hello out there,
we are in Jaipur rght now and we are going to fly to Goa soon. There we are looking for quiet places, nice beaches, far from the touristic all inclusive hotels. I heard Palolem and Betul are different and not overloaded with tourists. has anyone been there? does anyone know a nice place to stay there? Or is it better to choose another place in Goa?

Hi guys, hope you're having fun on the ground. Goa is a whole string of places, each one of which has its own vibe. I find most of it really ugly, with second rate beaches and third rate visitors but I'm a grumpy old sod. If you're young, Russian and rich, I'm sure you'll love it.

Drugs and alcohol are cheap. Every variation on the faded counter culture is there. Enjoy.

Heree are two hotels I've stayed at that fit your bill, but they are inland. I agree, you are very wise to avoid the tourist overload anywhere near the water at the main beaches. Forget the quality of the people, they're just ugly to look at.

www.panjiminn.com
www.siolimhouse.com

Both recommended.

If you can find a cool, groovy, hippie-ish, yoga-ish place that's the best. Check out
www.i-escape.com
and
http://www.sawdays.co.uk/accommodation/india/
for boutique places and some very cool options.
[type North Goa, then South Goa in the search box]

Oh dear, I'm just putting together a trip to India and had intended to go to Goa. As I'm neither young, rich nor Russian should I give it a miss? This will be my first trip there and I'm a bit overcautious! How about Ooty?

lol gertie: So I guess the drugs and the all-night trance dancing aren't your thing?

I'd canvas more opinions here before you make any decision - lol - kazillions of people LOVE Goa. But if you are a student of India, with an interest in culture, art, literature and religion - then I'd put it way down the list. If you just wanna hang out on a beach and pretend it's 1969 and you've never seen a palm tree before - then it's fine.

But there are many Goa's - there are great boutique hotels and options where you needn't run across a corpulent Russian in his Speedos - or an instant Rastafarian with fake rat's tails in their hair.

So don't let me put you off.

It's a city on a river, but Panjim is a charming old Portugese colonial town with lots of refurbished architecture that I fell in love with. (It's where Dogster's first hotel is). There will be day-tripper buses but, from what I saw on a very brief visit, it's short on tourists and long on atmosphere. After hearing negatives about the beaches from many, we chose this were patting ourselves on the back. The surrounding countryside, winding roads through tropical greenery, past crumbling villas, was memorable. I saw one Indian transvestite, two quasi hippies and no Russians!

Hmmm, I can deal with hippies and trannies, even corpulent Russians, but not too keen on coach tours and cruise ships. As for 1969, been there, done that. Not again, yawn. Yes, real Indian art and culture sounds good, as do old Portuguese towns. I think I need to do a lot more reading on this before I make any rash decisions. Looks like I've fallen over a fun section of Fodors.

Here's some Goa reading:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...rd---india.cfm

about half way thru.

Both schools of thought are right in one way or the other.
Goa is loved by many, not necessarily the nondescript, & some hate it like plague!
The beaches are crowded & noisy but if you walk along for some distance you do find space, my experience though is limited to South Goa, where I stayed for a week, some years back & visited north on day trips. South Goa is also quieter as compared to some northerly areas.
Goa is certainly not all beaches. You could visit The grand cathedrals of Old Goa, including the rarely visited St. Augustine Tower, the museum of Christian Art at Rachol, Old homes in all goan villages & especially at Loutolim. Big Foot at Loutolim, where Goanese village life is recreated in an exhibition-style setting. The Latin Quarter in Panjim or the Fontainhas, is Goan heritage at its best.
The Leela Palace or the Taj Exotica are some of those properties, which make up for a truly memorable experience, with great restaurants & service. A lunch partaken off at the poolside restaurant of Cedade de Goa will be appreciated. The beach at Cedade De Goa, I noticed, had darker sand.
There are some fine local rerstaurants as well - 'Pentagon', has an open air restaurant; The Martin's Corner, serve good food.
Imo, one may not go out of the way to accomodate Goa in one's plan but if you are travelling to South India, then why not a couple of days there as well.

If you have a budget that can meet the cost ( base rate is euro 320 per night per room for 2 persons incl. of breakfast and dinner. Rates higher from 20 Dec to 10 Jan ) I suggest The Nilaya at Arpora in the hinterland of Goa . See www.nilaya.com .

It was recommended to us by a fodorite some years ago , we went and loved it . Sent others there since who were also very happy .

Small , off beat decor that somehow works , and lovely food , service and staff .Excellent ayuvedic ? massage therapy . They provide cars and drivers to do trips individually and sometimes for all guests to beachside markets etc .

When touring by ourselves in Cavelossim we saw the fat europeans walking in the main streets wearing nothing but a thong and bearing their bottoms as a result. Unforgettable .So avoid cheap deals to large beachside resort hotels .

We were also sent to one of the resorts , The Leela Palace on the beach at Cavelossim .The beach was actually lovely ,water and sand clean and surprisingly free of touts etc .But the hotel itself was , well , just another resort .Rooms were fine and if you are a golfer there is a course attached with villa accomodation as an option as well .Food was good but after the Nilaya it was underwhelming . There were no men in thongs who looked like Russian oligarchs .

We had tried to get into Siolim House but it was booked out.

We loved Goa and its architecture , food and history .