Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Goa

“Memorable experience - yet again!”

Exotica Goa is a unique experience among the various Taj hotels. This is the second time we came here, and was perhaps better than the first. We will certainly come again. Some of the names of people who made our experience warm and memorable that I must. mention Francis the buggy driver Filo… more

Exotica Goa is a unique experience among the various Taj hotels. This is the second time we came here, and was perhaps better than the first. We will certainly come again. Some of the names of people who made our experience warm and memorable that I must. mention Francis the buggy driver Filomeno the housekeeping boy Mr Vincy Mr Sunil at the porch/lobby Mr Atlee in the sala da pranzo Princely in Sala da Pranzo Mr Patil at the hub garden Mr Balaji at the hub garden and most importantly....... Ms Truna at the front desk Siddharth at the Front Desk Ms Deeksha Ms Janisha and, finally, Ms Aishwarya Interacting with Janisha and Deeksha was marked by genuineness and warmth. On the last day when our cab got delayed by 1.5 hours, Aishwarya helped us make the most of that time by personally driving us around in the buggy to the swings, around the villas, to the Hub Garden, to the nakshtra garden etc Those 1-2 hours were the best ,most delightful way to end the stay, thanks to the patient time and attention Aishwarya gave us. We left feeling we stayed 1-2 days less. :)

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“Old is gold”

Exotica is one of the oldest taj property in goa. But still mantaning its grandour and charm. Well it's the men and women that makes the magic more then bricks and bolder. Exception service, attention to details and very thoughtfull things made our stay at taj exotica a memorable one. Food was s… more

Exotica is one of the oldest taj property in goa. But still mantaning its grandour and charm. Well it's the men and women that makes the magic more then bricks and bolder. Exception service, attention to details and very thoughtfull things made our stay at taj exotica a memorable one. Food was simpelally great full of flavour and yamms.

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“Real Good Holidays”

Beautiful stay in a nicely arranged villa amidst pleasant oceanic surroundings! Excellent service (thanks Sunil in main restaurant), great staff, flawless WiFi, good number of activities (Narmin, Malvica were superb), all of them fit to make your holidays a great hit!! You may wish to come here aga… more

Beautiful stay in a nicely arranged villa amidst pleasant oceanic surroundings! Excellent service (thanks Sunil in main restaurant), great staff, flawless WiFi, good number of activities (Narmin, Malvica were superb), all of them fit to make your holidays a great hit!! You may wish to come here again...and again..... Nice food, though a greater spread and a better taste may still be tried. Similarly, cheap/easy options will ne welcome to encourage you to experience the urban/rural Goa during the stay!! I wish to go there again!!!!

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“Taj downgrading?”

We have been to this hotel approximately 14 times since early 2000`s, in fact, we saw it being built on a previous visit to a nearby hotel. We have had great holidays here, enjoying the comfortable rooms, pretty gardens and ideal location ( for us ) with some lovely beach shacks at either side on t… more

We have been to this hotel approximately 14 times since early 2000`s, in fact, we saw it being built on a previous visit to a nearby hotel. We have had great holidays here, enjoying the comfortable rooms, pretty gardens and ideal location ( for us ) with some lovely beach shacks at either side on the beach. However, there have often been issues with service, particularly when something needs attention in the room ( eg broken / non-functioning items and slowness to respond despite multiple reminders ). The prices charged by Taj have increased significantly since opening ( almost 4x from our experience ) yet the hotel has remained locked in time despite rooms having a lick of paint and new bathrooms. The reception area has been moved yet again, back to the non-a/c lobby area - which is a shame as the previous a/c reception area was very welcome to guests. The Breakfast restaurant provides a good selection and usually good quality items ( NOT the box of muesli which appears to contain the same solidified, unusable lump it contained back in February! ). The restaurant itself is just about OK when hardly anyone is in, but once the pace picks up it`s chaos - the space between Indian Kitchen and the food island is only about 8 feet wide and 20 feet long, so people stopping there to choose items cause an obstacle for others wanting to get to other areas. Unsupervised young children also wander / run around which is surely an accident waiting to happen ( people carrying hot drinks/food )? As the reviewer John D says, dogs now allowed around the hotel ( yes, their byproducts were visible too ), surely not a good policy, particularly close to or even in restaurants? Another surprising point is that the pedestrians walking around the resort frequently have to avoid buggies and cyclists which whizz almost silently, sometimes around blind bends. There are 8 kph restriction signs up for cyclists, but few riders abide by this ( and nobody enforces this ), so yet another accident waiting to happen - one buggy driver managed to smash into some of the red curbing which separates footpath from lawn, even though the path is about 4 feet wider than a buggy ). Price-wise, Taj Exotica is now competing with 4/5 star resorts in places like Mauritius and the Maldives, and frankly, the Taj buildings and fittings are looking terribly outdated and overpriced by comparison as far as foreign tourists are concerned. Yes, they have increased their domestic tourists, but the place was very quiet compared to all our previous visits, so they could be taking a risky gamble by not significantly raising their game regarding service and structural standards. **Do check your room bills carefully as mistakes have occurred on several occasions in our experience. Overall, I have given 3 star rating. 1 star lost for outdated buildings, 1 more lost for dysfunctional service. Regarding service, all staff are extremely polite and friendly, but at International 5 star level that is simply not enough. Efficiency and professionalism matter more ( but do keep the smiles! ).

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