Sunshine Park Hotel

1 reader found this review helpful

Just come back from a 2 week holiday in Goa!
Just turning 21 and dreading the holiday I actually had absolutely the best time ever.
Have never been there before, it was a last minute deal, wasn’t expecting much but that was to be expected!
The staff were really friendly always asking how you are, just making my stay very comfortable!
The rooms were very clean and always tidy, the sheets and towels were changed every single day, the hotel itself was clean and spacious, the pool wasn’t very big, but that wasn’t a problem and was cleaned every morning!
The food was lovely and they had set times of serving breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner can’t complain at all! Every other night they had a special menu on serving steaks to seafood!
The beach was just 10 minutes walk away, even down on the beach the people were friendly, and the food was nice too serving sandwiches to curries! yes you did have the sellers on the beach harassing you but it’s their way of making a living, but don’t worry they don’t actually try selling to you for long because there is police walking up and down the beach all day getting rid of them!
the town is just 10 minutes walk away as well, you have the people asking you if you want a taxi or even a tuk tuk, (the tuk tuks are the best, go about 10mph but cool little things!) you have stalls everywhere, most of them sell the same things. The restaurants all serve beautiful food from English dishes to Chinese and of course curries!
If you are a lover of steak or roast chicken I would definitely recommend the restaurant called 'the mermaid', 'ice n spice' 'fullmoon' and 'the stonehouse'! The staff were very friendly!
You can go on all sorts of trips for as little as £5, I went to the waterfalls and to see/feed monkeys which was lovely! You can also go elephant washing/riding which I did, and it was very strange sitting on this huge grey animal but enjoyed!
You will also see cow's walking the street which I found very strange but it’s very normal and you do get used to it during your stay, they are harmless.
It’s very very hot out there during November, December, and January! But if you are a lover of the sun like me then that’s the best time to go!
I would definitely recommend it to anyone, and I will be going back next year without a doubt! It is also very true what people say 'you will either love Goa or you will hate it' but you will never find out unless you actually go yourself!

1 reader found this review helpful

This was our first visit to The Sunshine Park, but our 7th to North Goa.
The room we had was spacious & clean and looked over the pool. It had a large living room (about 18’ x 12’) with a fridge and cane furniture – a large glass-topped dining table, 2 chairs, a glass-topped coffee table, & 2 chairs and a corner unit. There were 2 ceiling fans.
The bedroom was small but large enough to contain 2 single beds, a wardrobe, and 2 bedside tables. It had a ceiling fan.
There was a large balcony accessible from both the living room and bedroom with 2 cane chairs.
The bathroom was clean with a shower, toilet, & washbasin. The water was heated by a geyser (slightly larger than a catering tin of baked beans) so there wasn’t a lot of hot water each night.
It had an air-conditioning unit (which is charged extra) but we didn’t need it.
The room was kept clean and we seemed to have clean towels and sheets every day.
Some of the rooms were obviously occupied by either permanent residents or long-term stayers.
Although we had booked B&B, we never ate breakfast in the hotel so I’ve classed this as ‘self-catering’.
We didn’t have any other meals there either, although they did advertise BBQ and seafood nights.
There were separate ‘pagoda’-type areas for eating that would have been nice for breakfast or an intimate dinner, but didn’t really encourage ‘get-togethers with other guests’ for drinks.

There was entertainment provided on a number of nights (singers) but we didn’t stay in the hotel for this.
The pool area and other communal areas were clean and the staff were pleasant.
The safety deposit boxes were accessible between 9am and 9pm in a padlocked room behind reception. We had to supply our own lock – the first time we’d come across this.
We thought the location was quite good, at the back of the Victor Exotica and Gloria Anne, although it may be a bit ‘out of the way’ for some people.
As it was off the road, there was no noise at all, except for a couple of nights when dogs were howling.
We’d actually booked to return to the Sunshine Park in February before this holiday, so we were pleased that we found the accommodation OK.

