We stayed for four days at the end of April to "unwind" after a hectic tour of the Malabar Coast and prior to the long journey back to the UK. This was our first visit to India.

The owners' own description of the hotel on this site is fair and accurate. This accommodation is a visually beautiful Portuguese villa, traditionally furnished in Portuguese style with enormous, high-ceilinged rooms in lush, well-kept gardens. It is perfect for anybody who is happy to make their own enjoyment. A car is usually available for those wishing it and if not available taxis can be arranged by the hotel. For those whose idea of a holiday is for everything to be organised for them, they would be advised to try one of the big, brash resorts on the coast.

The hotel is situated in the small, rather unkempt, village of Siolim (being unkempt and getting more so seems to be the norm in India, as was lamented by Bishop Ignatius Lobo in the "Gomantak Times" during our stay!) but with a fair number of shops for the basic necessities of life. (For "touristy" purchases try nearby Calangute et al). For its size, Siloam has an impressive Catholic church and an outdoor food market once a week. There is quite a bit of wildlife. Sit by the pool and watch the brightly coloured kingfishers come down to drink, as do the pigeons. They didn't seem to disturb the resident frog. Turn left out of the hotel to walk up the road to the nearby river and you will most likely see the local monkeys up in the trees or on the roofs of the houses.

The hotel itself is staffed by locals who are very helpful and genuinely friendly, as indeed are all the villagers, young and old, whom we met - we had an amusing discussion with the local post-master on the teaching of multiplication tables in English schools! The hotel is kept immaculately clean with the requisite number of skinks and lizards to keep the insect life under control. At the time we stayed, it being "out of season", we were at first the only two guests so we lacked for no attention. After 2 days, rather surprisingly but quite amusingly, we were joined by a Frenchman who spoke neither English nor any Indian language, but practiced on his large Alpenhorn twice daily!!!

Unlike the earlier reviewer we ate all our meals (breakfast & dinner) in-house since we didn't find any eateries in walking distance which appeared to be open during our stay. At breakfast we chose what we wanted for dinner so, presumably, the food was bought fresh that day and, again presumably, locally. We ate dinner outside by the pool, watching the bats swooping down to drink "on the wing" at dusk. No complaints about the standard of cooking which we thought excellent, but beware the golden retriever - he's a robber given half a chance. We were not counting our pennies so genuinely do not know how much the food cost us, whether it was cheap or expensive or what. Whatever, the final bill was not by any means exorbitant.

As quite clearly pointed out, there is no air-conditioning - it would simply destroy the hotel's ambience. At the end of April the humidity tends to be high and building up slowly to the monsoons. At times it was verging on being uncomfortable; heat by itself is not a great problem, it’s the humidity which causes the discomfort and you can see why the Governor of Macau (the original owner of this accommodation) and the British sahibs & memsahibs fled to the hills about that time of year. However, even just a few weeks earlier in the season it is, we understand, hot but with a much lower humidity and it is for that reason that we hope to return to Siloam House for a longer stay "next season".

For those who are not part of the herd and who want a restful holiday in Goa, this accommodation fits the bill. It is not the place for those who want the bright lights, bars and discos etc.

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Lovely hotel, beautifully restored, friendly staff, quiet location away from the tourist hotspots. Perfect place to lay about and do nothing.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Take a drivers licence/hire transport so you can get about independently. Don't take up the full board option or use the in house services.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Not really, 2 out of 10. Most services were in house and seemed to benefit the hotel, there was no promotion of using the local services. For example you were advised to use the hotel transport which was more expensive than using a local taxi driver and if they booked the local taxi for you they would pay the driver and add it to your bill, which could seem helpful until you find out the driver only receives a percentage of the bill and the hotel keep a cut. So we ended up organising our own transport to share the work around the village. Similarly re laundry, the hotel service was double the price of the laundrette in the village.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

We enjoyed our week and were glad to relax after our tour. Had this been our only destination we would have been disappointed by the penny pinching at the hotel. Being charged GB £1 for stale crisps, the over priced services in the hotel for the area and the lack of support and integration with the local village. It is a lovely hotel but I am not sure it has a place on the Responsible Travel Website.

Read the operator's response here:

In response to point 3: Thanks for this - no response except that the fact is we only have only one car of our own - which is mostly not used for guests. By the way, we are talking about small change, and she should not have bothered trying to help the villagers - we use them already! So no question about only benefiting us. We only use local drivers, and it is normal to add a fee - we are running a business. We work exclusively with them - they are happy with the rates and are very loyal to us we are loyal to them - they are safe secure and will go out of their way - unlike an on the fly cabbie. They work throughout the year and don't feel exploited - they will not ever want to deal directly with clients. We can call them at any hour of the day or night and they will be there. There is something to be said for that. At every holiday destination here is the option of going around and looking for cheaper.

A hotel only works if you can sell accommodation and services. 2-3% of our guests do take the trouble of looking for cheaper - it's not a secret that a hotel will charge a bit more for things and guarantee the service - though it should not be exorbitant. FYI we charge the rate that is shown on all taxi meters, around Rs 850 (GB £10) for a full day, and we may keep £2. Laundry - FYI we charge around 25p for a shirt - and we do it all ourselves - it makes no sense to do it otherwise.

Finally we advise guests in advance that they will pay more for hotel services - there is a letter in each room that says that it is possible to get things cheaper outside, if they did not already know!

In response to point 4: Stale crisps is a problem no doubt! There would have been no reason to pay if she had brought it to our notice? A lack of integration is not right - around 20 families (drivers staff service people) - all local - not one from outside - are supported by us.