It will be a brief writeup. Some key points:
If you are travelling from Mumbai to Goa - Choose NH 4 over NH 17, if you prefer safety. NH 17 passes through Ghats.
When you approach Goa from Mumbai, no need to go upto Belgam. There is a cut at a place called Nipani. Do not miss it. You will save 30 km.
Try to reach Nipani during day. After Nipani, SH begins and then route upto Amboli passes through Ghats. Better to go during day. Also in this stretch, very few milestones/ route signs are there, so day time is better.
At Goa, best beaches are: Vagator, Bagha and Anjuna. Vagataor in particular is really good. Most guided tours go to Calangute which is also good but crowded. Sequirem beach is also nice.Tour operators deliberately leave Vagator / Anjuna as it is far away. But insist on going to these two beaches.
We stayed at Ginger Hotel. Value for money. Book early.
I took my car. Journey took 10 hrs. Now I enjoy driving, but 10 hrs does become exhausting. Next time I would go by train and take a two-wheeler/ car at Goa. I think it is a better option.
Those fond of Casino: Our experience at Casino Royale was quite reasonable. Now they do not allow kids inside Casino. Kids have a TV zone, but they get bored there. Further one feels bad, if kids are getting bored. In our case this was one reason that we decided to leave early. So Plan accordingly.
No dearth of decent restaurants. I prefer north Indian food. Moti Mahal, Sher E Panjab, Kamat(for light snacks/ south Indian) were good.