Mumbai-Kerala-Goa-Mumbai (or vice versa) - travel / stay tips needed !

Desh

Hello,

I am travelling with two friends from Washington DC on the route mentioned above, here is my tentative Itinerary (first 2 weeks of Jan 2008) :

1. Mumbai - Cochin - FLY domestic (Jet / Kingfisher)
2. few days in Kerala
2. Cochin - Goa (Madgaon) - TRAIN (POORNA EXP or NETRAVATHI EXP)
3. few days in Goa
4. Goa - Mumbai - TRAIN - Mandovi or Jan Shatabdi..

this itinerary could easily be turned around - I just want to fly one way ... I want to see as much of the Konkan Railway during the day - atleast the best parts - Mandovi and Shatabdi seem to fit the bill. Couple of questions :

1. Which sections of Konkan Railway are scenic (all of it ??)
2. How scenic is the ride from Kerala to Goa ?

Also, I need some help in and around Goa - my friends and I are interested in Architecture and some good Goan party's - so would like to stay close to where the churches are.

- Any recomendations for which Churches to see ?

- Any good boat parties to attend ?

I will arrive @ Madgaon Railways stations , but have no idea where to stay and what the transportation options, to and from the station and in and around Goa are. I am looking for a safe and clean place to stay and am not looking to spend $300 a night in a beach resort ...

Please advise since I am getting ready to make reservations ...

Much obliged ...

Desh

Chinadolly

Hi Desh

What part of Goa do you want to visit, North or South ?

Desh

I am not sure - I would like to see old churhes .. which I think are up north ... but I could be wrong ... wouldnt mind being close to a beach as well ...

thanks !

GoanCanuck

Goa is a very small place and it does not matter too much where you stay.

Having said that, the most famous churches are closer to Panjim. A good hotel in Panjim is the Mandovi Hotel which has a panoramic view of the riverfront.
http://www.hotelmandovigoa.com/

The problem you will face is that the hotels are going to be fully booked for the time period that you have specified. All the good hotels in Goa are block booked by the tour/charter operators from 20th Dec to 15th Jan.

It is very hard to get a room at a decent rate during this period because the hotels insist on charging ridiculously inflated rates.


Do you mean "boat" parties or "beach" parties? The river cruises originate from the jetty which is about 250m from the Mandovi Hotel. These river cruises are not that great for the price that they charge.

As far as beach parties are concerned, they usually take place between Dec 24 and January 5.

Desh

I ll try my luck - I was planning to make my bookings this week so hopefully I might get lucky .... any other options in case I dont get into this one ?

Thanks for the post ...

Desh

GoanCanuck

The Goa Government has two hotels in Panjim. The hotel in the middle of Panjim is called the Panjim Residency and there is another one about 3km away called the Miramar Residency. The latter one is newer and more comfortable.

http://www.goa-tourism.com/


You can find out details about river cruises here http://www.cruisedegoa.com/

steven_ber

POORNA EXP only runs one day a week, and the Netravati will be booked up very quickly, you need to be on the ball and ready to book when bookings open 60 days in advance.

If you're departing Cochin on a Monday (the day of the POORNA EXP), train 6334 is a very well timed train (that also books up very fast.)

Train 6334 departs Ernakulam Town at 20:00 and gets to Madgaon at 10:45, and Karmali (for Old Goa and Panjim) at 11:23, the train has 2 & 3 tier air con and Sleeper Class (not air con).

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Train information.

federica

I prefer the section between Kerala and Goa.... beautiful rivers, sometimes it goes near the sea...

Goa to Mumbai has lots of tunnels, but it`s still interesting.

Desh

thanks all !