WHISPERING PALMS BEACH in Goa - Hotel Review with Photos

India › Goa Hotels › Whispering Palms Beach Resort Review
Updated: January 18, 2022

Essentials
• Location: Off the main road in Candolim and close to the beach.
• Hotel website: whisperingpalms.com
• Hotel phone: +91 97119 56549
• Check prices for Whispering Palms Beach Resort

Review of Whispering Palms Beach Resort in Goa, India.

The good value Whispering Palms Beach Resort offers great facilities and proximity to the beach as well as the cafes and bars on the main road in Candolim.

Whispering Palms Beach Resort – Affordable, functional, and popular for its fab position close to facilities and the beach.

Much better than its exterior suggests, and certainly far larger, this resort is extremely popular, especially with packaged tours. The Whispering Palms spreads across gardens far more extensive than at newer overbuilt resorts costing a lot more. It offers exactly what guests return for year after year: convenience to the beach, with its cafés on the sand, as well as the main road, with all its facilities; the inexpensive rates; and the friendly staff, who cater well for foreign guests. Standards vary considerably: the villas face the internal lawns, while cheaper rooms overlook the side streets, and all feature balconies/verandas.

Whispering Palms Beach Resort – The Location

Address: About 200m down a side street off 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.) Signposted, and a useful landmark is Karlton’s Horizon Grill at the turn-off to the resort.
Area: Along a quiet side street to the beach. About equidistant (200m) from the beach and main road, with all the tourist facilities needed.
How to Get There: From the airport (40 km, 75-minute drive), there is little choice except overpriced pre-paid taxis. The nearest major train station is at Vasco da Gama, 40 km away (80-minute drive).
Handy to: Facilities and beaches at Candolim.

Whispering Palms Beach Resort – The Basics

Guests: Overwhelmingly foreigners (mostly Europeans and Russians) on packaged tours.
Views: The nicer Studio Suite Rooms (really villas) face inwards, overlooking the gardens and lawns. Cheaper rooms may face the outside streets, which are still reasonably quiet.
Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Not expected (or provided) at this sort of mid-range resort in Goa.
Parking: No places on-site, but a dedicated carpark alongside the gates. With a guard on duty, it should be safe.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +91 97119 56549
Email: sales.delhi@whisperingpalms.com
Website: whisperingpalms.com

Whispering Palms Beach Resort – Amenities

Pool: When more villas were built, the size of the pool didn’t increase. Now, it’s severely undersized, but no one seems to mind. It’s so crowded, in fact, that there’s an upper deck of sunbeds above the bar.
Spa: Downstairs, below the bar, Tatva Spa is large, although not always that quiet.
Fitness Center: Small but serviceable.
Other Facilities: Travel desk can arrange local tours. Money exchange. Laundry.

Whispering Palms Beach Resort – Food and Drink

Restaurants & Bars: Breeze – Could get crowded at times, especially during breakfast. Offers tables inside and facing the pool, and the extensive menu includes Chinese, Arabic, and Mediterranean dishes. • Aahata – Casual café/bar among the lawns, with thatched roof and rattan walls. Specializes in Indian cuisine, especially Goan. • Club27 – Lounge bar near the lobby that opens until late. Live music on most nights. • Lanai – Very popular poolside bar, serving snacks and light meals.
Breakfast: Not included, but available for an extra charge.
Room Service: Available 24/7, but limited menu overnight.

Whispering Palms Beach Resort – Rooms

Room Types: Balcony Rooms • Terrace Rooms • Club Rooms • Studio Suite Rooms • List of all Rooms
Smoking Rooms: No smoking in the rooms, but permitted elsewhere.
Best Room: With plenty of windows and space, the Studio Suite Rooms (really villas) are especially nice.
For Families: The window-side sofas in many rooms and suites can convert into single beds. The management is keen for families to stay, so ask about squeezing in another single bed if required.

Whispering Palms Beach Resort – Local Transport

Walking: On a pleasant side street to the beach. The main road is decent enough for walking, and even offers a few sidewalks (mainly used for illegal parking, however).
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 (400m 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.

Whispering Palms Beach Resort – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars

Grills n Curries +91 98239 91959 – The name says it all. Next to the resort, almost hidden at the back of the carpark.
Monsoon Restaurant & Bar +91 77219 94744 – One of several friendly family-run places serving cheap Indian food in a casual setting. Competitive prices as it struggles to compete against cafés on the sand. Between the resort and beach.

These 3 restaurants are north along the main road and within 200m of the resort:

Karlton’s Horizon Grill – Mouth-watering steaks, ribs, and seafood, as well as happy hours and great-value specials. Useful landmark, too, at the corner of the turn-off to the resort.
Ruffles – Finest restaurant in the immediate area for western meals. Live music, karaoke, or DJs every evening.
Foodland Multi Cuisine Restaurant & Bar +91 98229 15352 – Always popular for its inexpensive menu which includes non-Indian meals such as steaks, kebabs, and prawns. Next to Ruffles.

