STAYING IN GOA
Accommodation in Goa is
plentiful with a variety of hotels, resorts and guest houses to suit every
budget and every taste. There are simple and bare rooms available for the
thriftiest of back-packers and five-star deluxe luxury suites for those that
want to indulge their fancies.
Almost all round the
year, travellers are usually assured of finding a room - if not in a hotel,
then at least in a private house. However, come the peak season of December and
January, you are likely to experience problems, unless you book your rooms well
in advance.
In a recent poll
conducted by Smart Asia Travel.com readers, Goa has been ranked Sixth Best
Holiday Destination in Asia for the year 2009.
Just around Christmas
until the dawn of the new year, Goa is in festive mood and plays host to
hundreds and thousands of visitors from all over India and around the world. So
accommodation is at a premium everywhere.
Most accommodation in
Goa can be categorised in the following typical types:
BUDGET HOTELS:
This type of
accommodation is suitable for the budget-minded traveller and especially the
backpacking tourist. This can range from simple, bare rooms in regular
guesthouses to cosy well furnished rooms in family-run guesthouses.
This kind of
accommodation is costlier in the city and popular coastal belt areas and
cheaper if you go off the beaten track in the rural areas. A decent double room
with a fan, attached bath and toilet typically costs around Rs. 200/-. The
prices usually double in the peak season period.
It is always a good idea
to check the state of the bathroom and toilet confirming your reservation with
money.
If you want to get a
taste of the typical rural Goa, try accommodation in a family house with
mud-floored rooms. The water supply is usually the common village well and
baths/toilets are in small outhouses.
MID-RANGE HOTELS:
The next step up is the
budget mid-range hotels which are to be found all over Goa and form the major
portion of the available accommodation. These have proper reception areas, well
appointed rooms, room service and usually a restaurant.
Off season, these hotels
are the best bet for your stay. But, most of these hotels are fully booked with
hordes of Charter tourists from Europe during the peak season, so finding a
room might be a little difficult. However there are still rooms to be found for
the walk-in tourist although at a slightly higher tariff.
The tariffs for rooms at
such hotels range between Rs 400/- to Rs 800/- for a good-sized room with a
fan, en-suite bath/toilet, a balcony and hot and cold running water. There are
optionals such as cable TV and air conditioning also available. Most 1-star and
uncategorised hotels fall in this category.
UPMARKET HOTELS:
These higher budget
range hotels in Goa can be classified into two categories: the slick modern
2-star and 3-star hotels which can be found in all the major towns as well as
all the popular coastal belt and the high-priced international standard 5-star
luxury resorts which cater to the rich and the famous. The luxury resorts are
all located in the coastal areas within easy walking distance
of a beach.
of a beach.
Resorts in this category
typically have their own restaurants with different cuisines, coffee shops,
large swimming pools, sports and gym facilities along with shops selling
everything from books to carpets.
The luxury rooms at
these type of establishments range typically from Rs 2000/- to Rs 10000/- per
night and it is often best to stay at these hotels
on one of their special packages available at a much lesser rate.
on one of their special packages available at a much lesser rate.
LONG-TERM RENTALS:
A number of travellers,
especially foreigners, prefer to spend a fairly longer period of time from a
month to as many as six months at the leisurely pace of life in Goa. For such a
stay, it is best to rent houses or rooms by the month, or season.
Rents usually vary from
area to area and even village to village, but you can expect to get
accommodation for around Rs 3500/- to Rs 5000/- a month depending upon the
season and the facilities included in the cost.
It is also worth
considering sharing such long stay accommodation with two or three people so as
to bring down the costs. Most importantly, reserve such long-term accommodation
well in advance to get a good bargain as most such houses and rooms are rented
by visitors who return to the same house year after year and as such get first
preference.
Such rentals are mostly
to be found in the small villages around the beach areas and are owned by the
local villagers. The more deposit you pay upfront and the longer you intend to
stay, the less the accommodation cost.
