Praia Da Oura - Boutique Resort

We wanted to spend a few days at a resort in South Goa with good beach access. Praia da Oura was the perfect place. The owner, Alex of and his wife Maria welcomed us and ensured that we had all that we wanted. Diana and Basil served us a homely breakfast of fresh fruit juice, cut fruit from the trees grown on the property and eggs with hot goan pao. All residents seem to know each other and it felt like a family. The rooms are large, air conditioned and well appointed. Beds and pillows were comfortable and all windows looked out to the beach or to endless fields of paddy and coconut palms. Great value for money at Praia da Oura too.

The staff are absolutely the crown jewel of this boutique hotel. Their warm welcome will put a smile on your face, even if you did just come in on the 2:45 AM Qatar Airways flight. A special call out must go the husband and wife team of Dianah and Basil. Between them they will not only make sure you enjoy meals made with the finest ingredients the area has to offer (often from the hotel grounds itself), they will share their knowledge and wisdom that can be learnt only by growing up in the area. The next thing you will notice is sparkling blue, enormous pool. Aleixo, the owner, is proud to point out that the filtration system was installed by a retired German engineer and assures me that there is no cleaner water to be found in any other pool in Goa. During high season the pool area is sure to be a hit with the guests. The rooms themselves are huge and come complete with a tea/coffee making station and mini fridge. The combination of an overhead fan, air conditioning and comfy bedding make for a comfortable nights rest. Most rooms have a balcony facing the sea offering vistas of sunsets that belong on postcards. The breakfast at the poolside are authentically local dishes created by a young and talented chef, know simply as Chef. For a treat, take a short stroll (ten minutes max) to the nearby Pentagon Restaurant to enjoy some really delicious curries under the stars. After 7:30 PM there is light, live entertainment. Overall, a great place to use as a base for your Goa travels, or for the more adventurous a fantastic way to ease into the local way of life before heading north into the less laid back definitely more hectic India.

1. We were 2 families with 4 kids of all age groups stayed here in August 2017 ...mainly for a peaceful beach vacation...but only beach is worth mentioning in this stay. 2. Although a modest size property with a pool but being run like a family business not as professional...not at all boutique. 3.They dont have restaurant and no shop to purchase anything in the property....if kids get hungry one has to invariably walk distance to buy smallest of snacks . 4. The buffet breakfast is very very basic...no variety and same everyday...asking for a variation was in vain. 5. It may be for foreign tourists but for Indian families nothing much to offer...pool closes too early and it is non supervised. 6. All good restaurant are at good walking distance and at late nights while coming back the access roads were too scary with kids. 7. The staff has polite faces but nothing more than that to offer.

We stayed here for a week and it is a very nice hotel in a quiet location. Our room was spacious, modern, bright and exceptionally clean. It also had a superb bathroom with a very powerful shower. The balcony overlooked the gardens and had a distant sea view; it was a lovely place to sit out and relax as it was very quiet. We thought the pool was great, quite big and again, very clean; it was a pleasure to swim in it. The surrounding area was also nice; not many sunbeds but as we were often the only people there, it was fine. Staff were friendly, especially Basil - everyone could do with a Basil, as he kept the rooms absolutely spotless!! The only thing that let it down for us was the breakfast, we thought it was quite poor. It was a buffet and not a very impressive one at that, such a limited choice which was the same every day. I am sure the food was hot when it was prepared but it was just all laid out on a table, uncovered with nothing to keep it warm so consequently everything was cold!! Also the flasks of tea, coffee and milk were often wrongly labelled which caused a lot of confusion! After we had been there a few days, we realised other guests were asking for different things, so we also did this. If we had been told we could order any type of eggs etc at the start it would have been so much better. To be fair, they were happy to do this and it was much more enjoyable having something hot. The coffee was still pretty bad though!! We enjoyed our stay there overall but it is not really a "resort" as it states, as apart from the pool, there are no other facilities.

A spotlessly clean quite new hotel in a great location. Within easy walking distance of a lovely clean beach with shacks, sunbeds etc. 10 minutes walk to a top notch restaurant. No problem getting a taxi if you prefer. The hotel rooms are spacious with comfortable beds, quiet A/C and the best shower I have ever used. Delicious breakfast with whatever you fancy made to order. The pool is just perfect with towels provided which smell so fresh and fragrant. The staff go out of their way to provide a 5 star service. The hotel does not have a bar or restaurant to serve food other than breakfast. This is not a problem at all as bars and restaurants are very close by. In fact I found this a refreshing change. We will definitely be returning when we next visit Goa. Dont miss this fabulous hotel.