Santa Monica Hotel, Calangute, India
Hotel Information
Recent Price: £31
Hotel Class:
Hotel Description:
Perfect for more independent travellers with experience of overseas travel looking for a small and friendly base close to the lively resort of Calangute. The Santa Monica is also within easy walking distance of a sandy beach. loading...
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Santa Monica Hotel Reviews
" Having not been to Goa before I had... "
Submitted By: Mrs K Allan
Having not been to Goa before I had no idea what to expect. My husband and son had visited the previous year staying at the mirra hotel. What an experience the hotel is very basic and yes the beds are uncomfortable but the locals and staff more than made up for it. we hired ourselves a taxi driver who would bundle 7 of us into his cab on a daily basis taking us to all the beaches in the area for a small charge, he also took us to the waterfalls at a fraction of the cost the tour operators were charging. the sea is extremely rough but very warm and inviting not for the small kids though. calangute beach was packed with indians so if you do not want to be stared at then it is not the place to go. we ate in all the beach shacks despite being advised not too and have to say the food was fab. in all a great holiday and we will definatley go again cheap is an understatement!
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- Date of Holiday:Nov 2006
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:MyTravel
" This was our first time to India and... "
Submitted By: Miss M Ilsley
This was our first time to India and definately wont be the last. We arrived after a long flight but was definately worth it! Its quite a drive from the ariport but very interesting to drive through india and see the different sights. Our hotel was very small not what were used to but turnt out to be a good thing. No fighting for sunbeds and got to know other holiday makers. The hotel is not really geared up for children, not alot of entertainment but then being a small hotel all the holiday makers chatted togther as one big family, it was more like a large house rather than a small hotel. Hotel staff were gr8, always friendly, nothing was too much trouble. Breakfast was basic but nice, if you wanted eggs and sausages was extra but only 20p each item so nothing to really complain about there, but this is just the indian poilcy it is the same in all hotels. We went bed and breakfast but no need to go all inclusive as food was very cheap. Food in the hotel was nice and plenty of variety, always cooked freshly as ordered. The hotel is very basic and a bit of a shock when you first arrive as is india itself but this is a third world country.
Overall the hotel was basic but very good and clean and worth the money we paid! The hotel was situated about 5 minutes away from the beach. This was a nice beach with lots of shacks. Serving cheap nice food, only downfall was that the sea was quite rough and not very good for small children, but there are plenty of other beaches only a short taxi drive a way which are great for family's, would recconmend turtle beach. The taxi driver charges about 6 pound to take you there and back and will also stay there and wait for you all day. We did some great trips which are very cheap if you do them independently with a local taxi driver form the hotel,would recconmend Rajj, our personal taxi driver, he plays great music! Hello to rajj if you read this, hope to see you agian next year, from half London!!
India itself is a bit of a culture shock when you first arrive but within days you will feel at home. The hotel is very close to all local shops and shaks with plenty to do outside the hotel, including swinging on the tree around the corner from the hotel. With 6ft long roots, you got to see it to believe it. We felt very safe in India, me and my 14 year old daughter went out alone and didnt feel threatened at all. Overall we felt very safe in India. If you ever visit India it will be a bit of a shock but believe me it grows on you and you will definatly want to visit again. i know i will be!
There is a great go-kart track about 15 minutes away by taxi. It costs 1.50 for 12 laps, you will have a great time and like us probably visit them several times during your holiday. We even got our taxi driver to have ago on them.
There are also severall markets to visit, which was a great experience. If you are prepared to haggle you will have a great time and get some bargains in the meantime. We come back with bags full of shopping and spent very little money.
All in all we had a fantastic holiday and hope to return again soon.
Overall the hotel was basic but very good and clean and worth the money we paid! The hotel was situated about 5 minutes away from the beach. This was a nice beach with lots of shacks. Serving cheap nice food, only downfall was that the sea was quite rough and not very good for small children, but there are plenty of other beaches only a short taxi drive a way which are great for family's, would recconmend turtle beach. The taxi driver charges about 6 pound to take you there and back and will also stay there and wait for you all day. We did some great trips which are very cheap if you do them independently with a local taxi driver form the hotel,would recconmend Rajj, our personal taxi driver, he plays great music! Hello to rajj if you read this, hope to see you agian next year, from half London!!
India itself is a bit of a culture shock when you first arrive but within days you will feel at home. The hotel is very close to all local shops and shaks with plenty to do outside the hotel, including swinging on the tree around the corner from the hotel. With 6ft long roots, you got to see it to believe it. We felt very safe in India, me and my 14 year old daughter went out alone and didnt feel threatened at all. Overall we felt very safe in India. If you ever visit India it will be a bit of a shock but believe me it grows on you and you will definatly want to visit again. i know i will be!
