Сказочный отдых!!! Fabulous vacation!!!

I rarely write reviews. But, like many, she could not resist and decided to contribute to the history of reviews about the Alagoa hotel. I don’t want to repeat about a wonderful vacation and a lot of the most pleasant impressions. My review will be like a hint for tourists who decide to come here for the first time.
First, the first day is always deceptive. You need to be patient for about another day and give yourself the opportunity to understand and accept this place in your life. There is something to compare - was in Thailand and Vietnam. Everywhere has its pros and cons, its exotic features. I must say right away that this hotel is not for pretentious tourists who love the comfort of five stars and entertainment. This is a place of relaxation, Indian cuisine and picky people. It is simply a paradise for those who choose other values ​ ​ - silence, serenity, zero stress and freedom. For those who do not like dogs, I definitely advise you to reconsider the place of rest!! ! Here, dogs live right on the territory of the hotel, running in flocks along the beach, looking into your eyes in the hope of a treat. Dogs are amazingly affectionate, kind and reasonable!!!
The hotel is 90 percent inhabited by Russian tourists, you can count on the fingers of foreign Europeans, and for the weekend Indians come with their whole families. There was nothing left for the local population to do but speak Russian. . . )) All the hotel staff try very hard to answer in Russian. So, tourists who do not know English can safely go here, there will be no problems with communication at all. A very friendly and sympathetic Dima, a young guy, the "highlight" of the hotel, an assistant in all questions and problems, works every day at the hotel's guests. This is an Indian who speaks excellent Russian. His name is actually Dibak, but for tourists he calls himself Dima)), again, so that no one bothers memorizing names that are unusual for our ears.

I highly recommend choosing a bungalow for housing, for this pleasure you will have to pay extra $ 10 per day, but it's definitely worth it - the green area around, your own terrace and your own stable internet. In the main building of the hotel there is no Internet in the rooms, only at the reception and in the restaurant.
The hotel has amazing food! Hearty, delicious breakfasts that were included in our tour!! ! These are always three types of hot - pasta, rice, porridge, stewed vegetables. Pancakes, tortillas, toast, jam, watermelon juice, tea, coffee and of course traditional scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs. Lunches or dinners are a separate topic for a story, and there is where your imagination can unfold - various fish, including fresh catch, seafood, any meat, chicken... The menu is in Russian, so fly in and try whatever your heart desires)). Many will ask about the cost of food... I must say right away that everywhere is not as cheap as we imagined when we went here. But on average, a check for dinner or if you want lunch can turn out from 500 to 1500 rubles for two, depending on your wishes. On the first evening, due to inexperience, we ordered several dishes and were simply shocked when our entire table was filled with food)). The portions are large, a side dish is already included with fish and meat dishes - it's mostly french fries or rice, vegetables or a small salad. Therefore, I advise you not to order a lot at once, but to assess your strengths and the capabilities of your stomach. Be sure to try the local rum and moonshine, you can safely drink any beer.
You can eat both in the hotel restaurant and in cafes on the beach. In fact, they cook delicious food everywhere and the price tag is about the same. The hotel is a bit more expensive than on the beach - 50-80 rubles for each dish, but the atmosphere is much more soulful, pleasant and civilized. Boys waiters try to please in everything, they try very hard. We also ate on the beach near Raja (on the beach immediately to the right) - very tasty! He himself speaks Russian well, so he will prompt and help with the choice. If you stand facing the sea, then to the right along the coast, after about 1.5 km there are several more cafes - "Uncle Kolya", "Masha's" - also very
delicious and a very good choice! Masha's cafe turned out to have the best exchange rate, and even a free transfer by car to our hotel after a meal. In fact, you can change money in any cafe on the beach, with taxi drivers, in stalls, and, of course, in a bank in Colva. Do not change money at the airport - very bad, low exchange rate!!!

