on arrival my husband and i were allocated our room(superior) balcony was shaded by a huge tree asked to be moved only problem was all superior rooms were shaded. so we opted to downgrade room to standed for a sunny balcony, in my opinion standered room was much nicer.(brighter and fresher)
the staff at hotel were fun frendley and helpful.
i do not eat spicy food at all(dont like anything that burns my mouth) but i had no problem getting somthing to eat from buffet

room service our pillows were sweat stained and smelled but they changed them as soon as we complained . fridge was restocked daily nuts crisps cake wine port all replenished as drank . bedding changed daily and towels sky tv kettle tea and coffee well stocked hair dryer and if you foget mossie plug in they can be borrowed from reception

trips
did the jungle trip through the rep(cheaper booking with taxi driver) had a brill time sleeping in the mud huts dancing around camp fire singing songs and telling jokes but the elephants were the hi light of the whole trip got to ride them bath them and take a power shower on there backs WOW

I would recomend this hotel overall we had a great holiday

Sun Village in North Goa stands a bit outside any other activities, but taxis are cheap and readily available. There are anyway small shops and a quality tailor just outside the hotel premises.
Three star rating is too high, the apartments are spartan and eg. coffee-maker and microwave are missing. Aircondition works by noisy window units.
The hotel has entertainment every day and personnel is really friendly. Food is average Indian, only few western dishes eg. at breakfast.
Two nice pools, but the larger one was quite crowded and sunbeds too few.

Having just read the last review, I cannot believe that we are talking about the same resort!

My husband and I (!!!) stayed along with 3 other couples to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversaries and can only say that we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!!

Yes, there are loads of steps, but we were warned before we booked. The staff were fabulous!!!!! The waiters in the restaurants work very hard, for a pittance, but they always had smiles on their faces and could not do enough for us!!!

Go to the Carribean and then go to Goa, I'm off to the Carribean soon and know all I'm going to get are lazy grumpy waiters!!

Ok, the rooms are a bit dated, and a bit dark, could do with lighter furniture, but they were HUGE!!! I have stayed in hotel rooms that were half the size!! We had room to space out and 'entertain' each other after the bar shut!

We loved the fact that we were 'off the main drag' and we hired two taxis most days to go out and about to explore some fabulous beaches.

Yes Baga Beach is lively, but we loved the Oceanic bar, ask for Sakanda and Achilles, who were fab waiters and looked after us. We took the time to actually talk to the waiting staff!! They were more than happy to tell us their life history and because we showed them RESPECT and didn't snap our fingers at them they became our friends, not our servants. Sometimes I'm embarrassed by the rudeness of fellow travellers!


But also, we found other more quiet beaches, Mandolin and another one that I can't remember!! They were abosolutely deserted apart from a couple of Beach restaurants, but beware, the loos in these places aren't exactly fab, but we were on holiday having a good time, - this is life folks try and laugh at the experience and enjoy!!!

Our main Taxi driver who waited for us all day was called Brid. A petite guy but very gentle and happy. It cost us £8.00 to have him ferry us to the beaches/markets/cashpoints, wait for us all day, - try and get that in the UK!!!!

I do agree though, it is not a place for Children, whoay, I have children myself but left them behind!! Perhaps you need to go during half term weeks when they can interact and make noise with other kids without sticking out like a sore thumb! I would
not take young children to Goa anyway, too dodgy on the upset tummy front!!!

All in all, I would say the hotel bedrooms do need a refit, but the public areas, gardens, pool areas, reception etc are very clean and well kept.

Just remember , this is India!

Just got back from my third visit to Sun Village – and it’s still a lovely hotel. I went with Thomson Holidays – the flights were excellent and I’d recommend this operator. Especially, I’d compliment the local rep Simi. Knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful, she went out of her way to resolve some difficulties I’d had with an excursion.

This hotel is not UK 4 star – this is India – but it is really clean, well laid out, with great friendly staff. My room was on the top floor (so lots of stairs) but with a wonderful view over open countryside with a huge Frangipani tree covered in flowers next to the balcony. The rooms are quite large with separate sitting & TV area, and satellite TV is provided - including a couple of English language movie channels. There’s a mini-bar/fridge which is restocked with excellent Kingfisher beer and soft drinks weekly.

The food has a strong Indian bias – so those who like to eat somewhat spicy things will be happy here. But they also cater a little for European tastes – and conventional breakfasts are there – with a guy who really knows how to cook eggs!! Two nights each week dinner is on the “Village Lawn” part of the hotel – with a super buffet and various entertainments on the stage. All the AI guests can also use the a la carte restaurants a couple of times each week – and the food at the Tonatiuh and Frangipani restaurants I reckon is outstanding by any standards.

Other than the Village Lawn entertainment – the night time entertainment in the hotel is somewhat limited – but I don’t reckon that is why most folk come all the way to India. And a couple of the singers – though maybe a bit amateurish - actually were quite enjoyable. Saturday night – you must go see Ingos Bazaar down the road, a five minute taxi ride away. It’s free entrance. There’s good live entertainment till midnight, hundreds of stalls selling everything imaginable, lots of beer and wine stalls, and ethic food stalls from around the entire world. I had Greek food in India!

The hotel has lots of steps – really lots. So it is not really suitable for those with walking difficulties or families with small children. But it’s built into the side of a hill – so the layout is attractive and interesting. In addition to the large swimming pool there’s also a small pool located up a lot of steps at the top of the hill. This lovely quiet area is super to just laze the days away at, with cold drinks, a good book, and watching the wild monkeys performing acrobatic displays in the trees around.

The location – Arpora – is about 4km from Baga beach. Which is fine by me. It’s a peaceful area with a few small shops, lovely scenery and the hotel provides free transport every hour for those who want to spend time on the beach. But I like Arpora itself. Get up early morning and walk down the road. You will hear lots of unusual birdsong, you will see local folk catching fish in the lake, you may be chased by the rather aggressive local peacock, and you may see a guy taking his elephant for a walk.

Excursions? You can hire your own driver for maybe less than 1000 rupees per day and he’ll take you to see local sights and wait hours for you while you wander around. Don’t miss Old Goa and the churches, Panjim town centre, or Mapusa market. Further afield you can go to Dudhsagar waterfalls, second highest in India – a formal full–day excursion with your tour operator including lunch will probably only cost £25 – and you can find it cheaper. This time I made the long journey inland 8 hours each way by train, (and a couple of nights in an awful hotel in Hospet) to see the forgotten city of Hampi. It’s a strenuous trip – but incredible sights. Worth the pain – see this once in your life and you will never forget it.

Criticisms? Well a minor one – the Sun Village old Indian style main restaurant I believe had style and atmosphere last year. But now it’s been improved, enclosed, air-conditioned and it is clinically clean. I liked it the old way!!
Thanks to the management and staff here, I had a really great holiday. I’m already looking forward to return to Sun Village January 2009.