The Avenue Calangute Hotel in Goa, India

by Santorini Dave • Updated: August 5, 2019

Review of The Avenue Calangute Hotel in Goa, India.

The Avenue Calangute – Sparkling new and surprisingly luxurious, located in a fascinating area, but not that convenient.

Finished as recently as late 2018, The Avenue is already making a name for itself. In the popular tourist region of Calangute, there are several cafés, bars, and shops nearby, but what makes this hotel more appealing than most others is that the surrounding area is still generally an Indian town. Rooms feature a pleasant décor of subtle browns and greens; modern furnishings, including sofas, marble floors, and huge TVs; and lovely bathrooms. Adding to the appeal are the affordable rates, extensive street views, and a fabulous pool on the rooftop. The only downside is the distance from the beach, but there are plenty of transport options to access it.

The Avenue Calangute – The Location

  • Address: Along Calangute-Arpora (Anjuna) Road, midway along Calangute, a major tourist region in the southern part of North Goa. About 100m south of Dr. Jack Sequira Junction, a roundabout with a KFC outlet. (Most places in Goa don’t have an address.)
  • Area: Busy area, still more Indian-style than touristy. Enough facilities for guests in the immediate area, but the nearest beach is 1.5km away.
  • How to Get There: From the airport (37km, 70-minute drive), there is little choice except overpriced pre-paid taxis. The nearest major train station is at Vasco da Gama, 40km away (75-minute drive).
  • Handy to: Facilities and beach at Calangute.

The Avenue Calangute – The Basics

  • Guests: Indian and foreign tourists. Also, some guests on conventions.
  • Views: In mid-2019, nothing was blocking views on either side, but this may change as the area becomes built-up. Rooms at the front overlook the main road and may suffer from traffic noise.
  • Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Certainly not expected (or provided) at this sort of mid-range hotel in Goa.
  • Wi-Fi: Available free, but hit-and-miss in some rooms.
  • Parking: Ask about secure parking nearby when booking.
  • How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
  • Phone: +91 (0)832 665 1234
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Website: theavenuecalangute.com

The Avenue Calangute – Amenities

  • Pool: On the rooftop (5th floor) and larger than at many resorts costing twice as much. Breezes, views, and a few sunbeds, but shares an area with some building machinery.
  • Spa & Fitness Center: Neither are offered.
  • For Families: Modest games area with ping pong table.
  • Other Facilities: Laundry (24 hours).

The Avenue Calangute – Food and Drink

  • Restaurants & Bars: Uncle Sam’s Restaurant & Cafe – With tables inside and along the road, it offers a long menu of Indian and western food. Also, a pastry shop, and live music on some nights. • Sky Lounge Bar & Restaurant – Spectacular rooftop (5th floor) position for views, meals, and cocktails, as well as, hookahs (shishas). • Bardez Multi-Cuisine Restaurant – Specializes in Goan cuisine and offers impressive service.
  • Breakfast: Included if staying at the Premium Rooms. Available for an extra charge for other rooms.
  • Room Service: Available from about 7 am to 11 pm.

The Avenue Calangute – Rooms

  • Room Types: Deluxe Rooms • Superior Rooms • Premium Rooms
  • Smoking Rooms: Smoking is allowed in some rooms. Ask when booking.
  • Best Room: Premium Rooms are the largest and on a higher floor so views will be superior. Breakfast is included.
  • For Families: Space in all rooms for an extra single bed. The management is happy to discuss any configuration for families.

The Avenue Calangute – Local Transport

  • Walking: Plenty to see and do along the main road, which offers some sidewalks. More pleasant along the side streets, some of which lead to villages.
  • Public Transport: Local buses are convenient and frequent. They travel up and down – and stop anywhere along – the main road through Candolim and Calangute, and also head to the major beach at Calangute (see below). Some detour to Panaji (Panjim), the state capital and regional transport hub, via a stop opposite the Acacia hotel (3.5km south, 10-minute drive). For connections around North Goa, head to Mapusa, 8km away (20-minute drive). No metro or any local trains of use to tourists.
  • Taxis & Auto-rickshaws: No auto-rickshaws or metered taxis. App-based Uber/Ola don’t operate anywhere in Goa. The local alternative – Goa Miles – is worth trying, though really, the only option for longer trips are unmetered private ‘taxis’. Arrange these through the hotel or with drivers hanging about the streets. Rates are overpriced but negotiable.
  • Cars & Motorbikes: Goa is the only place in India where renting a car or motorbike is feasible. No internationally-recognized agencies are present, so renting at a local shop presents obvious risks. Best to organize this at the resort. Rides on the back of a motorbike (called a ‘pilot’) are possible; ask around.

The Avenue Calangute – What’s Nearby?

Restaurants & Bars

    Not as many options as further south, but enough to satisfy most guests.

  • Foodland Restaurant – Simple Indian and western meals, friendly manager, and great value. Virtually over the road from the hotel. 1-minute walk (20m).
  • Hotel Calangute Towers – 2 great options: Eat Street at the front, popular for its well-priced evening buffets, and Curry Leaf, almost hidden at the back for an elegant setting and exceptional service. At the roundabout, 70m north of the hotel. 1-minute walk.
  • Café Sussegado Souza – Adorable historic building in a fascinating roadside location. Long and very inviting menu of Goan cuisine. Fabulous for a cold beer while people-watching. Next to Hotel Calangute Towers. 1-minute walk (100m).
  • KFC – Also at the roundabout. 2-minute walk (120m).
  • Sher-a-Punjab Bar & Restaurant – Lovely setting inside and out. Tasty thalis (set meals in steel plates) and other cheap Indian food. Open 24 hours. 200m south down the road, away from the roundabout. 2-minute walk.
  • Domino’s – Familiar pizza joint for takeaway or eat-in. Just past Sher-a-Punjab. 2-minute walk (200m).