2 readers found this review helpful

This was our first trip to Goa. We stopped over in Bahrain (recommended) but still arrived very tired.
The airport money exchange rates were terrible, and the porters made it very clear they wanted English pounds. We needn't have bothered to change money as there is a cash machine available near the Sunshine Park and money can be changed at good rates in the hotel, safety deposit boxes are also available.
On the plane someone told us you will either love Goa or hate it within the first three or four days. The areas near the airport were as off putting and dirty as the porters. Candolim was very dusty because there are hardly any pavements, but for us this trip turned out to be one of the best holidays we have ever had: we soon decided we loved Goa.
I think it was the relaxing mixture of the comfortably familiar alongside the delightfully unexpected: for example the visits of an elephant to "Chocolatie", a little cafe on the nearby Fort Aguada Road; or the way the cows would just amble along the beach or lie on the warm tarmac at night.
English is the main language you hear spoken so we were able to hold a good conversation with most people we met. We enjoyed shopping for Kashmiri carpets, beautifully carved wooden items and diamonds even though we did not always buy what we were shown we liked to stop and chat and drink a cup of local chai.
The Sunshine Park has a good central location: it is far enough away from the main road not to be bothered by the noise of car horns yet near enough the main road to be able to find a taxi, a tuk tuk, or an air conditioned car no problem.
The music and general ambiance in Candolim can take you back thirty years or more if you are old enough. We found the Goan people lovely. Rich and poor live happily side by side unlike so many places in the rest of the world. The pace of life is very relaxed.
The food is still strongly influenced by Goa's Portuguese heritage: it is simply delicious with lots of locally caught fresh fish. We tried many different styles of cuisine at a wide variety of local restaurants and suffered no tummy problems at all during our three week stay.
The food at the Sunshine Park was very good. We might have eaten there more often if we had been given a copy of the whole menu. For a long time we were under the impression that they were just serving whatever was written on the board.
Hotel staff were all friendly and respectful. We tipped small amounts as we went along which we felt was the fairest way to ensure that good service was rewarded.
Our rooms were basic but airy and spacious with fans and air conditioning. We enjoyed a good sized balcony with south facing views towards the lighthouse. Sheets and towels were changed regularly; the mini bar was frequently replenished; and the floors were washed most days.
Laundry was hand washed and some items did not come back as clean as we would have wished. After this experience we washed our own things through.
It is also true some locals had fires early in the morning in the nearby Portuguese style houses, but we rather liked watching them going about their daily activities and did not find the smoke a bother at all.
The hotel pool was kept clean throughout our stay and I found the massage I had at the hotel very beneficial so I can recommend this service. All in all an excellent holiday - we hope to go back again soon.

Sorry to be so negative, but I agree with other reviews. The worst holiday my husband and I have never had.
The place is filthy - everyone seems to get ill, just a matter of when and how bad. The people on the beach hassle you from the minute you set foot on it and rip you off.
We tried to be friendly and talked to them, but believe me; they are only after your money. We were asked to sponsor people several times during the holiday and asked for our address more than once a day.
The beach is filthy, as is the town itself, you run the gauntlet trying to get to the beach, far worse than Egypt or Turkey. The people are greedy, we befriended a shop owner who asked us to her son's "christening" and then told us she would send us a list of things we could send for him and her when we got back to England.
There are no rubbish bins anywhere. The rubbish is thrown over the nearest wall and then burned every night; you breathe the fumes in constantly.
The airport is a joke! Beware when going home, our cases weighed in at 30.5kg and 26kg, but we knew this was not right. At home we weighed them on the scales at my husband's work, and they were 19kg and 16kg. People were being charged £70+ for excess baggage charges.
We had thrown away (or given away) lots of clothes because they were ruined, especially footwear. No pavements, thick red dust that clogs up your nose and is thrown up at you by every passing car. No wonder everyone spits.
Yes, the food is cheap and if you manage to find a good restaurant, very good.
I can recommend Ice and Spice and The Stonehouse, although the service here is slow and indifferent, the food is great. Ice and Spice is smaller, quieter and deserves more custom than it gets.
There is another good restaurant further down past The Stonehouse but I can't remember the name of it, but that's good too. The ladies get a rose and the men get the bill!
We did make friends; one of the waiters was the recipient of several books when I found out that a book there costs them a week's wages. Another waiter at our hotel, Domenic, was very helpful and told us how much we should be paying for things and the taxi prices etc. but not all the waiters were as friendly and would give you that information.
Friendly enough when you were about to leave though and they wanted a tip!
Be warned, most of the houses do not have running water or sanitation and the usual means of relieving oneself is to go into the bushy grounds with half a bottle of water for cleaning after the event. Are you now surprised at the illness count?
We hated this holiday and would never go back, or go anywhere else that was likely to resemble Goa. We have been to Egypt and loved it, so I can't even say it was the culture or the poverty - it was the filth and the people's attitudes.
The hotel was ok. For what we paid we got a fair deal, but it’s not clean by any means.
The rooms have two ceiling fans and a fridge (check your minibar bills!) but they don't stop you bringing in water or your own soft drinks and using their fridge.
Sheets and towels are changed regularly but we had a problem one day when there was no water to our block (therefore no toilets) and the staff just didn't care.
They kept saying the water would be back on soon, but by 9pm we still didn't have any, and until we demanded a room to shower and change in and a bucket of water to flush the toilet, nothing was done.

