Tag: Goa

I stayed along with my family in Sterling ‘Goa Villagio’ in July 2016.

Updates as of December 2018: Seems this is no more a Sterling Group Resort and this is now known as ‘Crystal By Morpho Goa Villagio Resort’.

Positives:

The Front office staff was very helpful.

There is enough parking area in the campus.

The Swimming pool is clean and of decent size.

Property is well maintained.

If you are looking for a peaceful environment away from the Goan Hustle, this would be a good option.

Betalbatim beach is just a short walk (around 1 km)

Martin’s Corner is 5 minutes drive (around 2Kms)

There is a car taxi stand near by.

Negatives:

Slightly away from the main attractions.

There is no markets/restaurants nearby. So you will be highly dependent on the restaurant inside the resort.

There is no lift facility, I guess.

If you don’t have your own transport, commuting would be a challenge.

Goa is one of the smallest and one of the most preferred tourist location in India. Most tourists come here during their winter to enjoy sunny days, blissful beaches, fresh seafood, spicy curries, vibrant markets and so on. Tourists typically know Goa as North and South Goa, the former being the place to be if you’re looking forward to a “happening” holiday, and the latter, if you need a more relaxing respite from your hectic lifestyle. Goa is a perfect gateway for all, no matter it’s a Family holiday, a quick weekend gateway or a honeymoon trip…

Some places/activities that we tried:

1.Aguada Fortress:

Fort Aguada is a medium size fortress with a light house on the top of the rocks in Aguada district made by Portuguese in Goa.We get an excellent sea view from this Fortress.

2. Basilica of Bom Jesus

This church is often called as Basilica of Good Jesus and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The structure has stood the test of time and has been preserved quite well. The church holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier.

3. We also managed to do a small Cruise journey with lots of music and dance. It was exciting.

4.Tried some water sports . It was a nice experience.

If interested, you can also try your luck in some Casinos here.

There are so many nice beaches in Goa like below (read somewhere that there are more than 25 beaches)

1. Calangute
2. Palolem
3. Baga
4. Vegator
5. Ozram
6. Anjuna
7. Keri
8. Mandrem
9. Arambol
10. Colva
11. Galgibaga

We had stayed in Sterling Resorts ‘Goa Villagio’. It was a decent resort but slightly far from the happeneing places.

We had taken a car for rent and tried to explore some interior villages in Goa. That was fun and exciting. Goa’s interiors are rich in biodiversity and wildlife.

The Goan’s are renowned for their fine multi-cultural cuisine.

Two hotels that I would recommend based on my experience are (though slightly expensive):

1. Zeebop Sea food Restaurant:

We were told it is one of the best places to go to in South Goa. If you are staying in Dabolim this is a convenient place to get to with a scenic drive through the Goa countryside with its churches and Portuguese era country mansions ending on the quiet beach where this restaurant is located.

We really enjoyed the Fish menu in this hotel. Ambiance was also nice, quite near to the sea.

2. Martin’s Corner:

Another highly recommended hotel as per Trip Advisor reviews.

This is indeed a bigger restaurant with a wide spread of Sea food menu.

Not too many options for vegetarians.

The seafood served here is simply awesome.

How to reach:

By Air: Dabolim Airport is 29 kilometres away from the state’s capital, Panjim. It is well connected by daily flights from Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Cochin and Bangalore.

Mopa Airport is an under-construction greenfield airport being built at Mopa in North Goa (as of dec 2018)

By Train: The two major railheads in Goa are Madgaon and Thivim, which are well connected by trains from all over the country.

By Bus: There are a number of public as well as private bus operators in Goa, which offer options for intra-city and inter-city conveyance.