require a lil help from You wonderful people

Krishnmaddy

Hi guys, been reading this forum for quite sum time, before deciding to Join, getting married to my love ( a 4 year affair) with lots of twists and turns, hence want to make the best of our honeymoon trip and require your help....

In Short, can u guys help me decide between Island Vinnies and Dolphin resort, my requirement is very simple, i need peacefull accomodation from where we can see the sea.

We are both non swimmers and want to spend time watching the sea. Sumthing like walking on the beaches in moonlight kind of stuff, can u please please suggest a place where we can stay comfortable and watch the sea and walk on the beach right where we live ??? i mean as close to the sea.....as possible. I mean How far is the beach and clean is it from the tented cabbanas...

Also, i have seen the govt website that says VIP Tents at radhanagar, how comfortable are the tents.

Please excuse me for asking these many questions, kindly anybody who were honeymooners please reply.....

footloose8

Hey,

We are on the same boat - honeymooners in waiting...congrats in advance on your wedding.

My knowledge is all second-hand as I am yet to visit the place that am so looking forward to but I can share with you my research finds (and yes, I too have gone through the whole booking dilemma where I did consider both Vinnie's and Dolphin):-

1. Dolphin is as near as you can get to the beach. Their VIP cottage (Rs.2000 per night) is right on the beach with balconies looking out, and there is a concrete fence, sort of, separating the beach from the resort, on which you can sit at night with the sea spray and the moonlight (hehehe, I read someone's review, datz all)but yeah as non-swimmers, be careful. At Vinnie's you will have to walk down (not more than a minute or two--you can ask them). I think as beaches, both #3 (Vinnie's) and #5 (Dolphin), are similar-- shallow with dead corals. But they should not be fine for just lazing around (no swimming/snorkelling)

2. Dolphin has all the creature comforts of a normal hotel (TV, fridge), nothing special but its views are worth the room tariff is what I have heard. At Vinnie's, as long as you are comfy with the idea of living in a tent, the pink cabbanas look very nice (search flickr etc. for pics).

3. Personally, I found Vinnie and Pritha (at Island Vinnie's) to be very friendly and helpful to begin with. They also have very reasonable rates. People at Dolphin are friendly too, but Vinnie's has that warm kind of a vibe. If you are going through a travel agent, I don't think the helpful quotient should matter much, but if you are booking by yourself then it might. Especially since getting the ferry tickets before-hand is a must, and the private resorts like Vinnie's will be getting them for you (with a service fee, of course,). Dolphin won't be helping you on that count.

4. On my gut feeling, I would suggest don't go for the pure tented accomodations on Radhanagar (I have no idea about this but am sharing why we didn't consider it, since we seem to be riding the same boat!). Am sure on your honeymoon you would want some bit of comfort...but of course that's your call. We have booked into a place that won't have hot water, for example...so am a bit apprehensive, but then we didn't go for Dolphin because it looked a 'normal' place to stay in, hehehe...confused did you say?

Anyways, will let you know if something else relevant to your query crosses my mind. You can always call these people (numbers from their websites)

All the best!

shahronakm

Dolphin resort would be ideal for you. In case you have big budget Barefoot would be the best choice becuse of it's location at Radhanagar Beach & it's facilities.

VIP Tents at Radhanagar - Remove the word VIP. Hope you get my point.

Ronak.

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kalbarri

dolphin looks well looked after and has great views of the beach. very neat. avoid a room close to the coconut grove resort, which is behind dolphin, as it was very noisy at nights, until 2am or so.

navinkurian2002

The other good ones are the emerald gecko and wild orchid

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Krishnmaddy

Thanks a Ton footloose8, i know what you guys are going through and all the best to you guys to and all the people wanna be honeymooners......

And thanks to you guys too shahronakm, kalbarri (Thanks for the groove thing, will keep in mind),

navinkurian2002.Well Now what about Emerald Gecko....Just gettin more confused......can u help me out a bit more there, i did go through online stuff...but first floor balcony ea view is it worth it...

Also, any more tips, places to go plz plz let me know, its a 7 day portblair and havelock

Also are there any isolated islands where we can just be alone with a picnic basket and stuff.....ideas plz

Krishnmaddy

hey footloose8 when are u guys planning to go, can u give me an head start when u come back.....either plz pm me....

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kalbarri

gecko only has huts and doesn't have a view from balcony type situation. dolphin is right on the beach with balconies and views and you can walk along the beach there and find private spots.
a place i thought looked good is the forest lodge at wandoor. it is on a hill and has great views and nice walk along to a swimming and snorkelling beach. you have to get permission to book in there and unfortunately i just gave away my andamans map and tourist info today but there should be info on an andamans site. you would have to book the front room for the views. i had a look at the room. it was very kitch but cosy. from wandoor you can go on glass bottom boats and out to islands.
sorry if this confuses you even more.

amitsanghvi100

Standard of accommodation is relatively poor across the island....

Accommodation is spread on one side for backpackers (mainly) and one side for honeymooners/families (beach 7).

Beach 7 is pretty secluded - half hour from the jetty but gets really busy for sun-sets. It's the best beach on the Island.

I guess Barefoot on beach 7 is the one to go for, but it's expensive for what it is (3* resort at 5* prices).

footloose8

[quote=Krishnmaddy;580630]hey footloose8 when are u guys planning to go, can u give me an head start when u come back.....either plz pm me....


Sorry maddy,

Checked this post only now. But if this is of help, we are going in the first week of December. Let's see how it turns out. Would love to post back on this forum about the trip, but I just hope things go well. :-)

abi.pratt

Hi everyone! I am new to this site, so I am not sure if this is the right thread, but I AM in dire need of help from nice people, so I thought I would give it a try. I had made a reservation for my parents and 2 sisters at Dolphin from 27 December to 1 Jan, but the reservation has "mysteriously" disappeared (and I never received email confirmation), so I am basically up a creek. I have tried EVERY hotel, tourist agent, etc, and would love any advice about places I could try. My sisters and I can sleep on the beach for all we care, but my mom and dad are somewhat past that stage of adventuring, and require the luxury of a bed...
Any advice would be SO very helpful, and thank you thank you in advance!
Cheers!

martinez

Hi abi look at the www.and.nic.in website and see the central booking details of the government guest houses in the Andamans.
These,as you may already know,are bookable through the central tourist board office in Port Blair. They usually require a deposit and will give all the details you need to do so.
I hope you can find a bed for your parents at least.Best wishes.

amitsanghvi100

You could try Vinnies or Pristine - both have websites/e-mail. Barefort is pricer but will also have net-bookings. There is a lot of accom on Havelock (many does not have net access/bookings), so you could take a chance as you'll likely get something.

Alternatively, you could try and get one night and then look around for other places. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on how busy it gets over new years.

shahronakm

Check out Holidayiq.com & search for Havelock in their hotel listings section. You will find some more options & their contact nos. Check out my review of Bay View Inn where i had stayed in Feb 07. Here is the link
http://www.holidayiq.com/searchresor...10&Submit2.y=5

Ronak.

Krishnmaddy

[quote=footloose8;596619]
Seems like we will also be at there at the same time, i have finally made a reservation with Island Vinnies, probably we meet there, have fun then chow !!!