Just returned from 2 weeks at the Goan Village and as it was our first time in India it was a culture shock for the first couple of days.
We were in a "deluxe" room on the top floor which had formerly been an apartment and the kitchen was hidden by the wardrobe which was in front of an archway.The lounge area was very basic and had a ceiling fan.The bedroom had a/c and a fan.The bathroom was a wetroom and the water was heated by an immersion heater so it took a few minutes between showers to heat up.
The bedding and towels were a bit poor but clean and sometimes in short supply as we had to phone a few times as towels were not automatically replaced when the room was cleaned.
Cleaning standards were basic but on reflection they had very poor cleaning materials supplied and some bleach down the toilet and some disinfecant wouldnt have gone amiss.
For those that mentioned the linen was blood stained it was just other guests who had henna tatoos and presumably the laundry the hotel uses does not have biological washing powder!
There were notices in the rooms concerning the tatoos and guests were warned that they would be charged for stains which occured.Whether this ever happened I dont know.
We had 2 balconies one overlooking the pool and one at the back overlooking "local life " which was interesting but a problem when you were woken a couple of times in the night by barking wild dogs.
The staff were all friendly and polite and breakfast was a bit unusual but the porridge was great and the chef made lovely omelettes.It would have been nice to have had better quality coffee & tea although we got used to what was on offer.
To me the bar area was not very welcoming for an evening but fine to use in the day if you were by the pool.
A negative point was the Russians who were staying there were very noisy and drinking alcohol at breakfast time.Needless to say we didnt stay around at night as there were so many good eating places and bars nearby.
We did get a safety deposit box which was near reception at a charge of 100rupees a day but saying that it was a perfectly safe hotel with 24hr security.
The maintenance of the hotel building was poor especially at the back and also new furniture and fridges were desperately needed.
We still had a lovely holiday and the situation of the hotel and pleasant staff made it for us.
We travelled with Thomson and I think they were a bit generous in giving the hotel a 3 star rating even though the official rating is 2 star.
I feel we got what we payed for considering the cost of our holiday and I would say that I might stay there again if nothing better was available for a similar price.

First of all the positives, sorry I mean positive, the bar / breakfast staff are trying their best in very difficult circumstances. This hotel is supposed to be a Thomson 3T rated property, equivilent to our original choice of hotel, The Sonesta Inns, which is a genuine 3T rated property, and I know this, because my wife and I stayed there December 2010/ January 2011.

It is to a degree not the ALegria Goan Village Resorts fault to be truthful, however how much as they try, they cannot get even the basics of sevice and cleanliness correct, but to be fair to them, I spoke to the Owner, and the Manager Sushant, whilst they were understanding and courteous, they did agree " off the record" that their hotel is nowhere near the same standards as the Sonesta Inns Hotel. However they did not set there own 3T rating, Thomson Holidays did, and who was the Owner to argue !!

Just to fill you in on the background here. My wife and I spent a marvellous two week break at the Sonesta Inns Hotel in December 2010/ January 2011, so much so, that on our return to the UK. we immediatley re-booked with Thomson Holidays on 15th January 2011.

All was well until 28th September 2011, when, completely out of the blue, we received a rather curt letter from "Thomson Pre Travel Services Department " ( beware these people, they are blatant liars )to advise me that they had cancelled their contract with the "Sonesta Inns Hotel" and were please to inform me ( what a joke !! ) that they had found me an alternative 3T rated hotele, this being the "Alegria Goan Village Beach Resort Hotel ", sounds nice eh, it is not, trust me on this one,

I immediately contacted Thomson Pre Travel Services Department, in an attempt to discover why this had happened, they were very guarded with their answers, so I took it upon myself to contact the Sonesta Inns Hotel myself, I was informed by the manager there that Thomson Holidays had pulled out of the contract on 4th August 2011, a full SEVEN weeks before they had the decency to inform me of this by letter, and the reason,you are gonna love this one, PRICE !!!

The irony is, and I have this on very good authority from an employee of Thomsons own "Pre Travel Services Teams, that they actually paid more to send us to the "Alegria Goan Village Beach Resort Hotel ". Why is this, I know why, Corporate companies weilding their power.
Why back down, just send the customers to another hotel, after all we have there money!!

I defy anyone, and I mean ANYONE, to look at the two properties and even try to compare them like for like, it is like comparing an apple with a pineapple.

Basically, a warning to any Thomson Holiday customers who have been informed that their original choice of hotel thas been changed, including people who should have been going to the "Silver Sands Hideaway Hotel" PLEASE do everything within your means before you leave the UK to demand that you are not sent to this, at best 1T rated hotel. You will not enjoy it, trust me on this.

