Santana Beach Resort

From the outside, the whitewashed Santana Beach Resort looks a bit like an upscale hotel building, with Mediterranean-style terra-cotta roofs and dark-brown trim. The lobby is housed in a semi-open space with sloping ceilings supported by wooden banisters and columns and a wall of secure lockers (one for each room) where guests can store their valuables (the lockers are guarded 24 hours a day). There's also a paperback exchange library where travelers can trade in old books and a series of plush sofas for relaxing at check-out. Along with two pools and a covered open-air restaurant, the resort has sprawling, grassy grounds dotted with palm trees, elegant fountain features, flower bushes, and padded lounge chairs. Rooms are spread across different blocks, each named after a fort in Goa. The hotel is particularly popular with families and gets a mix of domestic and international tourists. Allergy sufferers should note that there are two dogs and a cat living on-site. 

The Santana Beach Resort is located on a corner of a beach road and the main street of Candolim in the tiny coastal Indian state of Goa, a two-minute walk to the local beach, with direct access through its back gate. It's about a 10-minute drive north to Calangute Beach. The hippie haven of Arambol is a one-hour drive away, though there's a similar vibe at Anjuna Beach, a half-hour drive from the hotel. The famous Anjuna Night Market, which sells crafts from around India, is a 20-minute drive away. It's a 25-minute drive to Vagator Beach and 45 minutes by car to Morjim. Panjim is the nearest major city and takes about half an hour to reach by road. The Goa International Airport in Vasco de Gama is about an hour's drive from the hotel. Goa is a bit tricky to navigate by public transportation, but the roads are generally calm and it's thus easier to drive here than in other parts of India. Most visitors rent motor scooters to get around the area, though taxis, motorbike scooters, rental cars, and busses are also widely available.

The Santana Beach Resort offers Standard Rooms, Suites, and Deluxe units, all with minibars, kettles, and electronic safes; many have lovely balconies and some also have fully equipped kitchens. Decor varies from unit to unit, but is generally plain and home-like, with reddish-tan floor tiles and simple upholstery. Renovated rooms have flat-screen rather than tube TVs and all units come with cable. Bathrooms consist of either curtained-off walk-in shower sections (wet-room style) or shower/tub combos. Basic toiletries and low-voltage wall-mounted hairdryers are provided.

The resort has two regular pools surrounded by shaded lounge chairs -- one freeform, with a waterfall feature, and one tiny rectangular pool (though neither are particularly large). Olegario's the poolside bar and restauarnt features Indian and international cuisine in a breezy, open-air space with wicker chairs and wooden tables under a thatched canopy. The hotel is next to a beachside restaurant with a similar vibe, Calamari, where guests can order drinks or meals to eat right out on the reddish sand. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel and there's a small business center with a couple of computers and a printer.