More Traveller Reviews of Hotel Santiago
Deinfitely Go!
from shazdom
Just arrived back from our first time in Goa.Booked holiday at last minute-literally and had been told that Goa was so cheap to eat and drink out that should not go all-inclusive...however-food was good. Only actually made it to breakfast 3x in week due to Nez and David at hotel feeding us endless drinks..Hotel staff were very friendly-they could not do enough for you.Same as anywhere in the world-if you are courteous and polite to them then you will receive the same back. Meal at night(didn't have in day-sorry can't comment!)-as many have already said was lovely-you have the choice of plenty of food and as you've paid for it you don't really need to go out. We did eat out once in the week at Hot Plate-very nice food and staff. Didn't stay at the pool in the day-far too hot and lack of sun by lunch-so also wandered to beach and was looked after by Unkle at Big Banana! Hotel is somewhere where people go back to-even British Indians- year after year. Rooms were clean-ours was a bit musky at first but soon went. I would only say bring your own towels to shower with, as the ones at the hotel, when drying yourself ,would exfoliate your skin! Excellent holiday,hotel, people and country!
An enjoyable experience
from a_kaur
From Aman, Dal, Gurdeep and Mahmuda We visited Goa during the first week of April and stayed at Santiago hotel. We had a fantastic time there as we were made to feel extremely welcome. The reception staff were very helpful and friendly. All the waiters and bar staff in both restaurants were vey friendly, they made us feel like we were part of a family and nothing was too much trouble for them. Thank you to Pritesh, Lawrence, Walter, Samarjeet, Mohan, David, Alex and the others. The food in both restaurants was always freshly made. There was a good selection and it tasted delicious. Be prepared for rooms to be fairly basic as most of the hotels in north Goa are. However the exterior and the hospitality of the staff more than made up for it. The hotel has a friendly and warm atmosphere and we would reccomend it to anyone.
Worse than a budget hotel
from chetdude
We are just back from staying at Santiago and are very unimpressed with the hotel. First of all it’s definitely not a 3 star hotel as it is widely advertised. When we asked for some water to be delivered in our room, the staff curtly responded ‘We don’t provide any room service’ Huh! Even a family run guesthouse provides Water to its guests. We never felt lonely in our rooms as some pest or the other was there to give us company. On two consecutive days we found small cockroaches enjoying the luxury of our beds. The pool is small with just 3-4 sun beds, also pool towels are no where in sight and had to be asked for repeatedly. To give them due credit the breakfast spread was good (we skipped other meals at the hotel) but were shocked to see staffs behavior. The staff would make snide comments and joked about British and European guests in local dialect, which they of course did not understand. The hotel seems popular with charters from UK and other countries hence there were a large number of British guests occupying the hotel. There were other guests who were seen complaining about rooms and service but staff would just shrug and go about doing their thing. If all 3 stars hotels in Goa are like Santiago, then we are not going in them and will advise you to avoid it too
Loved this friendly clean hotel
from robinsnest19
From Vicky and Richard in South Wales. We stayed here for two weeks to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. We had a fabulous time, the weather was HOT, all the staff were friendly and welcoming but not overwhelming. The waiters were attentive but respected our privacy. The rooms were comfortable and had everything we wanted. The TV did not work but we were not bothered as we had not booked the holiday to watch tv and there was plenty of other things to do instead. The food was exceptional and nothing was too much trouble, an assortment of curries and Thai dishes and many European dishes too.The pool was rather small and there were too many areas which were in the shade, but the beach is not far away and was very nice, you did get hassled on the beach from people trying to make a living but if we were firm but polite they generally did not bother us again. The taylors outside the reception was excellent. The reception staff were very helpfull all the time especially when i needed the doctor for delhi belly (soon sorted with an assortment of tablets and an injection). We enjoyed our holiday there so much we have booked to stay for 28 nights in Jan 08 and we cant wait....
Great Hotel
from LaineyWebb
It's not the first time we have been to Goa, so we knew what to expect of a 2/3 star hotel. The rooms could have been brighter, but hey, you're only in the room to sleep!! They are clean and that's the main thing for us. The rooms are set out with living area (with fridge) a bed area and a bathroom, all the rooms have balcony's and most look out over the pool. The bathrooms are funny because the shower is directly opposite the toilet in some of the rooms! :o) If you 'have' to be by the pool each day with endless sunshine then it's not the place for you. The pool is small with only a dozen sun beds and it does get shaded quite early on in the day, but the beach is less than 10 minutes walk away. If the beach is your thing, then it's ideal - go down to the beach, pick a shack (we use The Big Banana) choose your sunbed and enjoy the sunshine. You don't pay for the sunbeds as long as you buy your drinks thoroughout the day from the shack (the most we paid for two in one day was £7 and that was with a light lunch and acouple of drinks for the beach boys!!) You wont get a funny tummy at The Big Banana and the staff are great. Back to the Hotel. There is none of this waiting in a line for a buffet dinner in the evening. You choose from the menu (or the board if it's a theme evening and that's your preference) and you have your meal served to you either in the Thai or the Bamboo restaurant. I didn't expect the food to be so good and neither one of us had a funny tummy throughout our stay. By the way, if you are prone to a funny tummy with all the spices, then just go to the reception and they will give you some tablets :o) I couldn't say a bad word about the staff, they get to know what you like, they know your name within a couple of hours of being there and they are attentive but not in your face. We would certainly go back to the Santiago and I would recommend the Hotel to anyone who is looking for a relaxing holiday in a smaller hotel. By the way, I can recommend a great Jeweller, Islam, he's at the Sunset Beach Resort in Candolim (the shops called Tony Jeweller) I use him to have all of my pieces made when we visit Goa. Just tell him Elaine & Keith sent you - you might get a discount!! He wont rip you off and his jewellery is well made - if you have a design in mind, drawer it and take it with you to have it made up. I'm not sure what else I can tell you except it's a great little hotel and we had a great time and will go back without hesitation.