Shops & Markets

  • Most shops in the immediate vicinity are for locals, not tourists, so they are even more interesting to explore. Also, a few minimarts around the place. The road to the beach (see below) is packed with makeshift market stalls.

Beach

  • The main stretch of Calangute Beach is about 1.5km away. Take an auto-rickshaw, shuttle bus, private (unmetered) taxi, bus, or simply walk. (The turn-off to the beach from the main road is about 200m north of the hotel.) This part of the beach is Indian-style: very busy, packed with souvenir stalls and cheap eateries, and a little garish. Fascinating, but not relaxing. Beach cafés on the sand also rent out sunbeds and umbrellas. Always swim between the flags. Lifeguards are on duty from about 10 am to sunset. 15-minute walk.

The Avenue Calangute – The Hotel

The newly-finished hotel is the grandest in the area.

Finished as recently as late 2018, the hotel is the newest and grandest in the immediate area.

The small entrance is on the hotel's side.

The entrance is along the side of the hotel and a little easy to miss.

The lobby is modest compared to the luxurious rooms.

The lobby is well-furnished but not as opulent as others. The luxury is in the rooms.

The Bardez restaurant serves Goan cuisine.

Near the reception desk, the Bardez restaurant specializes in Goan cuisine.

Uncle Sam’s café is also located on the same floor as Bardez.

Opposite the guest lounge from the Bardez restaurant is Uncle Sam’s café.

Uncle Sam’s café offers outdoor seating as well.

Tables at Uncle Sam’s are also set up alongside the footpath in front of the hotel.

Uncle Sam’s also has a pastry shop.

In addition, Uncle Sam’s offers a pastry shop, with everything made on-site.

The rooftop Sky Lounge Bar & Restaurant has a hookah section.

The Sky Lounge Bar & Restaurant on the hotel rooftop has a special section for hookahs (shishas).

The rooftop pool is surprisingly large.

On the rooftop (5th floor), the pool is larger than at some resorts costing far more.

The rooftop also has a few lounge chairs and the air-conditioning system.

A few lounge chairs are alongside the pool, but the rooftop is also used for hotel machinery (e.g. the air-conditioning system).

The rooms are surprisingly spacious.

All of the rooms are surprisingly spacious.

Rooms have a funky but pleasant decor.

Rooms feature an unusual but likable décor.

Bathrooms are extremely spacious.

Some bathrooms are as large as the bedrooms.

Rooms feature a green and brown decor.

The décor is each room is a subtle blend of greens and browns.

The larger Premium Rooms feature extra seating options.

The Premium Rooms are a little larger and provide extra seating.

Currently, there are a few empty plots around the hotel.

In mid-2019, views to the sides were of empty blocks of land and distant buildings, but this area will no doubt become more built-up in the coming years.

The hotel is located in a quiet neighborhood.

The road outside the hotel is quieter than the main road in Candolim further south.

Foodland opposite the hotel serves cheap meals.

The main road is lined with numerous cheap cafés, including Foodland, directly opposite the hotel.

Sher-a-Punjab close by offers great-value thalis.

About 100m south down the road (i.e. away from the roundabout), Sher-a-Punjab offers great-value thalis (set meals in steel plates).

A Domino's outlet is just past Sher-A-Punjab.

Just past Sher-a-Punjab is this familiar pizza joint.

Café Sussegado Souza is a historic and great place for a meal and a drink.

The finest place for a meal or drink near the hotel is also the most historic: Café Sussegado Souza. It faces the roundabout nearby.

Eat Street at Hotel Calangute Towers offers great-value buffets every evening.

Next to Café Sussegado Souza, Eat Street is a café on the ground level of Hotel Calangute Towers. It offers a value-packed buffet each evening.

Curry Leaf restaurant in the same hotel is a classy place.

Easy to miss at the back of Eat Street is the sophisticated Curry Leaf restaurant.

Calangute Beach's main section is 1.5km from the hotel.

The main (and busiest) section of Calangute Beach is about 1.5km from the hotel.

Calangute Beach's pedestrian area is filled with facilities for Indian tourists.

The pedestrian area on the way to the main part of Calangute Beach is packed with shops, bars, and cafés – almost all for Indian tourists.

The beach cafés rent out sunbeds and umbrellas.

Plenty of places to rent sunbeds and umbrellas in this part of Calangute Beach.

Calangute has several beach cafés.

There are also numerous cafés on the beach at Calangute.

Some of the beach facilities are a little garish.

Some facilities at the beach are a little garish.

Dr Jack Sequira Junction nearby is a local landmark.

This roundabout about 100m north of the hotel – called Dr. Jack Sequira Junction – is a local landmark.

There are several alleys around the hotel that are worth exploring.

Alleys lead off the main road near the hotel and are worth exploring for a quiet slice of Indian life.

Local buses link the resort with several beaches and facilities in Calangute and Candolim.

Buses link the road outside the resort with the main beach at Calangute and all the beaches and facilities further south in Calangute and Candolim.

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