Taj Exotica
Benaulim
Goa
India
Google Maps Reference: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGIC_enGB241GB243&q=Varca+Beach%2c+Benaulim+403716%2c+India2c+Benaulim+403716%2c+India+
Date: April 2010
Overall Little Jet Setter Rating: FIVE STARS
Hotel Class (as per http://www.tripadvisor.com/): 5 stars
The Room:
Size: Very Large
Cot: Proper cot – not a travel one
Child Amenities: Fridge in room
Cleanliness: immaculate
Bath v Shower: both!
Location of Room: spread across the resort in the main building or villa style buildings, some with private pools – however, they made a point of giving us the room in our category closest to the main building and restaurants and pools as we had a young child
Noise: none
Air Conditioning: blissfully reliable and quiet
The Room Score = 5/5
The Grounds:
Buggy-friendly?: Very – paths to pool, beach, kids club, yoga area etc.
Safety: Very – large resort with plenty of subtle security, child friendly main areas
Shady areas: many trees and areas with sun shades
The Grounds Score = 5/5
The Pool:
Shallowness: dedicated kids pool adjoining main pool (including waterslide and plenty of pool toys), main pool with shallow, wide steps at entry
Cleanliness: very clean
Water Temperature: very warm – heated by the scorching sun!
Toys: allowed
Safety: wide tiled areas around pool, no sudden drops
Location within grounds: near main building, a short walk from beach, unfortunately minimal sea view from pool
Shady areas: they bring over parasols to wherever you would like to sit or lie out – little shade over the main pool, some over kiddie pool
The Pool Score = 5/5
The Food:
Kid-friendly food: buffets featured all types of cuisine and even had a small area dedicated to kids cookies. We asked for something off menu for Little Jet and had no problem.
Toddler breakfast: included with parent(s)
Proximity of restaurant to rooms: if you’re in a main resort room, restaurants are very close, except for Lobster Shack which is by the beach which is a 5 minute walk. Villa rooms are farther away from dining options (Note there are 5 restaurants at the resort plus the pool bar and indoor bar areas).
Kids in the bar: Yes
High Chairs: Yes
Will they do purees?: Yes
Access to milk or formula: You have to get in a taxi to get your own milk or formula from a nearby grocery (5 minute drive). Remember most stores are shut between about 2pm-5pm!
The Food Score: 4/5
The Location:
Access to local restaurants and bars: Immediately outside front gates are a few restaurants, other hotels, shops. Along the beach there are 2 beach shacks – more during high season, not walkable to a town
Buggy routes: to beach, to shops etc. all accessible
Drives: Benaulim only 5 minutes drive, Colva 10 minutes drive, Spice Plantations 1 hour, Anjuna Flea Market 1.5-2 hours, Palolem Beach 1 hour, Airport 45 minutes
Taxis: arranged by hotel or you can arrange yourself by walking out the front gates to taxi stand on your left hand side.
The Location Score = 4/5
The Baby Services:
Babysitting: Yes
Kids Club: Yes – under supervision for any kids under 5 years old, but all ages are welcome to join kids activities. No creche. No set kids dinner times.
Laundry: available
Fridge: in rooms
Amenities: no kids amenities in rooms
For Mum and Dad: Service was wonderful and very happy to have small children in the hotel. All staff very friendly to the kids and Little Jet loved to wave to her "new friends" during our stay. Lots of interesting activities planned in the day including archery, dancing, cooking demonstrations, golf tips, yoga
The Baby Services Score: 4/5
General Comments:
We had great service at the Taj Exotica which makes it very easy to travel with babies and children. Little things like having airport transfers included, being greeted with cool towels and juices and having baskets of fruit in the lobby you can help yourself to (great for snacking kids during the day!) make all the difference. They really seem to care about the whole family here – when we checked in Little Jet had a number of mosquito bites (scratched to bits already), and they sent the hotel doctor around to check on her and give us some lotion as we unpacked. Above and beyond the call of duty! We are all about the local food when travelling, but we ended up eating at the Italian in the resort one night so that the little one would have something familiar – it was fantastic and really special. The Lobster Shack was great with the entire family (we had a toddler running like crazy in the lawns and dancing to the, albeit cheesy, musician). It was even better when we got a babysitter and were able to gaze out on the ocean with a nice bottle of Indian wine (well…it was refreshing in any case).
It is a popular resort for families and we saw a few small children when we were there - very much a mixture of European, North American and Indian clientele.
Highly recommended. Enjoy.
See Photos under India - Taj Exotica.
