Goa advice needed
 

Morning everybody and Merry Chrsitmas!

You'll normally find me on the Middle East section as I live in Dubai, but me and my wife are heading to Goa tomorrow for Christmas.

Now we're staying in Shiolim, in Shiolim House which looks lovely but we have 5 days there - and I realise it's going to be rammed for Christmas but we've looked in guide books but I much prefer advice from the horses mouth!

So can you guys give me some tips of places I should go and see, also good places to eat, either little nice places or the more expensive places to go for a really nice meal?

Thanks in advance, cheers,
Spugsy ;)

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Welcome to the Goa Forum - I am sure MsJ5 will answer your question about the area in which you are staying.
There is a section in the Goa Forum regarding eating places.
Have a good holiday, and a Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Hi since you are in north goa visit brittos shack at baga and souza lobo at calangute for some good food... In the south you can visit Martins Corner..

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Thalassa.. a greek restaurant at Vagator is very popular. If you want a good honest fish curry rice platter go to Anand between siolim and Anjuna.Amancio`s by the river is a locals bar and restaurant but the indian and Chinese food they cook is fab but does tend to get very busy in the evenings....will be great when they open the new restaurant just across the road.Hope you find some good places to go and eat. have a fab holiday.

PS please ignore the above post as both of these places are over priced/over rated and i wouldn`t use either of them.

Re: Goa advice needed
 

This is utter rubbish, just a quote from fee paying guide books. These places are expensive fashonista dumps with awful service and food............ but domestic tourists don't feel like they have been to Goa unless they have been ripped off there (and photographed 75 times)............ read MsJ5's post and others on this forum and IndiaMike for recommendations to truly excellent eateries.

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Hi RiaAlvares - welcome to the Goa Thread, must say I agree with the other posters about Brittos and Souza loba, they are both overpriced there are far better shacks to excellent food.

Re: Goa advice needed
 

[QUOTE=RiaAlvares;10446823]Hi since you are in north goa visit brittos shack at baga and souza lobo at calangute for some good food... In the south you can visit Martins Corner..[/QUOTE

Hi RiaAlvares

First of all welcome to BE
Sorry to say this to a new poster ..... but as someone who regularly visits North Goa I would actually recommend giving both Brittos and especially Lobos a very wide berth.

Brittos used to be lovely but the last two times I have been there the food was overpriced and below average..........I think they were resting on old reputation. That said I did not go there last season and not yet in Goa to try this season so I would hope they have improved.

Souza Lobos...I have NEVER had a decent meal there....in fact out of my worst five meals in Goa.....4 of them were at Souza Lobos !!!! Unfortunately some friends of mine are friends of the owner so when they come to town they go there....which is the only reason I will set foot in the place.

Dread - x

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Martins Corner is OK though, very good service and atmosphere, but South. Just book in advance and don't sit near the music loud speaker.

Re: Goa advice needed
 

But do you want to pay top dollar for "ok" ?


.

Re: Goa advice needed
 

I mean't not 'terrible' as you were describing the other places.
I enjoy eating there (apart from the 'music'). There is not so much choice in the South.

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Quite,

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Hi Spugsy, I live in Siolim across the creek from Siolim House, which is a lovely place to stay despite being very expensive by our standards but avoid any suggestions by them as they will only point you to other expensive places or try and get you to do the new cookery class or yoga..If you walk into the centre of the village and find a local taxi driver you will get good advice about where to go. If you want a taste of Goa then local restaurants are the best and the beach shacks in the main in Morjim, Mandrem, Ashvem are fine. It will be very busy in Baga and Calangute over Chistmas so stay local or go north. There is a local market in Mapusa every day.
For restaurants in Siolim try Flavorz, Amancios in Tar, Little Goa opposite the SFX school and a new one in Tar that I do not know the name of. On the road towards Chapora is Candle light and Mamas Corner. There is a good band playing in Tessos further down the road from you on Christmas Eve.
There is a music festival in Baga Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
You must go to the fishing port of Chapora and if you want a walk up to the old fort with some lovely views of the river and the sea.
Have a great time and may see you around..

:thumbsup:

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Avoid Goa! Christmas & New Year. All the numbnuts from BOMBAY & BANGALORE Come here to get rat-arsed on 5 Kingfishers and then become obnoxious. Look out for large people carriers with 20 persons on board. I have not visited Baga Candolim for over 2 years so imagine it is even worse than i remember.Sorry to be so negative, but if i had a choice i would choose Kochi Kerela. Hello to all like me who keep coming to GOA even though there is no Golf Course (who cares) I am just one of those low caste tourists who spend about 5 Lahk rupees a year spending the winter in GOA,instead of lining the pockets of those over-priced Hotels that are available (allegedly in GOA) All the best from Mr APPY

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Rdenero

I would have to agree with you.....and add that traffic in North Goa is a nightmare so be prepared to walk if you want to go out anywhere on either Xmas or New Years Eve (especially as many of the taxi drivers try to quadruple their prices on these nights!). Also many drivers - both Indians and Tourists - are paralytic drunk so be careful even when walking......

