SPOT ON 47418 Hotel Raikar Heritage

I booked Raikar Guest House for a night stay upon my arrival to and return out of Goa since my flight timings were very odd. The location of the guest house is very near to the airport (only 5 minutes drive) and that is the biggest plus point.||||Upon my arrival the host offered me a room in an adjacent guest house with whom they have tie up as the Raikar Guest House was fully booked. Even though he didn't inform me about this in advance I didn't mind it since the room was spotlessly clean and absolutely worth for the money I paid. However, there was no soap in the bathroom and dustbin was outside the room which the host immediately fixed when I called him. It was a perfect set up just to spend a night. Since I travelled in mid August and it was raining, I didn't bother about the fact that the room is without AC and it was actually absolutely fine with us.||||The guest house doesn't serve any food or drinks and there are no hotels at walking distance. So one must be prepared to walk to the beach side to find any shacks which may not be working during off season. The property has a very small space to park your vehicles which cannot really be called as a parking. Hence be prepared to park your car on the roadside in case there is already any vehicle by an another guest.||||The host stays in an adjacent house to the guest house and is very friendly, polite and helpful. He helped me with airport pick & drop at a reasonable price. He also helped with the rental car contacts & I could get a brand new i10 Grand at a reasonable price with a very short notice.||||At the time of return, I was given the room in the original Raikar Guest house. I was disappointed to see that the room wasn't as clean as it was during my first stay. The voice from an adjacent room was clearly audible and hence complete lack of privacy.||||However, I liked the set up very much for the price that I paid. It was a perfect to spend a night. Please ask for a room in an adjacent guest house with whom they have tie-up. It has got much better rooms.

I arrived in Goa late evening and after being charged more than what was appropriate to be shuttled via taxi to Raikar Guest House. I was offered a private taxi to arambol in the morning by the taxi driver for what was then unknown to be an exorbitant amount of money. I agreed and checked in. ||It was 12:30 am when I arrived and the owner greeted me and showed me to my room and provided a bottle of water upon request. He asked me how the taxi charged and would be charging me and although he did not indicate directly that the cost was 150% of what a pre paid taxi would be I understood. ||The facilities are fine and functional and useful for a brief visit. The ceiling fan is fantastically powerful. ||I woke up early in the morning and the owner provided me with a wifi password and surprised me with chai tea and biscuits as I made my travel plans. He encouraged me to hire a motorcycle taxi and provided me and excellent drive at fair price. ||Bushan, the driver, was kind and skilled on the road. ||The bottom line is that the owner prevented me from being taken advantage of and provided for me and exclllent alternative to my Ill-conceived travel plans. ||I would definitely recommend staying at this convenient and inexpensive location, especially if popping in en route to elsewhere. |||Thank you so much.

I've used this friendly family guest house on my way into and out of India in 2016 and 2017 and am so pleased I found it. Arriving in Goa at any time of the day or night has become a pleasure rather than a trial. I no longer need to unpack and reassemble my bicycle at the airport, I simply take a short taxi ride and rebuild at my leisure - the owners even keep my precious bicycle box safe for my return.||Accommodation is basic but very clean and comfortable with verandah, pleasant garden and beautiful surroundings. A small kitchen area is available to make simple meals/hot drinks. Excellent restaurants available nearby.||There's a lovely 10 minute walk to the beach - so much more relaxing than places nearer the sea.||Thoroughly recommended as a place to take stock before moving on to one's holiday proper. Much preferred to arrival in Mumbai and that nightmare search for a cheap hotel room.

Stayed one night, quite basic but OK. Water was warm (although pressure was a little weak) bed was OK, the fan kept us cool enough to sleep. Noise travels a little through adjacent walls, for us was no issue. Guest house does not serve breakfast and it is a little difficult to find food close by early in the morning. Place felt safe.||||Owner was friendly and helpful, helped arrange a taxi for us in the morning. Booking form Australia worked fine too.