2 readers found this review helpful

We arrived in Goa not knowing what to expect and I will admit the first couple of hours were a shock with a drive through a stench filled Fishing port on the bus, mad porters at the airport and lots of litter all over the place.
Then we arrived in heaven - The hotel was quiet, staff were awesomely friendly, room clean and food basic but good.
The resort was lovely with loads of places to shop, eat and drink. heap too with huge bottles of beer for under £1. A quieter resort where a night of relaxing, beer and a sing-song on the Karaoke can be found - but if you want to Party hard and fast Calangute is only 10 minutes up the road in an inexpensive cab!
It was my girlfriends birthday when we were there and we received 3 cakes in total; from Hotel, from bar staff at hotel, then one from Monica at Monica's beach shack (on Candolim beach)
The beach is brilliant with food, massages and fruit etc a plenty. Monica's beach shack is awesome and there are plenty of water sports if required.
We did the jungle trip (and don’t recommend the overnight trip) but its a must on the day trip. Also the flea market was fantastic if not hectic. Looking forward to doing more this time.
All in all a relaxing holiday in a friendly place with lovely people, great food, great culture and cheap beer - What more do you need?

I'm not sure that it was a fault of this hotel in particular but the whole experience left me longing to come home. Goa is far from the paradise beach resort that was promised and was absolutely filthy.
The only bonus was the people were very friendly, but then they were after their tips and soon gave a scowl if they thought you hadn't tipped enough..
Another plus point was the prices for everything. Absolutely low prices everywhere. Food excellent. Hence the 6/10. Without the nice people, cheap prices and good food Goa itself would get a 2/10.

1 reader found this review helpful

This hotel was good value for money and is nice and quiet away from the main road.
The staff were very friendly (as they all are in Goa!) though watch the cheeky boy who collects the money for the mini bar as he 'forgets' to give you change and also always adds a little extra on top of the bill each time (shame because if he didn't you would give him that as a tip anyway!)
The food was good though I didn't eat there much as you are so close to the main road which has many lovely restaurants. Try the seahorse at the end of the road, it has a simple menu but the food is good and the family who run it are real Goan people and are absolutely charming!
On the downside the room I stayed in was not very well cleaned. The bedding was changed but the floor was filthy. Also the pool was really dirty. It wasn't cleaned once in 2 weeks. This is very unusual for Goa as they are usually very fastidious with their cleanliness.
Enjoy your holiday!

Been back from this hotel just over a week and already planning our next holiday out there. Situated in a fantastic location, 2 min walk to all the shops, bars and restaurants. Staff are brilliant and cant do enough for you.
You can hire a scooter from the pool boys for about £2.50 a day. Eating out is just as cheap, and its including a drink or 2. If you like going down the beach then try coco beach, its very quite and relaxing, whereas the other beaches have timeshare sellers etc which don’t like to take no for an answer.

We stayed at this hotel in Feb 2005. After stumbling across it the year before. Its location is perfect, quiet enough to relax but not to far from the beach, restaurants and bars.
There are plenty of sunbeds around the pool with the bar and restaurant being a good meeting point, food and snacks where very good.
Our room was clean, comfortable and the staff were exceptionally friendly and polite.
Cant wait to go back!