Highland Beach Resort

Highland Beach Resort is a large, mid-range vacation hotel spread out across a series of seven four-story blocks, each painted a pale sandy color paired with rust-hued trim. At the front of the resort is the main lobby, a smallish corridor-style room with a large mural featuring traditional fishing and farming scenes painted in hues of burnt orange and red. The hotel's restaurants are also located in this area and include the main High Palm restaurant, with wooden chairs and elegant Greco-style columns. There's a casual, open-air Coffee Shop with a few books and lots of tables and chairs for guests. Additional common areas can be found throughout the grounds, notably by the seven pools (there's one for each block). Most guests here are families and couples on vacation, primarily from Russia, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere in India. 

This hotel is located in the northern section of Candolim, just off the main road that runs north-south through town. There are lots of shops, restaurants, and ATMs in the immediate area -- and it's about a 10-minute walk to the beach. Fort Aguada is a 13-minute drive from the hotel, while Old Goa is 45 minutes by car. The capital city of Panaji takes 30 minutes to reach and the airport is around an hour away by taxi. 

This hotel only offers two types of room: one-bedroom Executive Suites and two-bedroom Ambassador Suites. Decor varies a bit from unit to unit, but in general guests can expect dated wooden furniture, upholstered solid-color bench-style sofas, and a few cursory framed art prints on the walls. Tube-style TVs are placed in the living areas, but not in the bedrooms. Lighting is soft, with sconce lamp fixtures and smallish windows let in a reasonable amount of light. Small kitchenettes come with fridges and wet bars, but no kettles (though they can be requested depending on availability). Bedrooms have closets with plenty of storage space and either two separate twin beds or two twins pushed together to form a double bed. Note that bedrooms have air-conditioning but the main living rooms do not. Rooms lack safes, but there is a safe-deposit box at the front desk. Wi-Fi is free in rooms and throughout the hotel.

Bathrooms are simple, with walk-in showers separated from the main part of the bathroom by shower curtains and small ledges for counter space. Basic toiletries are provided and hairdryers are available on request. Each unit has multiple covered balconies (one off of the living room and one off of each bedroom); these are usually furnished with plastic chairs.

Amenities include seven large lap pools: one for each block of the hotel, plus a kids' pool by the reception. Dining options abound with a main 24-hour Coffee Shop featuring Indian and international fare and room service around the clock. Other options include the multi-cuisine Highpalm, the pool-facing Snack Bar, and snazzy Gulzar, which offers Indian fine-dining and live music three days a week. Rooms are available with or without breakfast included in the room rates and half-board (breakfast and dinner) options are available. 

Other facilities include a fitness center with cardio equipment and weights, a small game room, laundry services, dry cleaning, and airport transfers. There's also a large, if dark, conference room with an interesting starburst pattern on the ceiling. It can fit up to 180 guests theater style. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel.