Lonely Planet Review

A worthy offering from those experts in opulence, the Taj Group. This is a five-star option without the customary confined feel that comes with many multi-star establishments. Rather than piling rooms on top of each other in the usual way of hoteliers, this accommodation is luxuriantly spread over comfortable grounds.

Some of the individual cottages of the Taj Holiday village face the Arabian sea and are spaced well enough away from each other that all guests have space and privacy. Roofs of the cottages are typically Goan-Portuguese terracotta. The lawns that stretch between cottages are immaculately maintained while still being inviting. You'd feel comfortable throwing a towel down for a nap on the grass but you don't need to, given the beach chairs and umbrella-topped tables that are strategically placed around the complex. The standard rooms are well equipped with everything that the discerning traveller requires, but the deluxe cottages are what the impoverished travel writer really covets: private balconies and private lawns, some equipped with DVD players and daybeds. Luxury just isn't luxury without daybeds.