There is a great go-kart track about 15 minutes away by taxi. It costs 1.50 for 12 laps, you will have a great time and like us probably visit them several times during your holiday. We even got our taxi driver to have ago on them.
There are also severall markets to visit, which was a great experience. If you are prepared to haggle you will have a great time and get some bargains in the meantime. We come back with bags full of shopping and spent very little money.
All in all we had a fantastic holiday and hope to return again soon.
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- Date of Holiday:Mar 2007
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" Santa Monica is a great hotel. All... "
Submitted By: Miss L Motherway
Santa Monica is a great hotel. All the staff were lovely and they were great fun and always up for a laugh, we even went clubbing with the waiters one night.
The rooms were basic but comfortable and very clean. The beds were changed everyday and you were given fresh towels.
The pool was clean and nobody ever complained.
The food was good and there is a wide range too choose from.
I'd recommend this hotel to everyone as it is so welcoming and has such a great atmosphere. Me and my family will definately go back again.
The rooms were basic but comfortable and very clean. The beds were changed everyday and you were given fresh towels.
The pool was clean and nobody ever complained.
The food was good and there is a wide range too choose from.
I'd recommend this hotel to everyone as it is so welcoming and has such a great atmosphere. Me and my family will definately go back again.
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- Date of Holiday:Dec 2006
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" If you want luxury, this is not the... "
Submitted By: B Bussey
If you want luxury, this is not the place for you. We had a 'back view' room for the first day but asked to be moved and were happily relocated within 2 days with no arguement or fuss. The rooms are basic but clean and as there is so much to see and do around Goa we spent very little time at the hotel anyway. The staff, from reception to bellboys to hospitality were very friendly and helpful. Welcome air conditioning was also standard in all rooms at no extra cost. The biggest problem in the area are the dogs who howl every night and if you are a light sleeper, would really spoil your stay. Although I wouldn't recommend this hotel, I would stay again myself.
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- Date of Holiday:Mar 2008
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" Awful. That's the first word that... "
Submitted By: Mrs Nisha Tusliani
Awful. That's the first word that comes to my mind while giving review about this hotel. The hotel is more for foreigners and less for Indians. The hotel staff go out of their way to treat foreigners while Indians are treated shabily. No one takes notice of you nor a proper service is given to you. U would be seating in their restaurant for more than an hour waiting to be serverd. No body will notice you or speak politely to. Extremely rude behaviour of the staff. This hotel is also not very well located. For one it has a toilet roll factory nect to the hotel and if you are booking your room online they make sure that you land up in one of their rooms facing toilet roll factory which is very frustating coz of noize and morover you cannot use the balcony due to the bad view. The furniture inside the rooms is very old. One of the sofas broke while sitting on it. The beds are not comfortable. Keeps creaking. We went to celebrate our first anniversary but we were so pissed off by the hotels's ambience. The door locks are very old. We had to fumble with it for 15 mins to lock and unlock it. On complaining they sent a carpenter who took 2 precious hours of our time to get it repaired. All in all I would say that this resorte is not good at all. Moreover it is very far away from Calangute beach. At least 2 kms. You need to keep a vehicle to travel to and fro from the beach
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- Date of Holiday:Feb 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:gogoa.com
" This was our first visit to India but... "
Submitted By: Miss A Barraclough
This was our first visit to India but we were pleasantly surprised. The hotel staff are very friendly and can’t do enough for you. The rooms are cleaned daily and the beds changed. You get clean towels daily too. You have a mini bar in your room and the prices are the same as the restaurant on the complex.
The food is very good also and has chips and toasties if you don’t like spicy food.
There is a good jewellers on the complex, check out folding rings ladies!!! The value of jewellery is double when you get it home.
The pool is very clean and my son was never out of it. The hotel is in a quiet location but only a few minutes walk from the Sportsman Pub or Why Nots cafe.
I could go on for ever but you find out the rest for yourself!
Big ps ... Watch out for a shack at the end of the street (Mandy) she doesn’t miss a trick or leave you alone!!!
The food is very good also and has chips and toasties if you don’t like spicy food.
There is a good jewellers on the complex, check out folding rings ladies!!! The value of jewellery is double when you get it home.
The pool is very clean and my son was never out of it. The hotel is in a quiet location but only a few minutes walk from the Sportsman Pub or Why Nots cafe.
