COUNTRY INN & SUITES in Goa - Hotel Review with Photos

India › Goa Hotels › Country Inn & Suites Candolim Review
Updated: January 14, 2022

Essentials
• Location: Off the main road in Candolim.
• Hotel website: radissonhotels.com
• Hotel phone: +91 (0)832 665 0000
• Check prices for Country Inn & Suites Candolim

Review of Country Inn & Suites in Goa, India.

The luxurious Country Inn & Suites Candolim is a Portuguese-style resort with a beautiful tropical resort-style pool.

Country Inn & Suites Candolim – So stylish and graceful, it boasts a magnificent setting and tranquil location.

Far more charming than most modern and overbuilt hotels along the main road, this hotel is now run by the renowned Radisson company. The design of terracotta tiles, quaint balconies, and mustard-colored walls are reminders of colonial Portugal, and the resort is dotted with funky things, like a statue of Vasco da Gama (the first Portuguese explorer to land in India) at the lobby. Almost all rooms and suites face inwards, overlooking the pool and gardens, and each features splashes of color, old-style furnishings, and a sofa. The magnificent tropical-style pool is lined with palms and packed with sunbeds and offers splash areas for the younger ones. Some facilities, such as the gym and ‘activity center’, need some upgrading, but it’s all about the elegant setting and serene location along a village street – yet less than a kilometer from the glorious beach.

Country Inn & Suites Candolim – The Location

Address: About 300m from the main road midway along Candolim, a major tourist region in a southern part of North Goa. (Most places in Goa don’t have an address.) Inexcusably not signposted from the main road, but there are signs along the side street.
Area: In a village-like setting of middle-class housing less than 1km from the beach. The main road is lined with tourist facilities. More nightclubs and bars with live music than elsewhere in the area, but the resort is unaffected by the noise.
How to Get There: From the airport (35 km, 60-minute drive), there is little choice except overpriced pre-paid taxis. The nearest major train station is at Vasco da Gama, 40 km away (75-minute drive).
Handy to: Facilities and beaches at Candolim.

Country Inn & Suites Candolim – The Basics

Guests: Foreign tourists, mostly couples, and often older than about 40. Tries to cater to families, but not many come.
Views: Almost all rooms and suites face inwards, so they overlook the gardens and pool.
Private Pools/Jacuzzis: None, but these are very rare among any resort in Goa.
Parking: Not available on-site. A public carpark is very close by, but safety can’t be guaranteed.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +91 (0)832 665 0000
Email: DelhiReservationsCentre@radissonhotels.com
Website: radissonhotels.com

Country Inn & Suites Candolim – Amenities

Pool: Fantastic and certainly large enough. Natural shade and abundant sunbeds and umbrellas, as well as a poolside bar and 2 shallow areas for children.
Spa: The undersized Revive Spa offers nothing more than a couple of rooms for massages.
Fitness Center: Also a little undersized, but most guests don’t seem to care.
For Families: Games room (‘activity center’) could be improved easily with some thought. Not much more than a ping pong table and a few toys for toddlers. Not supervised.
Other Facilities: Travel desk. Business center.

Country Inn & Suites Candolim – Food and Drink

Restaurants & Bars: Mosaic – The main restaurant is open 24 hours and offers a wide-ranging menu of international cuisine. Bar attached. • Lobby Bar – Aptly-named, it’s, well, a bar at the lobby. Plenty of drinks and tasty snacks. • Poolside Bar-B-Que Grill & Bar – Even more appropriately named. Also, live music on most nights and popular Sunday brunch.
Breakfast: Not included in the rates, but available for an extra charge.
Room Service: Available 24/7.

Country Inn & Suites Candolim – Rooms

Room Types: Standard Rooms • Superior Rooms • Deluxe Rooms • Suites • List of all Rooms
Smoking Rooms: Smoking is allowed in some rooms. Check when booking.
Best Room: The suites are more than twice the size of the standard rooms. Separate living areas, 2 balconies, and huge bathrooms.
For Families: Some rooms have connecting doors, which is a rarity, and all can fit in at least 1, and often, 2 extra single beds.

Country Inn & Suites Candolim – Local Transport

Walking: Pleasant strolling experience along the village lanes near the resort. Some sidewalks along the main road, but they’re mostly used for illegal parking.
Public Transport: Local buses are convenient and frequent. They travel up and down – and stop anywhere along – the main road through Candolim and Calangute. Some detour to Panaji (Panjim), the state capital and regional transport hub, via a stop opposite the Acacia hotel (500m north). No metro or any local trains of use to tourists.
Taxis & Auto-rickshaws: No auto-rickshaws or metered taxis in the immediate area. Uber/Ola don’t operate anywhere in Goa, but app-based rides can be arranged through Goa Miles. The only option for longer trips are unmetered private ‘taxis’ which can be arranged at the hotel or with drivers hanging about the streets.
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 through the hotel. Rides on the back of a motorbike (called a ‘pilot’) are possible; ask around.

