The Acacia Hotel and Spa

The hotel has received good reviews, it has 4 T rating and it’s website is impressive. This is why we booked it. Here is the reality. It is well located in Candolim. It is noisy because of its location and design. During our stay we were disturbed several times by noisy groups of large Indian families shouting / talking loudly at our door/ allowing children to run wild. I went to reception on one occasion and questioned what the hotel was doing to stop it. I was asked to leave it with them. I did and there was no change. The hotel can’t be responsible for rowdy, rude guests but it CAN police them and it CAN places notices around the communal areas and in rooms to remind guests to respect other people in the hotel and keep their children under control. The pool is very poor. I saw guests fully clothed in the pool. Not swimwear of some sort but outdoor clothing. This happened most days. I saw one of them eating a sandwich in the pool and later spotted it floating on the surface. Hygiene is an issue. If I can see it then so can the other guests and the hotel staff. I would not use that pool in any circumstances. The dining room is mildy chaotic. Indian guests were frequently seen handling food at the buffet and then returning it. There ARE tongs and spoon etc available but there is NO interaction from staff to ensure that guests conduct themselves correctly. It would be far better if a waiter service brought drinks to tables. The food was okay but repetitive. The room we were first given was a disgrace. It should not be in service at all. It was dirty. I could go on ..... The hotel staff arranged a swap and we ended up with an identical room but in far better condition and better placed. However, there was an issue with the room safe that took far too long to fix. I finally identified an annoying throbbing noise ( which was hard to sleep through ) as being the fridge. On examination it was red hot. It didn’t work anyway so I turned it off. I didn’t bother raising this with the staff based on my previous experience of the safe. The bathroom is separated by opaque sliding glass doors. Terrible design. It is hardly a private experience to use the toilet while sharing a room with someday on the other side of a piece of glass .... even if you are married! Bed was comfortable, TV had the extra bonus of live football channels and everything else was adequate enough. The hotel staff were all pleasant and friendly. At the time of our stay, the vast majority of guests were Indian and NOT the 55% TUI occupancy as suggested in a response to another review. This IS a TUI hotel and, as such, it should meet European standards and expectations when it IS rated at 4T and the cost to stay there is as much as far better alternatives. For British visitors, I assure you thus would just about get two stars on the AA scale. We expected it to live up to its billing but it fell far short . The pity is that with better maintenance of the rooms, a clean mop and better control over guest behaviour the hotel could be really good.

