Gjestevurderinger

av David M Exeter, Storbritannia

Recommended with reservations

I am a glass-half-full type of reviewer, looking for the upside to a holiday. There are lots of positives about the Era Santiago, but also some negatives to be aware of. The Era Santiago is a small hotel. This means that you get to know the staff and (Heaven forfend!) talk to other guests. The amenities and standard of decor may not be up to the 4 and 5 star hotels but there is a certain charm to the place. So, the executive summary: + Great location - on a quiet side-road but only 3 min walk to Baga town centre and 10 mins to Baga beach + Clean, good housekeeping + Good a/c and ceiling fans + Large rooms (with fridge) + Large shower with plenty of hot water + Outside areas and pool kept immaculate + Excellent, friendly staff who ask for (and remember) your name + Good quality food, made to order + No issues with hygiene (salads often ordered with no ill-effects) + Local gin and rum for all-inclusives, perfectly drinkable + Schweppes tonic, not cheap alternative + bottled beer (Kingfisher Premium for all-inclusive and other beers available at standard prices if want to pay for them) but... - Very limited area around pool to sunbathe (lots of shade) - Sun drops behind buildings and trees by 4pm - Limited cocktails for all-inclusive (Pina Colada, Tom Collins, Screwdriver) - Inconsistent recipes - Poor entertainment - Poor at special occasions A quirk of my bedroom was that the wall-mounted TV was at the entrance to the room, meaning I couldn't actually see it when sitting on the bed. This was a bit bizarre but may have been just my room as I looked into another and all seemed normal. The waiters and cleaners are by far the hotel's biggest asset. Being a small hotel there are only four or five and you get to know all of them by name. They are friendly without being overbearing. If you are sitting alone with a drink one might come over to talk to you, but leave you alone if you don't feel like being sociable. Really, if all waiters were like this, the world would be a better place. Thank You David, Lokesh, Pritesh, Sada and Walter. Unlike most other all-inclusive hotels, food here is cooked to order from the menu. If you fancy something different the staff will try to oblige, and the portion sizes are huge. It took a few days to work out how much to order for a party of four adults (definitely not four starters, four mains and four sides!). The usual range of Goan local drinks is available - Kingfisher lager (by the bottle), gin, rum, whisky, vodka, etc. Pepsi is served in 250ml bottles (rather than draft) so you know it is fresh and unopened. Iced coffee also delicious and available throughout the day. The menu deserves a special mention. There is an extensive range of Indian and international cuisine, but when it comes to ordering it is more like a set of guidelines: many of the dishes are 'off', and the waiters don't seem to recognise some of the names! So what happens is that, as you order a particular dish, the waiter will suggest something else, probably similar and something the chef can cook. I got the feeling that the menu was printed some time ago, perhaps when other chefs were in charge. Also, you can order the same dish three or four days running and get different outcomes depending on which chef is on duty. But important to say that all the food is delicious, it just sometimes a surprise. I have to write about the elephant in the room, that is Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. At all hotels I have ever stayed in these are big nights: lavish buffets, top-class entertainment, and a good time had by all. The buffet on Christmas Day fell lamentably short of lavish and the entertainment was genuinely appalling: when the musicians took a break mid-evening and put on a CD, Perry Como got a round of applause! It was so bad it was (almost, but not) good. One of the reasons for the poor showing might be the lack of all-inclusive customers. I was told that the hotel used to be packed with UK couples pre-Covid, but the fairly small contingent this year doesn't allow for massive spend on the holiday celebrations. Perhaps this will change as more customers return. Such was our experience on Christmas Day that we chose to not risk New Year's Eve and booked a table at a local restaurant. Reports from other guest about the hotel's celebrations were similar to the Christmas Day debacle. What a shame, because it makes my overall review of Era Santiago one of recommending it as a destination, but not over the Christmas period. Given the good nature of the staff, I fervently hope this will change in the future and someone can update this review with a better experience. In conclusion, will I come back? Not next year, but maybe in five.

av MK1Spitfire Taunton, Storbritannia

So to return to Goa and the Santiago

Nice to return here after 5 years , also nice to see David , Walter and the boys still there . Rooms very clean as is the pool and dining area . Had a small issue when the bed broke but we were quickly moved and the problem solved with no fuss . Also noted was the lack of Russians , so no rude , drunken antics from them like last time we stayed here . We stayed B&B but the breakfast was always first class , I can heartily recommend the cheese and onion omelettes ! So nice to see my brother from another mother , Jack the Jeweller next door to the hotel , MSF jewellers are the best in Goa , wouldn’t go anywhere else , been using Jack for 8 years with total satisfaction . He will make anything you want at a very reasonable cost . We again returned to Blighty with some of his jewellery as we always do :) Further up the lane you will find our dear friend Ravi’s clothes shop . Everything you need for your clothing and footwear needs . Always worth a browse . opposite Ravi’s is the Cherry Olive Restaurant, it used to be called Royal Relish , back then the food was top notch , however since then I’m sorry to say we found the quality has slipped and the food to be awful , Only dined there once , that was enough . In conclusion I can recommend The Santiago as a clean , friendly hotel with brilliant staff , will be returning for sure . Thanks Guys .

av Navigator03814892148

Horrible...

(this is my second visit to property...first on 2018 and now in 2023...reviews after my second visit) Worst management... Arrogant staff... Most important -,There is no parking for car... Swimming pool is not maintained... Bathroom water has something bad smell... Horrible...think abt 3-4 times before visit

av Voyager32205024912

Stay in calmness

A Subtle place to stay. Near to market and beach. The staff is very cooperative Had chilling un swimming pool served chilled beers in pool. Initially felt small resort as compared to photo in portal. But was comfortable after spending whole day

av Dream68630692915

Best Beach resort of baga goa

Last week my friends and I had the privilege of staying for three nights at your beautiful era Santiago beach resort goa. It was the perfect place to get away for a few days and we enjoyed every minute. We were given two of the rooms of the resort that overlooked the beautiful Garden and Swimming pool.Excellent service provided by the resort staff. Breakfast lunch & dinner was delicious with an excellent service. Me and my friends really liked the resort, the rooms were well maintained with comfy beds. Will recommend my friends to stay here if they go to Goa . Special thanks to Madam jayanti and his team's....