Marbella Guest House — Hotel in Goa

A stunning hidden gem in sinquerium

I shall split this review in 4 parts

1. Location
2. Property
3. Service
4. Experience

Location: 1hr 10min from the goa airport By cab.  The sinquerim beach is hardly 4min walking distance. There is also a private forest path that leads to a treking route behind fort aguada that offers a stunning view of the rocky beaches. The property is 10min walk from cafes, restaurants, liquor shops and grocery stores. The nearby restaurants offer excellent cuisine. There are also a lot of bike n car rentals nearby the property. The taj fort aguada is 4min walking distance as well. So location wise a great property to explore.

Property: The modestly called Marbella guesthouse is more like a boutique hotel. Architectured around the Portuguese style, the property has colonial and indian influences strewn about reflecting in its eclectic furniture and curios. Marbella houses 3 very stylish suites (Penthouse suite, Rajasthani suite, moghul suite) the rooms have unique styles n themes and are done up tastefully and 3 spacious rooms (Garden view, bougenvilla 1 n 2.) All rooms have aircon,flat tv and a comfortable bed. Perfect for budget travellers. The property has a beautiful landscaping surrounding its inner n outer parameters with beautiful trees, plants n flowers. Unlike boring hotel rooms, Marbella has a lot more to explore inside the property...during our stay we would read books kept in small bookshelfs, twiddle with a tibetan singing bowl that we found on the shelf, or just play with their dog 'Sophie' a super friendly dog that will lovingly pester you for a belly rub and thank you for it with its doe eyes. For nature lovers the property never ceases to mesmerize with its beauty. It looks so perfect.

Service: The staff is very warm, caring n friendly. They are true professionals at their job. There is a sense of approachability with a sense of responsibility towards their guests. Rooms are cleaned thoroughly by sunita who loves to chat. Ashok the cook is the ninja in the kitchen whipping an excellent breakfast, and all the rest of the service staff are associated with the property since long and know their tasks well n execute them well. Sajjan the manager is also a great soul ask him anything (within reason) and it'll be done. They will help you with a snack if you're hungry in the middle of the night, will help you get a rental or a cab to the airport...or in my case even help securing stuff to plan a b'day surprise. We also met the owner of Marbella; Susan who was a charming and warm person. My regards to a fellow animal lover.

Experience: ahh your stay is always good when you get back home and miss it. I miss the dog sophie, miss the property for its beauty and the great time we had in it. There is always a story to tell. Places like this make you fall in love with goa.

Keep up the good work guys. Hope to...

Probably the best hotel we have ever been to! We have always struggled to find a good place in the vast variety of hotels that Goa has to offer. So when we were looking at Marbella guest house, we didn't have high expectations. But reading previous detailed reviews, we were warming up to the place already. And it definitely did not let us down. A winding staircase that leads to the reception counter followed by a large hall with a beautiful dining table. We were immediately greeted by the sweetest cutest doggie ‘Sophie – the Queen of Marbella’. Sajjan, the manager is the friendliest person, and is more than qualified to take care of you and make you feel at home. They have a very good support staff composed of excellent chefs, who can whip up Goan style fish curries, steaming hot rice and anything you want whenever you want. Special shoutout to Nirmal, Pascal, Ashok and Nandu who made our stay so enjoyable. We stayed for 3 nights in the Moghul suite, which is a beautiful room with perfect lighting and a huge bed. The bathroom and linen are spotlessly clean. The room is perfectly airy with tall 9 feet curtains on the windows and a door that opens into the courtyard. The courtyard is less of a courtyard and feels more like we are sitting in an oasis in the middle of the heat in Goa. Full of flowering plants and mango trees (which regularly dropped delicious mangoes on the floor), the courtyard is a perfect place to relax and enjoy your stay. The perfect place to have a hot cup of tea or coffee while admiring the sounds of various birds. The owners have adopted many cute doggies, named Deepak, Judy, Rao, and many more. At least 2 doggies accompany you on the short trek behind Marbella, pausing along the way while you catch your breath. The trek is very nice, and the view at the end is well worth the climb. Marbella is a sorceress, she will cast a spell upon you that will never make you leave. And for good measure too. It is perhaps a good thing that phone signal is not that great, else we would have been tempted to work from there and missed out on all the other delights that Marbella has to offer. That said, Marbella is the place to go for us no matter what in Goa. Definitely a ‘Home away from home’. Dog lovers, look...

I have been going to Marbella for over 10 years now and counting, every single year, and sometimes twice a year! There is no other place in Goa I would rather be, than here... I remember on occasion checking into the Taj at Fort Aguada (right behind Marbella) and then spending the last 2 nights of my holiday at Marbella. No matter where else I stay in Goa, no trip to Goa is ever complete unless I have spent at least two nights or more here! I have stayed in ALL of the rooms till date; and my favorites are the Penthouse suite and the room next to the Penthouse - for an expansive, airy, breezy-Indian-summer and berries-in-the-woods sort of feel that only Marbella can offer!

What keeps me going back again and again?

The gorgeous tree-filled courtyard, which is where all meals are served, and where one can while away entire afternoons with a book, endless cups of tea and munchies, and Sophie (the loveliest shaggy dog) for company and cuddles The hospitality of Raymond (earlier manager) and now Sajjan! The beautiful architecture of the rooms, the winding staircase and veranda fringed with bougainvillea, the open-to-the-world lounge and the fact that the outside (nature and trees) are such an integral part of the design aesthetic, that you feel you are residing in the woods! It is heritage Portugese mansion and home-away-from-home, all at once. The excellent food curated by Pascal and Ashok! And their ability to whip up anything on demand (even if it isn't on the menu) Oh and the Devil's Finger!! If you haven't made the trek to the cliffside edge to Devils Finger, trust me, your stay at Marbella isn't complete!

But above all, I return to Marbella over and over again, because the good folks at Marbella are now my family, Marbella is my "home" and the place I go to, to escape the world, whenever the world needs escaping from - which is often! :) Which other place would take you in with open arms, call you by name and give you the tightest hug every time you returned?

Thank God for Marbella. You have my...