I must admit that the place was not all that bad . possibly because:
~After reading all the scary reviews our expection was toned down .
~The guys there actually read the reviews and tried to improve a bit
~We were just being lucky!
Some of the good points first:
The hotel is situated right beside the beach. We took a sea facing room(referred to as AC-Resort Room), which had a nice balcony overlooking the sea. That was the best part - for people go to Goa because of its beaches.
The room was cozy and comfortable, though not immensely luxourious. It was decently furnished. AC, TV, gizers were working .(surprise!). Must mention the glass panel running from the ceiling to floor which allows you to gaze at the sea from the comfort of the room.
The open air beachside resturant with a jovial live band after sundown(6-10pm)
Room service was prompt and housekeeping did actually happen.
Not that we were spared of our share of hiccups:
The AC was as noisy as an aircraft engine. And it got overloaded and got shutdown in regular intervals.
The are powercuts in the hotel and there was no generator to backup. And it happened quite a few times. In fact it happened on the very day we checked in. The waiter who carried our luggages in the room quickly slipped off after getting us in. The phone was also not working. After we made some hue and cry they got the phone working.
Resturant is too costly. Waiters are apathetic, they just bring the food to the table and thats it. They wont serve, wont pour water, and there is no fingerbowls, and 12.5% service charge! Service is prompt, nonetheless.
Never dare to try any of the’goan’ dishes - for you cant stand it. King fish fry is good, along with aloo gobi, dal fry and plain rice, which are so-so .
All the breakfast egg items(like poach, omlet, scrambles) come with(untoasted) bread .
- We booked a dolphine cruise from the reception, but the guy sent us for a different one, where many items mentioned in the brochure were stripped off! When we complained, the guy(supposed to be asst manager)said - the cruise mentioned in the brochure has been stopped and replaced by the one given to us . this is just cheating.
Overall we had a mixed experience. But considering the exorbitant rates charged by the private beach resorts(3-5K per day on an average), we feel that Calangute Residency is a pretty decent place to stay.