My travel agent offers me three options of smaller hotels in Goa, and I wanted to find out whether anyone on our board has experience with (any of) the following names: Siolim House, Languna Anjuna, Panjim House/Panjim Pousada.
All are presented to me as small size and cozy alternatives to a large beach resort. Or should we take a beach resort anyway? We will be in Goa for three days and basically want to wander about and see things, we're not after a beach holiday in Goa. Thks

These cosy places are very nice. An article on the Siolim House was featured in the New York Times over a year ago (see http://www.siolimhouse.com). However, they may not have the resources of a larger resort.

My personal recommendation is (taking into account your caveat that you are not after a beach holiday): book a Bay-view room at the Goa Marriott (http://www.goamarriottresort.com). It is located in the capital city of Panjim and all points of interest are within 20-50 minutes of driving time. The Goa Marriott is unlike any other Marriott property. Their service ethic and quality is exceptional. The Bay-view rooms look straight into the Mandovi river as well as the Arabian Sea. You cannot go wrong at the Goa Marriott.

Hi, cram!

Your plans for Goa are pretty much identical to ours, just a few weeks ago.... we weren't very keen on the beaches, as, coming from Australia, we do pretty well right here at home -- but we did want to wander around the old areas and get the feel of the Portuguese era of Goa.

The Panjim Inn is lovely, and in a great area for wandering around (and only a five-minute walk from the bus stand where you can get a bus to Old Goa) though we only saw the Inn from the outside -- it was a little above our budget (I think a double room was 800 or 900 rupees).

We found what we were looking for just nearby to Panjim Inn: a quaint old Portuguese guest house in a cul-de-sac, with all those beautiful old streets only a few paces away. This is Afonso's Guest House (it's in Lonely Planet), where our double room cost 500 rupees -- not the cheapest place in town (you can stay at the Republica for 300) but so clean and well-kept, and with really HOT showers, that as value for money it would be hard to beat.

Sorry, I don't know anything about the other two places you mentioned. Have a great time in Goa.... and don't miss going to Old Goa!

Thanks, Alan. Checking this out.

we stayed at the Highland Beach Resort, which is not too far from Calangute. The hotel was clean, comfortable, and had all the nice amenities one could want without the huge prices. The beach is not far away, and it has a great location for visiting many areas of Goa, just get a car and driver and enjoy!!

Laguna Anjuna is a nice, basic property not far from anjuna beach. I am glad that you ahve clarified that you are not primarily interested in beaches - the beaches in north Goa are nto spectatcualr. In Goa the south is where the beaches are but that is far from all the fun, happening spots. Take a look also at Pousada Tauma - another lovely boutique property.

Hi
Wondered if I can piggy back on this post. We have the possibility of an RCI exchange to Goa after Christmas 2005. Could anyone help us choose the most suitable accomodation from a list I have of available places? Would really appreciate any assistance you can give.. thank you
Tina

cram-Alan's recommendation are very good. I've researched for the past 6 weeks and decided on Panjim Inn or Afonso's, whichever we like best. Panjim looks like a great place to base yourself in Goa! Good luck. We're there in mid March!

Panjim used to be a superb city until around 1982 when the real estate fellows ran amok and ruined her. Then came the explosion in vehicular traffic and now it is a mess. Those of us who grew up in Panjim know of a paradise soiled.

At any rate - if your budget allows, my recommendation for Panjim accomodations is the Goa Marriott. Absolutely outstanding service. March is also an off-peak time and you should be able to get deals in the $70-$100 range.

Also: March is when things begin to get hot, humid and sticky. So good accomodation does make a big difference that time of the year.

Is it really necessary to pay seventy to a hundred DOLLARS for accommodation in Panjim??? If that's what the Marriott is charging, then maybe they are part of the problem, not the solution, for the "paradise soiled"!! The old Republica Hotel, which pre-dates the real estate development of the eighties (in fact, it looks like it may well have predated the real estate boom of the 1880s, too!) offers rooms in off-peak (we were there in November, which I presume is off-peak) for 300 rupees, which is round about six American dollars. Our double room at the Afonzo cost us 500 rupees (about ten dollars) and we swallowed hard before going that high when there was so much around for less (a fellow resident of the Afonzo had just moved in from the Park Lane, up the street, where he was paying 250 rupees). Admittedly, we didn't look at any hotel which had a brand name in front of it, so I can't even remember seeing the Marriott). I assure you, while I have no doubt that the real estate development of 1982 did ruin Panjim (it didn't do much for my home town, Sydney, either.... all those awful hotels in Darling Harbour!!)if you stay at the Afonzo, is a quiet cul-de-sac with no building in sight that wasn't there a hundred years ago, you will at least FEEL like you are in pre-1982 Panjim. If you pay a hundred dollars a night and stay at the Marriott, I have a feeling that you would feel like you were still at home.

Alan, it is not necessary to spend 100 dollars for accomodations in Panjim. But would a stay at the Marriott greatly enhance the comfort level and enjoyment of a stay in Goa? The answer is yes (note: it does not follow from this that you cannot enjoy Panjim unless you stay at the Goa Marriott). Hence the conditional "if your budget allows" in my earlier post.

It is, above all, a matter of taste and priorities. I prefer to stay at luxurious accomodations when I am on vacation, hence my recommendation. Some others spend their money differently. There is no value judgement here.

The Goa Marriott offers a first-rate product and is tremendous value for the money for a Westerner (a hotel in America with a similar level of service would cost not less than $400/$500 per night).

Alan: The Goa Marriott is perhaps the only structure that passes the basic tests of quality and aesthetics in a sea of third-rate concrete structures erected in Panjim in the past 2 decades.

In the past one year, the city has had some welcome infrastructural upgrades thanks to the can-do attitude of Goa's recently-ousted Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. The re-touched riverside promenade and the area around the old Medical College (the oldest in Asia, by the way) which served as the nerve centre for the International Film Festival are quite lovely.

Alan-I'm with you! under1500 rupees per night is OK by us!

I checked on the Goa Mariott's website and for my dates the nightly rate is US150!!! I've given up paying that rate anywhere except China! My partner wanted to stay at the Leela Palace in Bangalore until I told him it was US300 a night! What a joke!

Nice to hear from you, Lyndie -- and how I envy you this trip!

You say that you'll pick either Panjim Inn or Afonzos, whichever you like best.... I would say that this will be Panjim Inn, as it is really a lovely old building, and I hear the rooms are furnished with antique furniture! However, it's nearly twice as expensive as Afonzos (which is only a few doors away), so as value for money, Afonzos wins hands down. Still, we're talking the difference here between five dollars and nine dollars fifty, so, really, whatever you choose, you're laughing!

I know you will have a wonderful time! You, also, cram. Happy travelling!

Thanks Alan. Just get that credit card out of your wallet & book a flight. It's real easy! Seriously I'm so excited about returning to India I need a valium to sleep! 11 days and counting!