Overall Score = 27/30
Benaulim
Goa
India
Google Maps Reference: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGIC_enGB241GB243&q=Varca+Beach%2c+Benaulim+403716%2c+India2c+Benaulim+403716%2c+India+
Date: April 2010
Overall Little Jet Setter Rating: FIVE STARS
Hotel Class (as per http://www.tripadvisor.com/): 5 stars
The Room:
Size: Very Large
Cot: Proper cot – not a travel one
Child Amenities: Fridge in room
Cleanliness: immaculate
Bath v Shower: both!
Location of Room: spread across the resort in the main building or villa style buildings, some with private pools – however, they made a point of giving us the room in our category closest to the main building and restaurants and pools as we had a young child
Noise: none
Air Conditioning: blissfully reliable and quiet
The Room Score = 5/5
The Grounds:
Buggy-friendly?: Very – paths to pool, beach, kids club, yoga area etc.
Safety: Very – large resort with plenty of subtle security, child friendly main areas
Shady areas: many trees and areas with sun shades
The Grounds Score = 5/5
The Pool:
Shallowness: dedicated kids pool adjoining main pool (including waterslide and plenty of pool toys), main pool with shallow, wide steps at entry
Cleanliness: very clean
Water Temperature: very warm – heated by the scorching sun!
Toys: allowed
Safety: wide tiled areas around pool, no sudden drops
Location within grounds: near main building, a short walk from beach, unfortunately minimal sea view from pool
Shady areas: they bring over parasols to wherever you would like to sit or lie out – little shade over the main pool, some over kiddie pool
The Pool Score = 5/5
The Food:
Kid-friendly food: buffets featured all types of cuisine and even had a small area dedicated to kids cookies. We asked for something off menu for Little Jet and had no problem.
Toddler breakfast: included with parent(s)
Proximity of restaurant to rooms: if you’re in a main resort room, restaurants are very close, except for Lobster Shack which is by the beach which is a 5 minute walk. Villa rooms are farther away from dining options (Note there are 5 restaurants at the resort plus the pool bar and indoor bar areas).
Kids in the bar: Yes
High Chairs: Yes
Will they do purees?: Yes
Access to milk or formula: You have to get in a taxi to get your own milk or formula from a nearby grocery (5 minute drive). Remember most stores are shut between about 2pm-5pm!
The Food Score: 4/5
The Location:
Access to local restaurants and bars: Immediately outside front gates are a few restaurants, other hotels, shops. Along the beach there are 2 beach shacks – more during high season, not walkable to a town
Buggy routes: to beach, to shops etc. all accessible
Drives: Benaulim only 5 minutes drive, Colva 10 minutes drive, Spice Plantations 1 hour, Anjuna Flea Market 1.5-2 hours, Palolem Beach 1 hour, Airport 45 minutes
Taxis: arranged by hotel or you can arrange yourself by walking out the front gates to taxi stand on your left hand side.
The Location Score = 4/5
The Baby Services:
Babysitting: Yes
Kids Club: Yes – under supervision for any kids under 5 years old, but all ages are welcome to join kids activities. No creche. No set kids dinner times.
Laundry: available
Fridge: in rooms
Amenities: no kids amenities in rooms
For Mum and Dad: Service was wonderful and very happy to have small children in the hotel. All staff very friendly to the kids and Little Jet loved to wave to her "new friends" during our stay. Lots of interesting activities planned in the day including archery, dancing, cooking demonstrations, golf tips, yoga
The Baby Services Score: 4/5
General Comments:
We had great service at the Taj Exotica which makes it very easy to travel with babies and children. Little things like having airport transfers included, being greeted with cool towels and juices and having baskets of fruit in the lobby you can help yourself to (great for snacking kids during the day!) make all the difference. They really seem to care about the whole family here – when we checked in Little Jet had a number of mosquito bites (scratched to bits already), and they sent the hotel doctor around to check on her and give us some lotion as we unpacked. Above and beyond the call of duty! We are all about the local food when travelling, but we ended up eating at the Italian in the resort one night so that the little one would have something familiar – it was fantastic and really special. The Lobster Shack was great with the entire family (we had a toddler running like crazy in the lawns and dancing to the, albeit cheesy, musician). It was even better when we got a babysitter and were able to gaze out on the ocean with a nice bottle of Indian wine (well…it was refreshing in any case).
It is a popular resort for families and we saw a few small children when we were there - very much a mixture of European, North American and Indian clientele.
Highly recommended. Enjoy.
See Photos under India - Taj Exotica.
Overall Score = 27/30
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