Saudades Homestays — Hotel in Goa

Terrible Experience - Rude Host, Unethical Charges, and Unprofessional Behavior

Our stay at Saudades Homestays was an absolute nightmare, and I strongly advise anyone considering this place to stay far away. We initially booked the villa for 2 days through Airbnb, expecting a relaxing vacation in Goa. From the start, the communication was less than ideal, but things took a drastic turn for the worse after our check-out.

We requested to leave our luggage at the villa for a few hours after checkout for security reasons, which the host, Rihan, initially agreed to. However, while packing, we accidentally left a couple of towels and some clothes in the room. We left for our planned water activities, but to our shock, Rihan called us later in the day, while we were enjoying our time, and demanded that we return immediately to remove the items. His tone was aggressive and incredibly rude, which was the first red flag. We explained that we were in the middle of an activity and would be back soon, but he insisted that we come right away, disrupting our entire schedule.

Upon our return, Rihan demanded that we pay for an extra full day's stay simply because we had accidentally left some belongings behind. He was unyielding, aggressive, and shockingly unprofessional. He forced us to pay an additional ₹7,000 without any negotiation or explanation. We had no choice but to comply as he refused to allow us back into the villa unless we paid. Despite paying this outrageous fee, he still denied us entry, essentially holding our items hostage.

When we asked for a proper receipt for the payment, Rihan outright refused, which felt like a scam. His behavior became even more hostile as he accused us of potentially stealing things from the villa, insisting that we go through an unnecessary and insulting inventory check. It was a humiliating and distressing experience.

Even worse, the owner, Sataksi, was nowhere to be found during this whole debacle and offered no assistance or resolution. The lack of professionalism from both the host and the owner was astonishing. We felt cheated, disrespected, and completely unwelcome during our stay.

Save yourself the trouble, stress, and unnecessary costs. Saudades Homestays is NOT a place for anyone looking for a pleasant and respectful holiday experience. Rihan's unprofessional, rude behavior and unethical charges left a terrible impression of what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation. There are plenty of better and more trustworthy places in Goa — avoid this one...

So when I first stumbled upon Saudades on AirBnB, it seemed almost too good to be true. There must be a catch I thought! But everything was as perfect as it seemed online.

Gina Macarenhas is the most thoughtful, gracious host.I remember stepping into the apartment awestruck. The furniture, the upholstery, the kitchen and the general aesthetics were so tastefully done. And most importantly its was squeaky CLEAN. I was thrilled!Only because my purpose that trip was to find a great place for 80 people from Bangalore who’d be in Goa in Dec 2018 for my wedding. My destination wedding!The day I checked-in, I called Gina hurriedly, the lovely person that she is, pushed her errands just to meet me that same day to understand what I was looking for. Gina was confident of hosting not just 80 but two times 80, gladly and comfortably. That was it, all my apprehensions were gone for good that day. Like I said, I live in Bangalore and being a destination wedding, it takes someone like A Gina to inspire confidence in a bride-to-be. The location is incredible, the restaurant has great food! The place is so tranquil and gives you the complete Goan experience firsthand. It has a party hall, that’s cool and up-to-the-minute. The place is green and fantastic for photo shoots. Their clean pool is perfect for just about anyone to splash around. Even to this day, every guest of mine says the highlight of Sharen’s wedding was “Saudades”. Gina, I’m not sure if I’m doing any justice to this review but thank you so much for all the hospitality and the confidence you gave me and my family. Every person including me took back fond memories for life.And you know we’re gonna keep coming back for more of Saudades. Folks, if there’s someone out there planning a destination wedding, I’m sure you have those butterflies fluttering around in your stomach. Take my word- Saudades is the place! You’re not gonna be...

My whole wedding party of about 90 persons had a great time at Saudades Homestays. We were fortunate to find this beautiful place during the peak season in Goa. This place is ideal for large groups, and for accommodating wedding guests, and the homestay provides breakfast and other meals on request too. The rooms were extremely spacious! We had a two-day wedding, and on one of the days we celebrated in the hall at JDs Inn- the restaurant attached to the homestay (so practical btw!). My guests ravished the food, especially those from abroad and ate there almost every evening. Delicious, high-quality food at affordable prices. There location of the homestay was perfect. They have a beautiful pool and just so many gorgeous trees and plants. The best part of it all was Gina, the person who handles the logistics/booking of this place. She was there for me right from the start, even when I came with the most important last minute changes. She understood me and helped me out while being extremely patient. Thank you for this Gina. The only constructive feedback I would give would be to work on the cleanliness a bit more. It could be better, that's why I took off a star. Apart from that, it all went really well. We'll surely be back. Good luck...