Additionally the beach vista is somewhat awash with the baggy brown undies brigade !!! :rofl::rofl:

Dread - x

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Keep meaning to buy brown underpants not available in the U.K.

Would like to walk around with them on my head, of course with designer label such as TITAN Watches or TATA crapmobile.

About to finish my Xmas Scotch Whisky pressy.

Thank you for reply. rdenero

Re: Goa advice needed
 

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Dread - x

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Oh my God --- Is Goa really this bad .I am being posted to Goa by my company ; a global brand company, very soon. I will be living in Candolim. Our company has bought a small gated complex comprising of 5 Villas for our staff. I have been, since I was informed that I would be taking this step up the corporate tree , searching out info about Goa , from the horses mouth so to speak. This site is by far the best that I have come across, although I find some of the comments worrying as regards to the nature of our forthcoming business venture.

Re: Goa advice needed
 

I should qualify my last remarks ---- not comments on this thread --- just comments in General regarding out of state Indians behavior when they are drunk .

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Happy Christmas and all the best with your new job. Depends what your forthcoming business venture is but if its something to do with recycling, waste treatment plants, town and country planning or environment protection then you will do well.
Good luck in Candolim during the Sunburn Festival and bring your ear plugs..:)

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Hi Schwetta

Just noticed you are a new poster so welcome to BE and the Goa forum.

All the best with your business venture and life in Candolim

Dread - x

Re: Goa advice needed
 

have to say mate..... having lived in benaulim (south) for 5 years on and off, the worst place to eat ( or push plate away in disgust!) is gaylins in margao town. its chinese crap which WILL make you ill. thats the only place i've attempted to eat and couldnt!
apart from that there are a lot of good places to eat. half the fun is finding them yourself. the pentagon at majorda is one of the finest.
have fun looking for them and avoid the dodgy cab drivers. i havnt been back to goa since selling my house there. i was one of the lucky ones. just try and be a tourist and youll be ok. you wont see them comeing!! you WILL be ripped off, but if a tourist you wont realize ...lol

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Hi all,

well just a quick note to say thanks for all the advice - we had an amazing trip.

We stayed in Siolim House and got a scooter to whizz around the island on. We enjoyed the beaches, the people were great and we saw a few churches, temples and did a trip to the place where they make all the spices.

We ate out a lot, especially at a French fusion place called 'La Plage' which was superb, ate crackling pork, drank lots of kingfisher and yeah, got ripped off a few times by a couple of hundred rupees or so but all in all had a brilliant time - and at 3 hours away by flight from Dubai we'll definately be back!

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Very glad to hear you had a great time!

Which "island" did you whizz round on on your scooter?

H.

Re: Goa advice needed
 

lol...its amazing the people who think goa is an island......maybe next time they should check out the continent sri lanka..
seriously though, glad you had good time. just dont fall into the trap of thinking you can buy a house there to retire to!!!

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Glad you had a good time Spugsy

See ya next year in Goa

Dread - x

Re: Goa advice needed
 

ha we already spoke about that! I take it you can't?

Although next time we may hire a house and stay there with mates rather than a hotel...I wish I was back there now to be honest. And thanks again for all your info.

Oh and driving round the beaches I think I just referred to it as an island, my mistake ;)

Re: Goa advice needed
 

I notice some have started charging for the sunbeds in North Goa.........saw a few signs in the shacks........... "Deck beds 50 rupees"

Dread - x

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Do people really visit Goa and come back home convinced that they have been on an island ?

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Depends on what they have been smoking!:p

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Actually sat in a shack in Baga one New Years Eve when one of th winmen there got so stoned she was heard to say "Look how clear the Isle of Wight is tonight" ............... :lol::rofl::lol:

Must have been damn good stuff she smoked !!!!!:blink:

Dread - x

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Welcome back to goa dread. hope you have a good time.!!!If you want to escape the chaos of Candolim for the serenity of Siolim just let me know.

Re: Goa advice needed
 

Thank you Jill

It is certainly good to be back....but yes chaotic it certainly was tonight when I went for a little walk - full scale barney between a group of Russians and a group of Kashmiris over a leather jacket............sometimes it is rather fun to understand certain phraseology in both languages !!!!! :ohmy:

Dread - x