A lot has already been written about the local attraction - Sasha, who trades on the way to the beach. Very kind and generous person!! ! You can also safely change money with him, the rate is not the highest, but even talking with this smiling and friendly Indian will give you a lot of pleasure)).
Now, what needs to be brought here, and what is not required. It is better to bring your own tea and coffee if you are especially used to something. The rooms have electric kettles and even every day they put a bag of tea and instant coffee, but they are not very tasty, from the "burda" series. The hotel restaurant does not have natural coffee (only instant coffee) and sweets, such as in Turkey and Egypt. So you will not be able to get high with a cup of coffee with some sweet treat, for example, after dinner or in the evening. For breakfast, you can drink free coffee and tea, which are already diluted with milk, there is also just black tea.
Need beach towels. Mosquito repellents will not interfere, in the evening they get it.
There is an announcement in the rooms that you cannot bring your own fruits and drinks, otherwise a fine will be issued. But we still bought fruit, water and beer - no one said a word to us.
A fruit knife will not hurt if you buy them in the market.
The rooms have a small refrigerator, in which all drinks are paid. 5l bottles of water are always left in the rooms, you will have to pay 90 rupees for it, and 1l bottles of water for 30 rupees. Payment for water and paid products is made daily - the manager comes to the room and demands money. I will advise you right away - check the bottle caps so that they are industrially closed. We have repeated the story of the machinations of local campaigners several times. They brought bottles already open and then demanded money from us for supposedly using this water. ((
From clothes. Shorts, T-shirt, swimsuit and flip-flops are the main part of the wardrobe. But if you want civilization, then you can put on a dress and heels and trousers for dinner at the hotel. In shorts, too, no one will expel)).
The sun is very active, do not regret in the first days of a strong protective cream!

All basic purchases, including fruits, water, alcohol, medicines can be bought in the nearest settlement - Colva. As you go to the beach, immediately to the left along the seashore, 30 minutes along the beautiful coast, the sand is dense, it is a pleasure to walk. In Colva, you can safely bargain with all merchants, except for pharmacies and alcohol stores, knocking down the price at times)). For all medicines and alcohol, the price of GOA is fixed, so you can not look for cheaper places, but buy immediately at any place you like. There are ordinary pharmacies (there are fewer of them for some reason) and Ayurvedic ones, everywhere you can buy the necessary medicines, but in Ayurvedic pharmacies there are certainly fewer conventional medicines, but there is a huge amount of all sorts of local healing potions. All pharmacists speak Russian very decently, and sometimes even shelves with medicines are signed in Russian, for example, for headaches, for joints, etc. There are a lot of Russian tourists in pharmacies, everyone buys home cheap Indian medicines and creams.
And it should also be taken into account that the Indians have a siesta from 12 to 16, and sometimes until 17, they close their outlets for the hottest time.
Taxis in GOA are not at all cheap, and gasoline is expensive. So before you get into a taxi, you should discuss the cost of the trip and feel free to bargain too. A taxi from the hotel to Colva costs 300 rupees, which is about 300 rubles, but at first the taxi driver will tell you the price as much as 600 rupees, and it takes only 10-15 minutes to go. Taxi drivers are a special elite caste in India, arrogant, annoying and often tactless.
A lot has been written about excursions, I don’t want to repeat myself. Tours are not cheap at all. You can safely buy at travel agencies in Colva, many Russian guides work there, they will tell you everything and advise, and of course the price will be less than that of a tour operator. I highly recommend to go to Palolem beach on your own, go about 1-1.5 hours. Arrange with taxi drivers (they hang out daily right outside the hotel), bargain $40-50 for a car back and forth) and go there early in the morning for the whole day. The taxi will be waiting for you and will pick you up at the agreed time. This beach is very beautiful, there are rocks and stones where you can take beautiful photos, and most importantly, there are practically no waves, because. the beach is located in the bay. Only on Palolem we were able to fully swim. On the Betalbatim beach, next to the hotel, the waves are big and difficult to swim, swimming turns into fighting and jumping over the waves.

For massage lovers, I would highly recommend the super massage therapist Bashir (believe me, I know what I'm talking about) in the nearby Coconut Hotel, through which you will go to the beach. I was able to compare the quality of massage in our hotel and Bashir's. This is heaven and earth! So for health only to the crazy hands of Bashir. Prices are slightly higher than in the hotel, but it's worth it without a single doubt.
Well, perhaps that's all... The rest - everything is in your hands, capabilities and desires. A couple of days after arrival, we just fell in love with this place, we really want to return and we will definitely do it!!!??? ?