Country Inn & Suites Candolim – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars

Ruffles – Finest restaurant in the immediate area for western meals. Live music, karaoke, or DJs every evening.
Foodland Bar & Restaurant +91 98229 15352 – Always popular for its inexpensive menu that includes non-Indian meals such as steaks, kebabs, and prawns. Next to Ruffles.
Café Chocolattii +91 93261 12006 – Fabulous garden setting and always busy with expats and well-heeled locals. Also, takeaway pastries and world-class coffee.
Karlton’s Horizon Grill – Mouth-watering steaks, ribs, and seafood, as well as happy hours and great-value specials. Almost opposite the turn-off.
Bom Sucesso – Lively bistro/bar with casual seating and live entertainment. Extra-long menu and daily specials are very appealing; perhaps less so, the karaoke.

At the end of the side street to the beach (see below) are plenty of beach cafés on the sand. Casual, cheap, cheerful, and competitive, some offer free use of sunbeds and umbrellas.

Nearby Shops

Nothing much along the side street to the resort, but plenty of places to spend money on the main road, including a few minimarts and moneychangers. The closest supermarket is Delfino’s. (900m).

Nearby Beach

The resort is on the other side of the main road from the splendid beach. Walk 300m to the road, turn left (south) and take the first right at the sign to the ‘Whispering Palms’ resort. Plenty of casual cafés that also rent out sunbeds and umbrellas. Always swim between the flags. Lifeguards are on duty between about 10 am and sunset. (800m).

Country Inn & Suites Candolim – The Hotel

Country Inn & Suites Candolim doesn’t look that inspiring from the outside, but is more elegant and extensive than the exterior might indicate.

The beautiful lobby features a statue of Vasco da Gama.

The lobby is spacious and features cute extras, like a statue of the first Portuguese explorer to land in India, Vasco da Gama.

Dominating the resort grounds is the magnificent pool.

The abundance of sunbeds, umbrellas, and palms add to the tropical-resort feel.

The pool bar also serves grills and barbecues.

The popular bar with stools near the pool also serves grills and barbecues.

The Mosaic restaurant is open round the clock.

The Mosaic restaurant at the resort is open 24/7 for a wide range of meals.

Diners at the Mosiac restaurant can also sit outside in a courtyard overlooking the pool and gardens.

There is also a bar at the lobby called, um, the Lobby Bar.

The lobby offers a pleasant dining area.

Guests can even enjoy a drink or light meal at one of the tables at the lobby level, also overlooking the pool and gardens.

There are several guest lounges around the resort.

There are many areas where guests can relax and admire the lovely setting and stylish hotel design.

Some facilities are not quite up to the standard expected, although the gym is decent enough.

The ‘activity centre’ is disappointing and could be improved easily.

The unsupervised activity centre is almost bare.

A few toys are available for the younger ones, but nothing else, at the unsupervised ‘activity centre’.

Almost all accommodations have pool/garden views.

The overall design of the resort ensures that almost all rooms and suites face the gardens and pool.

All pool-facing accommodations have balconies or verandas.

The pool and garden-facing rooms and suites feature balconies or verandas.

More thought has gone into decorating the rooms and suites than at most similar resorts in northern Goa.

The spacious accommodations feature art on the walls.

Rooms and suites feature art on the walls and are spacious enough for small sofas.

Rooms with connecting doors are ideal for families.

All types of rooms feature nice wooden furnishings, and many have connecting doors, so they are ideal for families.

The bathrooms are spacious and well-designed.

Balconies offer great pool/garden views.

The balconies and verandas are smallish but provide great views of the pool and gardens.

There are several facilities along the main road nearby.

The main road 300m from the resort is packed with places to eat, drink, and shop.

Bom Sucesso nearby is known for its wide European menu and live music.

Within a few minutes’ walk of the resort, Bom Sucesso is popular for its wide menu of European food and live music.

Foodland offers good and affordable meals near the resort.

Cheap and tasty meals are always available at the Foodland Multi Cuisine Restaurant & Bar.

Karlton’s Horizon Grill is located near the beach.

Also a useful landmark at the corner of the street to the beach is Karlton’s Horizon Grill.

Ruffles is one of the best restaurants nearby.

The finest café near the turn-off to the resort is the English-style Ruffles.

Café Chocolattii nearby is elegant and popular.

Also not far from the turn-off to the resort is the elegant Café Chocolattii.

This is the nearest turn-off to the beach from the resort.

Flags identify areas with lifeguards that are safe to swim in.

Always swim between the flags, where lifeguards are on duty from about 10 am to sunset.

Some cafés offer sunbeds and umbrellas for free.

There are plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas for rent, although some cafés offer them for free to patrons.

All streets leading to the beach have multiple cafés.

At the end of any street to the beach are numerous cafés offering cheap meals and drinks.

The beach cafés are excellent for enjoying the sunsets.

The beach cafés less than 1km from the resort are casual, cheap, and cheerful – and perfect for watching the sunset.

The sunsets are majestic here and anywhere else along the Goa coast.

There are no directions to the hotel on the main road.

Inexplicably, the turn-off to the resort from the main road is not signposted.

The side street has signposts with directions.

There are signs along the side street to the resort from the main road.

The resort is located in a quiet residential area.

The resort is within a quiet residential area of middle-class housing, which is almost like a village. Check rates and availability: Country Inn & Suites Candolim

Country Inn & Suites Candolim in Goa, India

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