirty simply because of the numbers of tourists ,goa is also popular with Indians as well , the estate time is probably just before xmas or just after ,we are in giant now but it's very hot and humid ,although there are still lots of tourists here ,the plane was full coming out .
If you want close to the beach try a hotel called colonial santa maria ,we have not stayed there but it's very popular with British and is about a minute from the beach , we are staying at a hotell called the nazri ,this is our second stay and we have already booked again for Xmas, it's about 10 minutes to the beach but is very quite there are no buildings behind it just fields
 
I've been 4/5 times and I like benaluim (Francons guess house £3,50 a night ) it's quite enough to chill lots of open beaches you are close to the main town of margoa which is different also your in the middle"ish" so a bus trip to anjuna or agonda even kerala "boat trip up the river" are all pretty close also motorbike hire helps as your not haggling on taxi's
 
Not wishing to hijack the thread, but just what is it with the Russians?

We ate in numerous places where the locals breathed an audible sigh of relief when they discovered we were British.

Some of the stories they told of rudeness, downright insulting behaviour, aggressive drunkenness and leaving the toilets in a bad state made our toes curl.
 
I spent 4 weeks in North Goa in Anjuna a few years ago. Great place, lovely climate though I was bitten to hell and back by the mozzies.

Russians are an odd lot. They'd go down to the beach every morning to work out and generally act hard. No manners at all. Lots of Israelis just finished national service with a chip on their shoulder because they think no one likes them.

If a local says you have something in your ear it's a scam. Just ignore them. Lots of beggars and hawkers. You get used to it.

Cows on the beach, strange sight. Good raves if you like that. Anjuna flea market worth a look. Lots to see, good food, cheap beer. Love it, would go back tomorrow.
 
To fend off the muzzles we use something by lifesystems , very rarely get any bites ,you can get it from outdoor shops or ebay , it comes in different strengths , it can take the dye out of leather so be careful with handbags /shoes .
 
Bit of a shame that, but nothing surprises me these days. If I go somewhere it has to be clean and we love the beach as well. Would you still recommend the Park Hyatt now? I travel around the world being in the merchant navy and have seen some poverty.
Could not tell you, it was 8 or so years ago and things change. One thing is for sure I would not stay in a hotel that was not ON the beach if I was to go back.

One thing I forgot was the sea stunk of kerosene, it actually stung my eyes.. weird

Maybe my bad experience was highlighted by the fact I have young kids and I was constantly mindful of them touching things, but it doesn't change the fact that the country is filthy.
 
I can only go off my experiences, I have heard many tales about how goa was much better back in the day ,I never had the funds to come then so it's largely irrelevant to me ,I first came here 5 years ago and since then twice a year, when I met my now wife 4 years ago she wasn't interested in owing to goa and I sort of twisted her arm a bit and to be honest our first day she almost cried because she didn't like it however two weeks later she almost cried when we had to go home ,now she would can't wait you come back and arranges all our holidays .
I won't pretend this place is perfect ,there are beggars and hawkers and there is a lot of rubbish .there are many Russians here although we have not seen any instances that other people have described ,the locals don't like them .
Some people will come here and won't like it and others will have a great time ,kind of depends on you really .
 
minty63 said:
I can only go off my experiences, I have heard many tales about how goa was much better back in the day ,I never had the funds to come then so it's largely irrelevant to me ,I first came here 5 years ago and since then twice a year, when I met my now wife 4 years ago she wasn't interested in owing to goa and I sort of twisted her arm a bit and to be honest our first day she almost cried because she didn't like it however two weeks later she almost cried when we had to go home ,now she would can't wait you come back and arranges all our holidays . I won't pretend this place is perfect ,there are beggars and hawkers and there is a lot of rubbish .there are many Russians here although we have not seen any instances that other people have described ,the locals don't like them . Some people will come here and won't like it and others will have a great time ,kind of depends on you really .

There's less Russians there now than there were 2 or 3 years ago. Maybe something to do with the Crimea situation, maybe because of the collapse in oil price and the ensuing collapse of the Rouble etc. Apparently the direct flights from Russia were all cancelled this year.

There are hawkers and some beggars, these are much worse in the North than the South.

On the mozie situation, we went to the South of Goa for 2 weeks in January and we didn't get bitten once, also there's no need to take anti malarial tablets, as there had been in years gone by. Possibly due to the place cleaning it's self up a bit?

If you want to see dirt and poverty then go to North India. We did the Taj Mahal and Jaipur four years back, after that Goa appeared to be rich and spotless, we also went to the last Indian Grand Prix in 2013 and saw people living in the middle of roundabouts, Goa is nothing like this but be warned, it is a different culture so Western standards don't usually exist.

Goa, however, and Goan's have a unique character which many people do fall in love with.
 
Thank you all for the information. I am definitely going to go to Goa. Hopefully it will be good. I can make the best of a bad situation but the other half will never let me forget it if it is bad. I will be on here giving feedback as this MB site has been much better than trip advisor
 
Hi Kenny, just noticed where you are from ,we live in Ashington Northumberland, if you want to get together over a beer we can give you many tips
 
Hi Kenny, just noticed where you are from ,we live in Ashington Northumberland, if you want to get together over a beer we can give you many tips
 
Sounds like a plan. I get home on Wednesday but have a pretty busy 3 weeks off then back to work. So the earliest will be end of April if you are up for it:thumb:
 
Anytime is good for me free every night after work and most weekends ,post on here when you're back and we can arrange to meet
 
I'd like to go back one day. I went some 20 years ago and remember spending hours on a bus with no windows travelling to where we were staying and seeing lots of motorcycle accidents on the way. People were really friendly except a lady selling pineapples on the beach, I said no to one seller then thought actually I would like one so bought a pineapple off the next lady when the first lady came back and hit me over the head with a pineapple and said what is wrong with mine :D

We borrowed an old 350 Enfield motorcycle off the lad that worked in a bar and gave him my holiday shorts, t shirts and flip flops when we left and he was over the moon. Happy days :bannana: although I remember going exploring on the bike and came across a prison with all the inmates arms hanging out of the barred windows, still remember that bit like it was yesterday :eek:
 

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