Raikar Guest House is the best hotel option at Bogmalo in Goa for budget travellers. ||Bogmalo is a small coastal village so be without expecting any kind of city life here||||What photos you see of Raikar guest house rooms on booking.com or tripadvisor.com, you will find same as it is on reaching there. Hence I have attached photos of nearby surrounding of guest house with appropriate tag to give the reader exact feel of the place.||||I found on booking.com the Raikar Guest House rent was INR 1380/- per night. ||||I found on different websites on car rent with driver as INR 2500/- as well as plenty of tour agents in front of railway station also quoted same per day from 10am to 6pm with plus 1 hour margin. ||||All tour agents had their fixed itineraries (few selected beaches, temple, church, water fall, museum, wild life sanctuary etc). None of them agreed for my itinerary of seeing all the beaches of Goa. ||||After my interaction with Mr. Siddesh (Raikar Guest House Owner), my journey of positive experiences started those are narrated below:||||1. Thru Raikar Guest House website I contacted Mr. Siddesh for room rent, he offered me INR 800/- per night for single & INR 1000/- for double occupancy. I accepted his offer most happily.||||2. Even though check in check out time is 12 noon, he was generous in allowing me to check in 5 hours early i.e. at 6.30 am.||||3. Mr. Siddesh agreed to my request for settling his payment thru online system instead of cash||||4. On sightseeing inquiry of all the beaches of Goa, he assured me maximum sightseeing places & offered following genuine options thru him:||i. Motorbike rent per day INR 400/- for self drive ||ii. Motorbike rent per day INR 900/- with driver||iii. Car rent per day INR 1200 for self drive ||iv. Car rent per day INR 2200 with driver (I chose this option. Went around all the beaches in a logical sequence that no other tour agent agreed)||||5. No TV in the room to watch IPL matches scheduled at 8 pm. Mr. Siddesh provided me following two options:||i. To watch on big screen / TV in the nearby restaurant named Claudi's Corner as well restaurants on Bogmalo beach. (I chose this option).||ii. His house TV from 8 pm to morning 8 am. || ||6. All (Mr. Siddesh, his mom & dad) are very friendly & hospitable persons||||7. The icing on cake was, the car pilot Mr. Bhushan provided by Mr. Siddesh was a gem of person. ||I enjoyed my full beach sightseeing trip of 3 days in his company very much. Mr. Bhushan too agreed to my request of online payment for settling his dues.||||Now about the Raikar Guest House:||||a) It is a cottage type, tile roof construction consisting of 4 independent simple decent spacious identical rooms. Don't expect luxury at INR 800/-. During peak season i.e. Dec to Jan room rent will be between INR 2500 to 3200||There are similar 2 sets of 4 rooms on either side of Raikar Guest House those are rented out. ||||b) Even though rooms are Non AC, the fan & ventilation system of house does provide ample comfort thru out peak summer ||||c) Each room has porch with chair & table to sit & relax||||d) Each room has attached toilet bathroom with hot water facility ||||e) A small partitioned kitchen where one can cook. (Required kitchen utensils & induction plate for cooking & eating are provided at Rs.50 per day & the guest has to buy food items)||||f) Towel, bath soap, complimentary small water bottle per person is provided in room||||g) Cleaning is done once in 2 days or upon request as & when required||||h) Spacious common lawn in front of room having two hammock & chairs to sit chat relax, barbeque stand||||i) Even though the house of hotel owner is located at 60 meter before the hotel, Mr. Siddesh is prompt in service upon phone call or sms or whatsapp message. I have tagged the photo of his house in this review for ease of understanding||||j) A lake with plenty of Lotus flowers is located on the opposite side of road in front of the hotel||||k) Barbeque at extra cost||||l) Birthday or any party at extra cost|| ||Things nearby Raikar Guest House:||||I. Nearest Bus Stop: ||||a) Bogmala Panchayat stop at apprx 260 M from Raikar Guest House. Next & last bus stop is Bogmalo beach further 260 M from Bogmalo Panchayat. ||It is apprx 5 min walk from Raikar guest house to Bogmalo beach via Bogmalo Panchayat stop, it is the most convenient route. ||||b) Vasco Da Gama to Bogmalo Beach bus via Dabolim Airport. Frequency every 15 to 30 minutes. Last bus at 8.30 pm from both side, I checked. Do cross check on last bus timing during your trip. Ticket fare is INR 15 from Bogmalo to Vasco & vice versa. I have taken a photo of bus at Bogmalo beach bus stop. It is attached in this review.||||c) Time from Vasco Da Gama to Bogmalo is 20 min. Time from airport to Bogmalo 10 min.||||II. Restaurants:||||a) Claudi's Corner a bar & restaurant offering Goan Speciality Sea Food is located at 180 M.||||b) Local restaurant serving Indian & Chinese food is located 10 M from Claudi's Corner||||c) There are 5 to 6 more mid range bar & restaurants at Bogmalo beach. Names I remember are Stiff Waves & Joets||Credit / Debit cards are accepted in most of the restaurant.||||III. Small general store on the road from Bogmalo Panchayat to Bogmalo beach & small super market at Bogmalo beach||||IV. Hotel Stay Options apart from Raikar Guest House: ||||a) Options of Auslyn Guest House & James Guest House are available near Bogmalo Panchayat stop. Auslyn Guest House Owner Mr. Austin is also an excellent Host. AC Room rent was INR 1100/-.||||b) Options of Sarita's Guest House, Joet's Guest House, Bogmalo Beach Resort are available on Bogmalo beach.|| ||You need to check for availability in advance to avoid last minute emergency.||||I would surely recommend Raikar Guest House for budget travellers.

Fantastic vibe here. Sounds of the surf and wildlife fills the air. The owners cater to your every need. Totally honest and friendly in every way. Easy and quick transport from the airport via the local bus. I enjoyed my stay of several weeks very much. Will return again and highly recommend Raikar's Resort.

We had stayed for 2 days in Raikar guest house. They have 4 rooms attached to the bathroom. Our room also had a small kitchen. The bathroom was not clean but still manageable.||||The guesthouse has nice lawn and seat out area outside room. The place is around 1km away from Beach hence it was peaceful stay. Rates are between 1000-1500

The place is situated under a green corner with a small pond located opposite to it. The owner is extremely good and like a family member. The building is a basic village home structure with in-house kitchen area and washroom. A room can easily accommodate 3-4 people.|The expected down side of such a clean green in the nature place is insects that may haunt u at night. |Overall a great place that you can opt for if Ur budget is less