Taj Exotica, Goa

Taj Exotica is located on the south west coast of Goa. It is 45 minutes away from the airport, about the same distance from Panaji and around 90 minutes away from the Baga beach. We visited the hotel in June 2012 for 2 nights and 3 days and the experience was wonderful. 


The entrance of the hotel is grand and a perfect prelude to what lies ahead. The vast green lawns leading to the beach consist of a golf course, a cricket pitch, a football field and a duck pond. The property is huge and cycles are available for the guests to explore the grounds. Golf carts have been provided to help the guests to move around the property. The pool is big and beautiful and though, there is no bar inside the pool, a stall has been set up to provide drinks and refreshments. Though the bar tenders in the stalls get you the drinks in the pool (in special plastic glasses which can float in water), it doesn't replace the advantages of having an actual bar with bar stools submerged in the pool area itself (which is now a common place in other big properties  like Zuri and Marriott in Goa).

We stayed in one of the villa rooms which was much  bigger than the regular rooms. It was comfortably furnished and had a private balcony. The bathroom was neat and clean with a bath tub and a shower cubicle but, frankly, we have seen more luxurious set ups. The bed  is huge and can accommodate 3 people comfortably (but there is no reason why you would want to do that to yourself).


Some of the villa rooms also have a private pool attached to them but these pool areas are barely hidden and visible to everyone crossing the room. So don't be naughty in your private villa pool with your partner (unless you don't mind an occasional passer by having a peep).



The breakfast buffet which is served in Eugenia was our best meal with a lavish spread ranging from punjabi to south Indian to continental. I particularly loved the dhaba chai served during breakfast. When we visited, the beach front Lobster shack was closed though it looked quite appealing. Adega Camoens which is the bar area inside the hotel was also quite dead.















The management is very cooperative and helpful. As we arrived much prior to the check in time, they provided us with a temporary room to rest in. The concierge was helpful too and assisted us in planning a trip to the city. The location of the hotel is such that it may be difficult for you to arrange for your own bikes/cars on rent and you are dependent on the hotel to arrange the vehicles for you - more so in the non-peak season. This has additional cost implications, but well, if one is choosing to spend a vacation in  Taj Exotica, this may not seem to be a heavy burden.


The only thing lacking in the hotel is a good evening entertainment programme. When we went the hotel had organised a magic show on a Friday night! Even though it was an off season, considering the occupancy it may have been worthwhile to arrange for a good live band on the weekend. Though, Adega Camoens did have a live band, considering we were the only people in the bar, it wasn't that fun - the singers were good though. 

Our overall cost of the entire trip - including accommodation, airfare (to and fro - Mumbai), food, drinks, travel within Goa - came to about Rs. 1,06,000. We were five people so took two villa rooms with an extra bed in one room. We would say it offered value for money spent.

Overall, the hotel is a good place to stay in if one has already experienced Goa before. If however, you would want to experience the typical 'touristy' Goa, head North (towards Baga, Anjuna et al) and stay there - Keep Taj Exotica for the next visit. It offers almost everything that Goa has - beach, beauty, beer, greenery, water sports - with the comfort and without the chaos.