I could go on for ever but you find out the rest for yourself!
Big ps ... Watch out for a shack at the end of the street (Mandy) she doesn’t miss a trick or leave you alone!!!
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- Date of Holiday:Dec 2007
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" We have recently returned from... "
Submitted By: Mrs V Larcombe-Birks
We have recently returned from Calangute, Goa after spending three weeks at the Santa Monica Hotel. In our party at one point we had 4 rooms to accommodate 6 adults and 2 children (toddlers).
The Santa Monica Hotel is a small hotel. It is located approx 10 minutes walk from the main street in Calangute and again a 10 min walk from the Beach therefore making it an excellent location for a holiday.
The hotel is clean and the staff friendly. All of the staff are efficient and friendly. The rooms are cleaned on a daily basis.
The hotel pool is cleaned on a daily basis.
One block of rooms does not have the best of outlooks (at the back) as the hotel is overlooked by a house which has a toilet roll factory at the bottom, however as this building shades the back of this block of rooms to us it worked well as with a small child the room was keep cool. All rooms also have an air conditioning unit in the bedroom and the main room has two ceiling fans. All rooms also have a fridge.
The restaurant offers just toast and coffee/tea for breakfast however there is an a la carte menu available although chargeable. They also have an extensive menu throughout the day and evening.
The hotel also has a beauty room / jewellery shop and tailors all inside the hotel.
If you are wanting to have a luxury holiday maybe the Santa Monica should not be your choice however if you require a small, friendly hotel with good facilities whereby nothing seems to be much trouble the Santa Monica would come highly recommended by our party - after 3 weeks we have no complaints and during our holiday no complaints.
The Santa Monica Hotel is a small hotel. It is located approx 10 minutes walk from the main street in Calangute and again a 10 min walk from the Beach therefore making it an excellent location for a holiday.
The hotel is clean and the staff friendly. All of the staff are efficient and friendly. The rooms are cleaned on a daily basis.
The hotel pool is cleaned on a daily basis.
One block of rooms does not have the best of outlooks (at the back) as the hotel is overlooked by a house which has a toilet roll factory at the bottom, however as this building shades the back of this block of rooms to us it worked well as with a small child the room was keep cool. All rooms also have an air conditioning unit in the bedroom and the main room has two ceiling fans. All rooms also have a fridge.
The restaurant offers just toast and coffee/tea for breakfast however there is an a la carte menu available although chargeable. They also have an extensive menu throughout the day and evening.
The hotel also has a beauty room / jewellery shop and tailors all inside the hotel.
If you are wanting to have a luxury holiday maybe the Santa Monica should not be your choice however if you require a small, friendly hotel with good facilities whereby nothing seems to be much trouble the Santa Monica would come highly recommended by our party - after 3 weeks we have no complaints and during our holiday no complaints.
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- Date of Holiday:Dec 2007
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:MyTravel
" We were met with a cold drink and... "
Submitted By: Ang
We were met with a cold drink and checked in very quickly. The staff then took our cases to our room. Spacious with typical Indian solid beds (I used chair cushions under the sheets) but my husband was not bothered by hard beds.
Staff were all great from manager to room boys. Nothing too much trouble for anyone, towels and sheets changed daily, don't forget due to high iron content in water it will be discoloured but is perfectly clean. Pool and surroundings cleaned daily. Food was delicious from restaurant, super water melon juice and lime sodas.
This is a very poor country so to locals this would be 10 star. The star values are for local standards so keep this in mind when booking any holiday in Goa.
The mini bar in our room was the same price as the bar well worth using.
We purchased from tailor made to measure suits TOP CLASS CLOTHES to our design. Also had rings and ear rings made at jewellers, had these valued here in UK worth over 1oo% more than we paid. Both these were on site.
Staff were all great from manager to room boys. Nothing too much trouble for anyone, towels and sheets changed daily, don't forget due to high iron content in water it will be discoloured but is perfectly clean. Pool and surroundings cleaned daily. Food was delicious from restaurant, super water melon juice and lime sodas.
This is a very poor country so to locals this would be 10 star. The star values are for local standards so keep this in mind when booking any holiday in Goa.
The mini bar in our room was the same price as the bar well worth using.
We purchased from tailor made to measure suits TOP CLASS CLOTHES to our design. Also had rings and ear rings made at jewellers, had these valued here in UK worth over 1oo% more than we paid. Both these were on site.
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- Date of Holiday:Apr 2007
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Airtours
" We booked this hotel after seeing it... "
Submitted By: PaulineY
We booked this hotel after seeing it when we stayed at the Nizmar (opposite) last year - it looked nice and was in a very quiet road (always good to have as the traffic noise can be really bad when staying on the main road).
