Dom's Beach Shack Goa

We stayed in Novotel Goa Dona Sylvia from 26/12/23 to 1/1/24 We chose the hotel as it was right next to Grand Gigis where we were attending a wedding. As far as locations go, its pretty good. There is direct access to cavelossim beach which is a clean well kempt beach and the stray dogs generally appear to be in good condition. There are a couple of beach shacks which serve good food – in particular we enjoyed the food and service at Sams Beach Shack. Positives: Good location, nice widespread and well kempt grounds. Breakfast was lovely with a large varied spread and the staff very helpful during meal times. Negatives: Unfortunately the hotel did not meet my expectations for a 5 star hotel. Room cleaning wasn’t particularly thorough eg dirty floors. Room cleaning often didn’t happen until 3-4 pm and on one occasion no one had come around at all so I had to phone reception about this. Toilet roll was not replaced during cleaning and this needed another call to reception to replenish. The rooms were a bit dark, basic and tired and did not make you feel like you were staying in a lush 5* hotel. During check in there were no welcome drinks that were offered and we were not informed our hotel stay included the NYE gala as well as any other additional information. They may seem like small things but when you pay more than 2000 british pounds for 6 days hoping for a lux experience, the experience certainly fell short. Summary: 6/10 overall. Did not meet expectations and did not compare well to other 5 star resorts in that part of the world.

Pros 1. Great location 2. The food was good, particularly the indian cuisine 3. The swimming pool and beach was anazing Cons 1. We were with our infant so we booked the the premium villa rooms which are the highest category and large rooms. They faced the garden before the beach. The hotel garden was booked for weddings for all the days and they would play loud music until 10pm. 2. The housekeeping staff did not understand the meaning of do not disturb. They would not knock the door but would end up calling us in the room. Our baby woke up thrice because of this. 3. The spa treatment was cut short buy a few minutes. The staff thought we were with a wedding group so we felt they did not provide a delightful experience

Love the Architecture, the landscaping, the club area for kids, the pool, different restaurants to cater to different pallettes... and the best part is the gorgeous walkway to the beach. An open, no crowd beach that also had water sports which had not started anywhere in South Goan beaches, when we visited! Rooms are lovely and the sit out area looks out into the beautifully maintained gardens. Rooms: Great rooms and also love the balcony/ porch area, perfect to sit out and also dry your clothes :D Nearby activities: Check out along the beach? Where we could do Para sailing, banana boat ride, Ringo, jetski and yes... go for that Dolphins spotting boat ride. It's worth it. Say Hello to the white speckled Dolphin fun us! Walkability: Love how the property connects to the beach through a scenic landscape. Noteworthy details: The quaint market outside the Resort has places you can hire cars and bikes from. Don't miss the little but amazing Restaurant Robin's Ark just across the road for amazing food and live music

Thank you (housekeeping team) Joy, Wellesly, Sachin for wonderful room decor for special occasions on my dear son vrajraj's birthday and 12th wedding anniversary. We loved and enjoyed a lot thanks once again Rooms: 5 Service: 5 Location: 5 Hotel highlights: Great view, Quiet, Kid-friendly, Great value

Dont book at this so called 5 star resort unless you are used to substandard food and services. We encountered the following : “Executive Villa King Room” was actually a very small room bathroom with very low ceiling Your room can be either on the ground or first floor but they never ask for your preference repetitive unimaginative breakfast. Less very tasteless options for continental/ international food. Poor quality of room service food. The pepperoni on the pizza and bacon on the sandwich were inedible. wifi didnt work max speed 3.5 mbps.. they tried to fix but always fluctuating Pathetic aircon which doesnt cool and you have to use a fan Local taxis cant come in (union issue) so have take expensive ones from the union Small non HD TV property was being painted with unbearable smell all shacks closed at Cavelossim beach (not the hotels fault but they dont provide tables/chairs or food at the beach) Rooms: Small, dingy, low ceiling rooms bathrooms which they call “Executive Villa King Room”. No proper furniture to sit comfortably or eat dinner Small TV (not even HD) Very slow wifi. Even 4G connectivity slow. Not sure if designed to make you buy faster wifi Food drinks: Breakfast is repetitive with less options for non vegetarians/continental or international cuisines. Food quality of even room service food is below par We mostly ate at a nearby restaurant