Your holiday will be ruined, ours was, along with 3 other couples who had the misfortune to all be misled by Thomson Holidays,

I repeat once again, it is not the Hotels fault, it is however their responsibility to ensure that the rooms are clean, ( sort of !! ) bedding was bloodstained, (I have photographs) toilet was dirty,towels dirty, no hot water in our first room, when moved, only 6 minutes of hot water, trying to take a shower, was like a military operation !!

I have only touched the surface with what is bad about this property, if you are happy to stay in a 1T rated hotel, that is fine, but when you have paid for a 3T rated property, and then to have that taken away from you by Thomson "bloody" Holidays, is beyond reproach.

Just to finalize here, do not trust Thomson Holidays, in fairness the two representaives, Simon and Vicky, were hung out to dry, i fully explained my concerns with respect to this hotel, to Thomson Pre Travel Servcies, but they chose to ignore the 3 letters that I had sent to them before I departed the UK. I even left copies of my letter with the Resort Representatives to make them aware of the situation in the UK.

Thom Holidays Customer Service is appalling, I am in a battle with them now, for fair and adequate compensation, along with a number of other couples, for a holiday that I paid for and never received.

Thank you Thomson Holidays for ruining my wife and I annual holiday !!

A belated Merry Christmas to you all.

Would I recommend this hotel. NO WAY.



Steve.S.

I stayed at the Goan Village over the Christmas period. Overall I was extremely satisfied with the hotel, on arrival the check in was swift which was needed after a long journey. My room was perfect, extremely clean, I even checked the mattress and pillows as I have a bit of OCD but they were spotless !! The bathroom was clean and the shower was at one end but more of a wet room (no cubicle), constant hot water throughout my stay, although not a huge towel in the bathroom but was sent one within 5 minutes of asking, hairdryer, tea/coffee tray with snacks and full mini bar of cold drinks and beer. Television had about 96 channels, mainly Indian programmes but BBC News, MTV and a few English film channels. I asked for an iron and board and was delivered within seconds ! Also WIFI available if you pay, can't remember how much but very cheap.

The breakfast was spot on, tea/coffee, fresh juice, toast, cereal and a choice of eggs to order also an Indian selection of breakfast but didn’t try this. Didn’t eat in the restaurant but did have a gala Christmas day dinner which was fantastic, they spent all day decorating and put on a huge spread of various foods and then spent the evening entertaining us all.

The hotel is right in the middle of Candolim and the beach was a very short walk through some private housing estate and you were there.

The staff couldn’t have been more helpful, the manager even knocked on to check I was ok with everything as I was travelling alone. I made friends with all the bar staff and they were such a friendly bunch and nothing was too much trouble.

To anyone who may have had a bad experience all I can say is if you were not satisfied with something you should have spoken to the manager or staff, I found them extremely accommodating and nothing at all was too much trouble. Would definitely re-visit if I go this area.

This was our first time in Goa, and it was a shock when we arrived at the airport. To be honest we didn't know what to expect and were alarmed at the way people drive and the state of the place, I think we were a little niave. Once we had settled in, the place is just brilliant and we'll be going back next year. The rooms are spacious and are cleaned daily.
Lounge, Bedroom and Wet Room/Toilet. You get aircon and a fan in each room at no extra charge and a Fridge with Pop/Beers/Water all charge at the standard rate for Pubs/restaurants. The staff are super friendly and couldn't do enough to help or advise on trips and places to visit. I must make special mention of the Head Barman, Bala. The breakfast is Traditional Goan or you can select from the usual Cereals/Toast/Omlettes etc...
They have a Bar and Restaurant on site which serve both all day from 7am to 11pm. You can order anytime and the food is really good with a good selection on the menu. They even have barbeque nights (Wed & Fri) and you can sit by the pool and watch them cook your selections of Fish or Meat.
It took us about 2/3 days to get used to the goan way of life, it's not like anywhere i've been before, but as i said earlier i can't wait to go back. Having spent some time wondering around Candolim and speaking to other hotel guests, it is without doubt the best hotel in Candolim. I recommend you use a local trip company(we used John's Boats) as our tour operator was charging twice the amount for the same trip and then subcontracting to a local company.
Anyway, i'm digressing here. Back to the hotel. It is Off the main road but about 200m with a path leading down to the beach approx 600m away. There is very little traffic noise from the main road as it faces inwards, it may be different if your appt faces the road, our's faced the pool. It has a decent sized pool, with recliners and is constantly in the sun, It rises and sets in the east, so remember to turn over at Half Time :-)
I could just keep going on, but i think you get the idea.