We had a fortnight at the Aldeia Santa Rita [ASR] and found it to be staffed by a welcoming, friendly, and professional team. The hotel itself has lovely gardens throughout and plenty of palm trees, which allow for lots of birds, chipmunks, and other local fauna. Rooms: A very traditional Portuguese villa style/looking hotel, the rooms are much the same, although some are of a higher standard than others. These rooms seem to be the ones on the main walk through and face the pool. We really liked the traditional feel and found our rooms to have all we needed, with the exception of a comfy bed. The mattress was very hard, thin, and laid on a solid wooden frame. We did ask for a topper, which helped to an extent. So just be aware. Two fans and air con ensured we could keep cool when needed. Very nice bathroom with a decent shower, and it all looked pretty new. There is no safe/safety deposit box in the rooms. These are all in reception, and you must provide your own locks. We had a first-floor room and would choose this again as it gave more privacy. It was also good to have tea and coffee making facilities plus a full-size fridge. Food: All buffet style with the exception of ”a la carte” nights [every other night]. We definitely had some very nice food on the couple of evenings we did eat at the ASR including a selection of curries and some nice soup . Although we were booked All Inclusive, we had no intention of being so as there are some very good restaurants in Candolim. Otherwise, the food was very much aimed at domestic tourists, so some may find a very limited choice at both breakfast and dinner. Fresh eggs , omelette etc where readily available and cooked to order each breakfast. There was a very efficient toaster and fresh porridge, 1 type of fruit and usually 4/5 hot dishes which, as I've said, were mostly Asian inspired. Overall, the quality of the food was average, in our opinion. Pool: Very nice pool, well maintained, fair amount of sunbeds for the most part. However, there were not enough areas of shade/umbrellas, and it did get very hot. The world famous sun bed baggers were very much in evidence, and many beds were bagged but unused until later in the day. This is annoying whatever hotel or country you're in! One downside, the ants and other small insect critters. These were seen crawling all over the sunbeds throughout the day, and on the day I stayed by the pool (morning) , my bed was under attack all the while. The ants were even more active from about 1630hrs onwards. Not a pleasant situation and 3 of us were bitten, but it evidently did not bother the many who stayed at the pool every day. Location: Very much situated at the Fort end of Candolim, fair to say you're in Sinquerim. It is a fairly quiet location which is nice and it's a good walk to the busier parts of the resort. Taxis are available at the hotel if needed. Negative for us: the ” entertainment ” . This was mediocre at best with only a couple of ac