Also, at the end of the 200m path to the beach are plenty of beach cafés on the sand. Casual, cheap, cheerful, and competitive, some offer free use of sunbeds and umbrellas.

Nearby Shops

Plenty of places to spend money along the main road about 200m away (as well as money changers). Also, a couple of minimarts and dozens of souvenir stalls along the side street to the beach. The closest supermarket is Delfino’s. (750m).

Nearby Beach

The resort is about halfway between the main road and beach. The wonderful beach is dotted with casual cafés which also rent out sunbeds and umbrellas; some for free. Always swim between the flags. Lifeguards are on duty between about 10 am and sunset. (300m).

Whispering Palms Beach Resort – The Hotel

The resort is located on a quiet side street near the beach.

Along a side street between the main road and beach, the Whispering Palms Beach Resort is nicer and considerably larger than the outside might suggest.

Guests are usually on packaged tours from Europe and Russia.

The hotel caters almost exclusively for packaged tours from Europe and Russia.

The musical doorman is one reason guests love this resort.

Personal touches, such as this doorman, are one reason guests return year after year.

The extent of the resort grounds is a surprise considering the exterior and mid-sized lobby.

The pool is small compared to the crowds at the resort.

The pool hasn’t expanded to accommodate the increased number of guests, so it’s always crowded.

Empty sunbeds along the wooden deck are hard to find, so another deck above the bar is also used by sunbathers.

Breakfast is served at the Breeze restaurant.

The main restaurant, Breeze, is where breakfast is served.

Breeze offers indoor and outdoor seating.

The Breeze restaurant offers tables inside and along a terrace facing the pool.

A guest lounge near the reception desk features a pool table.

The Aahata Café & Bar has a traditional design.

Within the resort grounds, the Aahata café/bar features a likable traditional design.

A few tables at Aahata overlook the garden.

The Aahata café offers a few tables overlooking the garden and lawn, away from the crowded pool.

The Lanai bar alongside the pool is always busy.

Tatva Spa by the pool is large but slightly noisy.

With steps leading down from near the pool, the Tatva Spa is larger than expected, but not very quiet.

The rooms and suites are spread out across the property.

The rooms and suites are spread out in all directions.

Elevated walkways even link the second-floor rooms with the facilities near the lobby.

Studio Suite Rooms are located away from the pool.

Studio Suite Rooms (more like villas) overlook the garden and are distant from the pool.

Villas offer sunbeds on the grass outside.

These villas provide sunbeds on the grass, which is certainly quieter than those alongside the pool.

The cheaper rooms may not offer the best views.

Some cheaper rooms overlook the quiet street.

In fact, some of the less expensive rooms face the street, which is still reasonably quiet.

The décor in the rooms is a little more interesting than others of this standard in North Goa.

The cheaper rooms are compact, functional, and affordable.

The cheaper rooms are compact, bordering on undersized, but functional and affordable.

Villas offer better views and lesser noise compared to the rooms.

The villas face the gardens and offer superior views and less noise than the standard rooms.

Grills n Curries café is located next to the resort.

Next to the resort, but easy to miss at the back of the carpark, is the Grills n Curries café.

Monsoon is an inviting restaurant nearby.

Monsoon is one of several inviting restaurants along the street between the resort and beach.

The beach cafés are very popular with guests.

Most guests eat and drink at least once in one of the many cafés on the sand at the end of the street from the resort.

The beach cafés are excellent for a drink while enjoying the sunsets.

These cafés are perfect for relaxing over a drink while watching the sunset.

Most cafes on the beach are very casual.

Karlton’s Horizon Grill is located near the resort.

At the turn-off to the resort from the main road, Karlton’s Horizon Grill is a useful landmark.

Karlton’s Horizon Grill also offers some seats alongside the road, which are ideal for people-watching.

Foodland offers good and affordable meals near the resort.

Also close to the resort, the Foodland Multi Cuisine Restaurant & Bar offers a wide range of meals.

Ruffles is one of the best restaurants nearby.

The finest restaurant along the main road, and also near the turn-off to the hotel, is Ruffles.

The turn-off from the main road to the resort is well-signposted.

The side street to the resort is quite shady.

Parts of the side street to the resort are shady.

There are lots of souvenir stalls nearby.

Near the beach, the street is lined with souvenir stalls.

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.

The beach cafés rent out sunbeds and umbrellas, sometimes for free.

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

The sunsets along all the beaches in this part of Goa are magical. Check rates and availability: Whispering Palms Beach Resort

Whispering Palms Beach Resort in Goa, India

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