Vivanta lives upto the expectation of the Taj brand. It has a great location, though no beach/sea views, excellet service and facilities. Their Jiva Spa is the best spa with professional lady-masseuses help us relax after a hectic day. Excellent ambiance and good food. If you find the food expensive, you have the option of picking up something from their coffee shop Caramel at lower prices. Overall I had a great stay

I stayed here for 5 nights. Cannot see enough about the place or the staff. It was absolutely wonderful. The internet reception was great, even on the top floor by the swimming pool.
Unfortunately I had a case of food poisioning (eating at a local restaurant while on a tour), and once the front desk knew about my condition, it appears that everyone on the staff knew and went out of their way to make sure I was comfortable. They sent me hydration powder right away. Called a doctor at my request and picked up the prescription for me. Cannot say enough about the Service that I got for the next 2 days while I was sick, including small touches like sending popcorn/pop to the room and a collection of movies.
Special mention to Food and Beverage Manager Krishna, who went out his way to make sure I had the proper nutrition for my condition, including preparing special light dishes for me.
Not necessarily a good way to spend two days in Goa after paying for a 5* hotel, but in the end I am glad I was there for the attention and care I received. One thing, if you are planning to stay at the hotel, it is way cheaper to get a prepaid taxi, vs getting the hotel to pick you up.

Everything was so awesome that i just wished to have every sleep in my room... It was total fun too with sony 5.1 home theatre system in there and the mini-bar!!! i just loved it and will definitely going to stay there again!!!

I have recently staid at the Vivanta by Taj in Panjim, Goa and while the location is better suited for business travelers then for tourists it's not a big issue because the hotel offers a good transportation service and there are usually taxi's outside or you can rent a motorbike just accross the corner. So if you don't mind travelling 15 minutes to a beach this is still a very good place to stay.
As for the hotel itself, we staid in a suite, so I cannot rate the standard rooms but the suite was excellent. Very clean, very comfortably equipped, hell it even came with its own coffee machine. If there was a guide on what you have to do to deserve a 5 star rating these guys could have written it. From the minibar and snacks (chargeable) to the fruit platter and chocolates (both FOC) all the way to the free newspaper selection in the cafe, it's all there. It's little things, given that, but they are conveniently there for that feeling of being extra welcome. And let's face it 4 star hotels are usually very comfortable places to stay in but it is the little things that elevate a place to luxury. Now enough of the praise, there are some issues too, so here are the pros and cons:

Pro:
- Very clean
- Good price/value
- Well equipped
- Good restaurants (Local & Japanese)
- Very proffessional reception staff. (In fact, two of the reception managers have gone so far out of their way to help us that I felt compelled to write a commendation to hotel managment)

Con:
- Location away from the beaches/tourist spots
- Strange timing policy - I guess I should elaborate on that.....we came to the breakfast at 10:32am precicely, the breakfast closes at 10:30. It's a buffet so normaly not a problem but the manager came to my table and asked me whether I want the buffet and when I said "yes please" he reverted with the words "but it's closed". It's almost comical really because while he was talking to me, my better half had already plundered the remaining buffet. We were served very well in the end and except for the odd moment with the manager it was all good.

Verdict:
A few minor quirks aside, this is a place that lives up to its reputation in all regards. So thumbs up for that and I'd go there again given the chance.

PS: I did not have a chance to see the pool, the spa, or the gym so please see the review only for the hotel as such and the restaurants.