The Santa Monica is probably on a par with most 3 and 4 star Hotels along the Calangute area. If you want posh hotels DO YOUR HOMEWORK if you’re like me though and never expected anything on planet earth to be this bad then it’s a real eye opener!!! A hotel in a back lane is something i normally don’t do, especially arriving at night and with only the lights from the hotel advertising board to light the way through the dust and smell!!
Like most hotels it has plus and minus points, Staff a great laugh, Showers that just say pump enough water out to wet you! Breakfast available if you like toast and jam and a dodgy cup of Coffee, Otherwise pay for a cooked one. The Indian food on site is great and the beer is reasonably priced, for being a "Hotel". There’s also no internet access so be warned. The Dogs barking are a bit of a nuisance at night, but copious amounts of beer sorts that problem out!! The guests who were all great people to chat with over the new Year 2011/12 had more or less the same things to say about the hotel, nothing bad if you had been to Goa before, first timers shock horror!!!
Reality, i was in total shock for the first 36 hours of arriving in Goa, from being met in the airport from the local soldier in immigration, everyone and their granny wanted to see my passport and visa. Talk about Go Slow, which incidentally was a taste of things to come!!!
The SM is a great place to stay if you’re using it as a base, clean tidy, even a TV in the room… Even the local taxi drivers outside the hotel are decent and as proved with us they took us to some great places, cheaply! Candolim is 10 mins down the road which also has great restaurants and bars, nothings too far away from SM.
Not sure I’d stay at the SM again, but looking back on my first holiday to Goa I’d definitely go back to India, reason being I’d probably visit south Goa next time…
- Santa Monica Resorte Calangute
- Santa Monica Resorte Hotel Calangute