Loved It!!!
from X-x-lucy-x-X
Me, my mum and some family friends stayed @ the Santiago in feb-mar 2006. we had a lovely time. the hotel was basic but was very clean and hygenic. The cleaners used to change your towels and bedding every other day making shapes like crocodiles and flowers with the towels. The food in the hotel was lovely and everything was made from scratch. there was the thai bazarre serving chinese and thai meals and las masalas which served english,goan,indian, continental and much more including specials. Sunday night is buffet night and there is no menu. This hotel had a friendly atmosphere and the staff were lovely and they all remembered your names. I felt like I had another family and we were all gratly respected. I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone because of its friendly, warm, welcoming atmosphere. I would rate this hotel 10 out of 10 (and thats coming from a 15 year old girl ha ha)
Excellent Hotel
from TAFFYDOG
We stayed at the Santiago Hotel for 2 weeks and can recommend it to anyone.The rooms are a little basic,but the quality of food and friendliness of the staff are first class.You can order freshly cooked meals off the menu at the Indian restaurant or the Chinese/Thai restaurant every night (except sundays,buffet night).The waiters are very friendly and can't do enough for you,Paulo,David,Sandip,Walter and Tommy to name a few ! The hotel is located down a quiet lane off the busy Baga Road,and is very secluded and peaceful. People return to the Santiago year after year, so it must be doing something right.
A different experience!
from A TripAdvisor Member
This was the first time I had stayed all inclusive adn its not and experience I am likely to repeat,breakfast here was poor hardly any selection unless you liked a full english cooked breakfast which is not always to everyones taste if you didnt like that then there was nothing,lunch was much the same,I cannot complain about the eveing selection of food which was a choice of thai or chinese or traditional indian.Another problem I encountered was a lot of hassle from the hotel waiters two in particular acted a little like stalkers it may sound a little harsh but by the end of two weeks that was wehat it felt like and stood by the side of the table for the whole time you were eating your meal and then hassled you to go and meet them after they had finished their shift at first it was like they were friendly and then after a week it became quite annoying and spoiled the holiday as I began to dread meal times,they became quite aggressive if you didnt tell them where you were going at night and if you happened to mention which beach you would be going to in the day then they would suddenly turn up and hang around until you got fed up of their company and left.The hotel rrom was very clean and got fresh laundry regularly and the fridge was restocked regularly as well,all the recpetion staff were lovely and went out of their way to help you out.Be warned about the taxi drivers at the end of the driveway on the way out of the hotel as they do not always wait fro you if you arrange fro them to wait and you have to pay them on the return journey otherwise they probably will not wait for you if you pay up front. It could have been a good holiday if there hadnt been all the associated hassle with the stalking waiters.
Our Get Away
from LondonBerd
It has taken me 4 months to write this review as I can not do this Hotel or it's staff justice. We spent 3 weeks in this amazing place, we both work in the Hotel trade and was dreading staying in a Hotel we where made to feel as part of a family and all the staff new our names by the 2nd day. Janet and all the boys that clean the room, the boys who serve the pool bar, the boys in the restaurants, where all truely amazing and made our holiday. Nothing was to much trouble for any of them. We spoke to the manager everyday and we had an amazing driver Sanjay. Thank you to Sunny, Petrisesh, Sandeep and Paulo who as all the other boys they where a joy to be with. The food was fantastic the rooms where very nice (you only sleep in them anyway) We had a full fridge of cold drinks fresh towels and the room was so clen. We are looking forward to going back again next year, and meeting up with the people we met there this year, staff and guests alike. TKANK YOU RAJ AND STAFF, YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL. Patricia & Nic
Fantastic staff
from A TripAdvisor Member
we stayed at the santiago over xmas and new year (2004), the hotel room was very basic and i must admit the toilet didn't smell exactly like a bunch of flowers, but the staff definately made up for what the hotel lacked in. we were booked in under all inclusive but to be honest we only ate in the hotel about five times there was absolutely nothing wrong with the food in fact it was very nice but once we has got ourselves parked on the beach for the day (approx 10 minutes easy walking) we just couldnt be bothered to walk back for meals. the room was supplied with a mini fridge which was refilled three times during our stay anything we asked for during our stay the staff did there best for us. we had an absolutely brilliant time and cant wait to go back again
More hotel photos
10 readers found this review helpful
myself,wife and my son came here for a 2 week chilled out holiday and we got that and a lot more than we expected, The hotel is in good location,2 mins to shops,Bars and 5 mins to beach,the foods is fantastic and is not buffet style, its from a very good menu choice and... more