Hotel Gautam Porvorim Goa -- rooms review and tips
You can choose between a Standard room, a Superior room, a Deluxe room, and a Villa. The tariff is for two persons for the standard and superior rooms, while for the deluxe room and the villa, it is for four persons. There is an additional charge for an extra person in the same room/villa. You can opt for a package that includes the meal plan, but if you plan to travel around and dine out somewhere, you can take the package without the meal plan.
Our stay
We booked a 3-night/4-day stay at Hotel Gautam, opting for the Superior room and the package with the meal plan. The total tariff for our stay was Rs. 18,000/-.
Since some of the rooms were empty, we were given a choice of a room on the ground floor or the upper floor. When we went upstairs, although delighted to see the balcony, we opted to stay downstairs for two reasons. Firstly, the room had a musty smell, likely from not having guests staying there for a while, and, secondly, the flight of steps (see the photo below) deterred us. We did not much like the thought of having to go up and down each time we stepped out for a meal or to go somewhere.
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| Steps to the room upstairs |
Selecting the ground floor room was a good choice. In place of the balcony, we got full-length curtained windows opening out into the paved pathway outside. It was a delightful surprise and enabled me to take regular walks outside whenever I wanted. At night, it was well-lit as well. Believe me, those beautiful windows and the paved pathway outside were the highlight of the room!
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| Full-length curtained windows |
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| Paved path outside our room |
The beds are comfortable, and there is a table on either side of each bed with an intercom. system, and charging point for your phone. The switches are sensibly labelled so you know which is for what. If the phone charger does not plug in properly, try the one across the room just above the dressing table.
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| Superior Room at Hotel Gautam |
There is plenty of storage space for your luggage and handbags, on the sturdy table as well as inside the cupboard, and it was good to see hangers for clothes inside it.
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| Room Furniture |
Complimentary bottles of water are provided, as well as towels, shampoo, and soap. The glasses on the table were beneath paper covers - a small, but thoughtful idea, I must say.
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| Bedside Table |
The bathroom is clean and hygienic. There was no hand towel at the basin, though, so remember to check this, and request for it.
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| Bathroom |
We did get bitten by tiny ants on our first night and saw a strange biggish insect on the room door once, but were told that this was due to the monsoon season. The television has limited channels and if you want to watch anything in particular, inquire with the front desk. Wi-Fi is free, and you need to ask for the Wi-Fi code to get access. This code (digits) is valid only for 24 hrs. so if you are staying for longer, you need to call up the front desk and ask for a fresh code. The Wi-Fi was not totally steady throughout the day, but that's okay. Remember that you are on vacation!
We also saw a duplex room and it is awesome! It is basically a room above a room with a staircase inside the room itself that leads to the upper section. There is a large-sized bed, seating area, and a TV in both parts and it is thus ideal for couples and families with kids who want to share the cost of a hotel stay. Note that the bathroom is downstairs only, and anyone who is elderly or with bad knees would have a problem climbing up. In fact, when booking itself they will inform you that the duplex has a staircase and whether you would be able to climb. It is suggested to the hotel management to have a light on the staircase as it is very narrow and dark.
Room Tips-
The Standard and Superior rooms are for two persons, while the Duplex room and the Villa are for four persons. If there are more persons, there will be an extra charge for each extra person, with charges for the adult and child as per the room booked. Hence, do confirm the tariff before you make any payment.In order to reserve a room, you need to pay between 30% to 50% of the tariff. Room reservations are to be made through the reservation office (refer to the website for the contact numbers). It is possible that, despite advanced booking, you may not get the specific room that you asked for, say, a ground floor room, as this will be confirmed as per availability on your arrival there.
When you settle in, first switch on the exhaust fan in the bathroom and leave the bathroom door open for a while. This removes any lingering musty smells. If necessary, keep the room's windows open for a while and let in the breeze.
The main door of our room was very hard to lock and unlock, and you need some effort to turn the key both while opening and closing the door, and need to push the door itself to shut it fully.
Ask about the hot water connection. The switch for the geyser is located outside the bathroom, so you need to remember to switch it off once everyone has finished using it. Also, you need to keep it on for a while before the hot water comes through. Instead of letting the water flow while checking if it is hot, and then throwing away the cold water, request for an extra bucket. That way you can use the cold water for washing, and precious water will not be wasted. Do be conscious of not wasting this precious element of Earth.
There is a thick cloth kept outside the bathroom door to wipe your feet on after your bath. Request for an additional one and keep this just outside the shower area so that your feet do not slip after having a bath. There is a glass door separating the bathing/shower area from the rest of the bathroom, but it does not slide shut at all, so just don't bother about it.
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