We had a very pleasant stay and the staff were fantastic; however, we had a downstairs room at the back overlooking the toilet roll factory, which meant we had to have the curtains pulled across ALL the time (making the room very dim) - we also had bars on the windows which meant you couldn't really see out (not that you wanted to look into the factory) and they were rather dirty too!
The beds were some of the most uncomfortable we have ever experienced in Goa (and that's saying something, believe me) - metal frame with a piece of MDF on top and covered with a mattress that was about 1" thick!!! The wardrobe in the bedroom was so small we had a job fitting anything in it, so most of our clothes stayed in the suitcase. No bedside cabinet, so we used one of the chairs from the living room to put our alarm clock and other bits and pieces on.
The bathroom, although a good size, was very dim - due in part to the light (attached to the bathroom cabinet) being the wrong one - it wasn't working at all on arrival and, when changed, was fitted with one which was the wrong size, which meant it didn't work properly.
The living area was spacious, although the chairs were hard and uncomfortable (luckily we didn't use them much).
Although this hotel was in a nice quiet area, had a very good and cheap laundry service, was cleaned daily (as were the sheets and towels - although they were grey and hard), had great staff and was within easy walking distance of shops, restaurants and beach, I wouldn't stay in it again as I couldn't suffer another 3 weeks of those beds!!
If you want a good budget hotel this is probably OK, but be prepared to have a bad back at the end of your stay (always a good excuse to get a massage I suppose)!!
We had a very pleasant stay and the staff were fantastic; however, we had a downstairs room at the back overlooking the toilet roll factory, which meant we had to have the curtains pulled across ALL the time (making the room very dim) - we also had bars on the windows which meant you couldn't really see out (not that you wanted to look into the factory) and they were rather dirty too!
The beds were some of the most uncomfortable we have ever experienced in Goa (and that's saying something, believe me) - metal frame with a piece of MDF on top and covered with a mattress that was about 1" thick!!! The wardrobe in the bedroom was so small we had a job fitting anything in it, so most of our clothes stayed in the suitcase. No bedside cabinet, so we used one of the chairs from the living room to put our alarm clock and other bits and pieces on.
The bathroom, although a good size, was very dim - due in part to the light (attached to the bathroom cabinet) being the wrong one - it wasn't working at all on arrival and, when changed, was fitted with one which was the wrong size, which meant it didn't work properly.
The living area was spacious, although the chairs were hard and uncomfortable (luckily we didn't use them much).
Although this hotel was in a nice quiet area, had a very good and cheap laundry service, was cleaned daily (as were the sheets and towels - although they were grey and hard), had great staff and was within easy walking distance of shops, restaurants and beach, I wouldn't stay in it again as I couldn't suffer another 3 weeks of those beds!!
If you want a good budget hotel this is probably OK, but be prepared to have a bad back at the end of your stay (always a good excuse to get a massage I suppose)!!
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- Date of Holiday:Jan 2006
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:MyTravel
" What a great time we had. The staff... "
Submitted By: Mr J Perrott
What a great time we had. The staff were brilliant. They used filtered water to wash the salad and veg so you can eat and drink anything without fear of the runs! The food was delicious. Unfortunately, there is development going on at quite a rate in this area and while we were there a small shopping complex was under construction opposite the hotel but that's tourism for you.
The more you go, the more it gets built up! I would definitely go back to Santa Monica next year but it might get too developed in the next few years and make it necessary to chose a quieter site.
PS Nine of us had the runs the next day after eating at the Rustlers behind Santa Monica, the only English bar we ate in! Could be a coincidence but worth bearing in mind.
The more you go, the more it gets built up! I would definitely go back to Santa Monica next year but it might get too developed in the next few years and make it necessary to chose a quieter site.
PS Nine of us had the runs the next day after eating at the Rustlers behind Santa Monica, the only English bar we ate in! Could be a coincidence but worth bearing in mind.
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- Date of Holiday:Nov 2005
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" A small and very friendly hotel... "
Submitted By: Mr JM Biggins
A small and very friendly hotel situated in a quiet area but still convenient for the beach and the town.
We ate there on several evenings and the food was delicious. I would especially recommend the seafood platter. Rooms were basic but very clean and problems were dealt with promptly.
We ate there on several evenings and the food was delicious. I would especially recommend the seafood platter. Rooms were basic but very clean and problems were dealt with promptly.
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- Date of Holiday:Feb 2005
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Airtours
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