We were fortunate to stay at Wilfred's casa over New Year and were not disappointed. As previously discussed, the casa is off the main road and set back in a lush beautiful garden which gives it a feel of being an oasis of calm. The staff are welcoming and helpful - nothing is too much trouble. Wilfred (the owner) was extremly helpful, providing information before we arrived,organising airport transfers and was most patient when we changed dates and required an extra room for our son. He was extremely hospitable and the liitle extra touches like sweets and cake for new year made our stay memorable.
Our rooms were comfortable - we had one with ac (fan as well) both had good bathrooms and an added bonus of coffee/tea making as well as a fridge. If you needed water you just had to ask and the containers were filled. Pool towels were provided and if you required beach towels you could hire them.
We took breakfast on the top terrace, overlooking the rear garden and pool - a beautiful spot to catch the morning sunshine and enjoy the fresh picked fruit. Beer, wine and soft drinks were available - very reasonably and again, just ask a staff member and they will bring them (including wine glasses).
Walking to the beach takes approx 5 mins and is a wide long stretch of sand. The spot that you enter the beach is probably the quietist in the area, sort of inbetween calangute and baga beach and there is a huge choice of beach shacks that provide sunbeds free of charge as long as you are using them for a drink etc. Prices are some of the most reasonable we have seen in India, we tried 5 shacks during our stay and all provided really good food and cocktails. unfortunately we probably saw the beach in it's worst state due to the huge numbers of people congregating for the celebrations but despite this we still found it very relaxing. Yes, you will get asked if you want massages, fruit and a multitude of other things but we found that if you firmly said no they moved on. For a little more peace and quiet we did try a beach to the north of goa - Mandarim which again has shacks but is far more peaceful with less hassle. A return taxi journey to Mandrim costs around £15.
The highlight of the trip for our son was the opportunity to wash and be washed by an elephant at the spice plantation - highly recomended and again a bargain!
The only slight criticism would be the amount of Indian men constantly taking photos and videos of any women with fair skin on the beach, again this is less on the quieter beaches. We are used to this to some degree when travelling but we found this level to be intrusive (again, this high level may have been due to it being New Year).
That said, yes we will most definately be returning to Goa and would love to spend more time at the Casa Aleixo. Go and enjoy...
