Going to India/Goa please help.

littlereddevil

Doubt you will find cheap accomodation at Christmas or flights. It is very popular at that time of year and prices can double. Cheap accomodation is just that, cheap! I love it there though.

jebus197

I may reconsider the Xmas idea in favour of a better time and a better deal. I imagined it would be fairly quiet. What would you guys recommend? I'm up for the whole Yoga/retreat thing (I'm a total beginner though), as I like the idea of getting a tan, total relaxation and a little bit of positive activity with some very chilled out people too...

The place I was looking at was here BTW: http://www.yogagoa.com/ , just in case anyone likes the look of it. I liked it because it was cheap and these guys really sound like they look after you, which as a first introduction to India would be very reassuring.

Nothing is fixed yet and it won't be until October when (I hope!) I will have the majority of cash I need.

Surely though all cheap accommodation, isn't all bad? I mean if I needed to book somewhere for a day or two either before my holiday starts or after my holiday finishes in order to coincide with the cheapest flights, there should be something quite acceptable and clean? I would rather not have the hassle though to be honest, as I would rather if I could just roll up to my holiday destination and then depart on the appointed day/s.

Mr_Lahey

Simple solution.

Skip the tourist saturated mediocre beaches of Goa and head a little further South to the unrivalled beauty of Kerala.

I was there in June, it is stunning.

Get a flight to Mumbai, then an internal to Kochi, from there the state is yours to do as you please.

odowdchr

Mr_Lahey wrote: »

Simple solution.

Skip the tourist saturated mediocre beaches of Goa and head a little further South to the unrivalled beauty of Kerala.

I was there in June, it is stunning.

Get a flight to Mumbai, then an internal to Kochi, from there the state is yours to do as you please.

If you go via Emirates, you can fly straight into Cochin or Trivandrum via Dubai from the UK, avoiding a night in a hotel in Mumbai.

That's the only problem with Mumbai and it being 9 hours away....the incoming flights are sometimes too late to get out again the same day, plus you have to leave in the middle of the night to come straight home.

jebus197

Mr_Lahey wrote: »

Simple solution.

Skip the tourist saturated mediocre beaches of Goa and head a little further South to the unrivalled beauty of Kerala.

I was there in June, it is stunning.

Get a flight to Mumbai, then an internal to Kochi, from there the state is yours to do as you please.

Mmm... what a dilemma, I like women and nice beaches and partying too, but I'm not sure if I'll ever get a chance to see anything as beautiful as Kerala again either. I might kick myself if I don't get to see any of the authentic India, but I'll be surrounded by some of the world's hottest women. (Not a reason for wanting to do Yoga, but it doesn't suck.) These are the kind of problems I like...

jamsandwiches

jebus197 wrote: »

Thanks. I just love the idea of sleeping in a beach hut in paradise, watching the rising orange Indian sun at Xmas - while hanging out with some of the most chilled-out people on the planet.

Speaking from a great deal of experience of Goa please do not think it is Paradise on earth - far from it.

markandkate

HI we went to goa at the same time of year. To get the best prices you need to book as soon as possible. A charter flight is one that tends to be used by package companies and they are the only ones that are allowed to fly direct to Goa from the Uk as far as I am aware. They tend to be less flexible in terms of departure days as they will only usually offer 7 or 14 night stays. They will be unlikely to fly everyday but will usually offer a choice of regional airports.

If you don't think this is for you then a scheduled flight usually flying everyday will be more what you are looking for. Often you will need to go to London airports to get the best deal but you can sometimes get connecting flights from regional airports. If you fly from London it will be direct to Mumbai usually and then connecting to Goa. If you fly from a regional airport this will mean that you will have to make two changes.

Delhi airport is plagued with fog in December and January it is cold and there is a lot of pollution so many flights get diverted and internal flights get cancelled. We were lucky but prior to our flights from Goa to Delhi the airport had been closed for 3 days in early January. It is better therefore to avoid Delhi airpot unless you want to go there

With regard to places to stay I cannot speak of other parts of India south of Goa but south Goa itself is beautiful with wide sandy beaches and a very quiet laidback feel. North Goa is more built up and although there are lots of night clubs and hotels its hardly Benidorm.

Accommodation can vary a great deal but if you pre book through some one like hostel bookers you pay a 10% deposit If you hate the look of the place stay one night and look elsewhere when you are rested and under no pressure to find somewhere

I can't wait to go back to India I loved it and really want to get to Kerala or the Andaman Islands next

Bob_the_Saver

markandkate wrote: »

HI we went to goa at the same time of year. To get the best prices you need to book as soon as possible. A charter flight is one that tends to be used by package companies and they are the only ones that are allowed to fly direct to Goa from the Uk as far as I am aware. They tend to be less flexible in terms of departure days as they will only usually offer 7 or 14 night stays. They will be unlikely to fly everyday but will usually offer a choice of regional airports.

If you don't think this is for you then a scheduled flight usually flying everyday will be more what you are looking for. Often you will need to go to London airports to get the best deal but you can sometimes get connecting flights from regional airports. If you fly from London it will be direct to Mumbai usually and then connecting to Goa. If you fly from a regional airport this will mean that you will have to make two changes.

Delhi airport is plagued with fog in December and January it is cold and there is a lot of pollution so many flights get diverted and internal flights get cancelled. We were lucky but prior to our flights from Goa to Delhi the airport had been closed for 3 days in early January. It is better therefore to avoid Delhi airpot unless you want to go there

With regard to places to stay I cannot speak of other parts of India south of Goa but south Goa itself is beautiful with wide sandy beaches and a very quiet laidback feel. North Goa is more built up and although there are lots of night clubs and hotels its hardly Benidorm.

Accommodation can vary a great deal but if you pre book through some one like hostel bookers you pay a 10% deposit If you hate the look of the place stay one night and look elsewhere when you are rested and under no pressure to find somewhere

I can't wait to go back to India I loved it and really want to get to Kerala or the Andaman Islands next

It's not ONLY charters that can fly direct to Goa but as yet nobody does DIRECT from the UK. Quatar do with a short stop.

jebus197

jamsandwiches wrote: »

Speaking from a great deal of experience of Goa please do not think it is Paradise on earth - far from it.

Well the photo's look good... So much for the sales hype...

Amy83

jamsandwiches wrote: »

Speaking from a great deal of experience of Goa please do not think it is Paradise on earth - far from it.

Goa can be paradise - all depends on what you're after, and where you go. Calangute or Candolim are definately not but there are some lovely little areas.

Jebus, have a look at indiamike.com. It's a wealth of information about everything India, you'll soon come up with an idea of where you want to go. I personally wouldn't go over Xmas and New Year, I couldn't justify the added expense. Early January is lovely.