This was our third trip to Goa and we are experienced in the difference between hotel standards in India and the rest of the world. We are well travelled both independently and with tour operators. To cut a long story short we had booked TC flights and separate accommodation. The morning TC collapsed we decided to quickly attempt to book flights with TUI. We were tied to our dates and we wanted to fly direct from Manchester. Due to the increased price of flights it seemed a much better deal to book a package. Two other hotels were considered but we chose the Acacia. What a let down! In its current state, the Acacia is unsuitable for the TUI programme and we are very surprised that it is included. On arrival we were allocated two double rooms on the second floor at the rear of the hotel which over looked waste land/fly tipping site. The balconies were therefore unpleasant to use. Not ideal but we can live with that. The big issue was both rooms were dirty and in disrepair. The curtains were filthy. In one room the curtains had fallen off the track and were unusable. The bedside lampshades were filthy and the lamps were not securely fixed to the wall so they were lopsided and possibly dangerous. The long ago white washed walls were filthy. Even considering the humidity of Goa, the bathrooms were excessively mouldy. The damp had penetrated the wooden bathroom furniture to the extent that the veneer had completely rotted away. Bathroom ornaments were covered with a thick layer of dust. There were no hand towels in either room and throughout the day/night four requests for towels were made but none were delivered. It was more than disappointment, We were shocked that two very sub-standard rooms were allocated to us. Both of these rooms should not be in service in their current state. It is for this reason a one star score is awarded. We complained about the rooms and we were immediately offered a change which due to hotel occupancy could not take place until the following day. We agreed without seeing the rooms, confident that the only way was up. As an aside there is building work at the immediate rear of the hotel. The very loud banging started prior to 07:00 the following (Sunday) morning. On Sunday morning the TUI rep approached us at breakfast time. He already knew about our pending room change and said that the rooms at the back of the hotel were not good enough. The front rooms were better. Later that day we were allocated front double rooms on the third floor overlooking the street. We expected it to be noisy and it was, mainly because the balcony doors are badly fitted and falling off/apart. These rooms were an overall improvement but not great. Although the bathroom furniture had not rotted away, there was still mould particularly in the shower area but less than in the first rooms. Even so the bathrooms felt and looked dirty. The rooms had been more recently white washed and there were less dirty marks on the walls. A moderately cleaner, fresher look. In one room the safe did not work and was replaced on request. While we waited we discovered that the safe was not secured within the wardrobe i.e. it could be picked up and carried away. We asked for the new safe to be secured. It was in a fashion with one screw, not a bolt. Again the safe was easily carried away. The fridge in the same room made a terribly loud noise like a generator. It did not chill the water and felt red hot on the outside. For safety we unplugged the fridge but did not request a replacement. I’m sure it would have been replaced on request. The linens and towels are old, threadbare and stained but were laundered. Two large bottles of complimentary water are provided daily. The huge bed is very comfortable. The Acacia is well located in the centre of Candolim. Beach access road is almost directly opposite. The very kind traffic men will attempt to stop traffic on the busy road to help you cross. Not a lot of notice is taken of them but it more or less works. Beach is about a 10 min walk. One afternoon we went to the roof top bar for drinks. Behind the bar a glass fronted tall fridge was being swapped out for another by at least five staff. The replacement fridge was filthy and staff were giving it a dubious clean. At the same time they were all skidding about in filthy water on the floor area behind the bar. We attempted to pay our bill and waited 20 minutes. We asked why the long wait and were told that the bar had no payment facility and somebody had been sent to reception on the ground floor to get the bill. We attempted to charge the bill to our room but was told it was not possible. To hurry things along another member of staff escorted us to reception but a bill could still not be produced. After a further 30 minutes it was agreed that the bill could be charged to our room after all. Goa! There are usually three to four male receptionists seated in the reception area. Nearly always there is a strong, foul smell there. A dirty mop/rag smell but more pungent. There is often an attempt to mask it with fragrance but it mingles with it and results in a very sickly smell. The receptionists are pleasant and helpful. Due to the U shaped design of the hotel it is very noisy. The noise of guests is sucked up from the internal balcony corridors and reverberates and is amplified. We knew of the limitations of the pool. However the Acacia is very popular with Asian families and their practice of using the pool fully clothed was off putting. We did not use the pool and cannot comment further on it. The small and repetitive breakfast buffet is geared towards Asian guests and we tried dishes and enjoyed most of them. Eggs are cooked to order. During our trip We viewed other properties in Candolim, including some in the TUI programme and the Acacia falls far short. The price point is at the higher end. The Acacia is way over priced! TUI rep Although not a direct Acacia issue please be aware of the TUI free transfer to Mapusa market if offered by the TUI rep. He recommended a trip to Mapusa market on Friday morning to us. He said there was a free TUI transfer. Being a long standing TUI customer, a complimentary shuttle to a nearby town is not unusual. The rep said we would be picked up around 09:00 and returned to hotel around 12:30. On Friday the coach eventually arrived 25 mins late. Another TUI rep on board said we had several pick ups and then we needed to stop at the TUI showroom in Baga. We presumed this was a quick stop to pick up or drop off something. The TUI showroom turned out to be some sort of jeweller/tailor/retailer with an A4 photo copied TUI logo stuck to the door. There did not appear to be any TUI activity/presence. Chairs were set out for a sales pitch and we were told it was around 30 mins long. The TUI rep would not confirm when we would be dropped at Mapusa market and for how long and our return time to Acacia. We were clear that we had been duped into visiting the showroom and we did not want to sit through a sales pitch for any length of time let alone an undetermined length of time. We were sufficiently confident to stand our ground and leave. We returned to The Acacia by taxi at our own expense.

Our third stay at the Acacia. We are treated so well by everyone so can’t wait to go back. Had a great room overlooking Panjim corner, an experience even just watching. Arriving at reception on our first evening we were welcomed like old friends by everyone on duty and every day we were welcomed back when we returned from the beach. The hotel has lovely features including a roof top bar/restaurant with fantastic views. Breakfast excellent especially the eggs served to us by excellent waiters including Dileep and his colleagues. Many thanks also to manager Ritesh Sikka who ensured we had everything we needed.