Having travelled to Goa now for 20+ years we were worn with the beach scene & decided upon Assagao - leafy, a bit cooler weather wise, hilly, and only about 12 mins in a vehicle to Anjuna etc and 5 mins from Mapusa. This is THE best place we've stayed at, and cheaper than hotels which offer far less comfort, cleanliness, privacy & quiet. The open plan upstairs house is great, the side pool and outside shower were a bonus. We had a fully self contained downstairs flat that we didn't even use, that comes with the rental as well. The owner who you deal with making the booking is very helpful, the caretaker Pascal is unobtrusive, but always smiling and there to help - and keeps the place in good shape. I strongly recommend you take him up on his cooking (quite seriously - for meat eaters, his chicken curry is restaurant quality & the best I've had!). There's also a taxi service they can arrange - the owner is very chilled, prompt, reliable, with set prices. A bonus for animal lovers is Jacky the dog - he'll sus you out to see if he's welcome first, but if he is, consider yourself having a guest for your visit - very friendly, great with kids, and a good watch dog, very loveable, and likes attention - especially in the mornings. If you're not into animals I get the impression he figures that out and stays away and just does guard duty. (And if you are into animals expect his mates to drop by to check you out - and then you don't get barked at as you walk around the neighbourhood). All in all a gem of a find and one we will use again and again