The Diwa Club by Alila

Memorable vacation! Great staff and wonderful place to relax and spend quiet time with family and friends. Looking forward to planning my next vacation. Great service and all the restaurants are outstanding! Can’t go wrong with this one.

This place needs to decide whether it is a Wedding/Events venue or a hotel. The former it does very well but hotel guests can seem a bit of an inconvenience at times. We were staying in the Diwa Club which is meant to be exclusive but there seemed to be no check or restriction on guests from the main hotel using the pool/Bistro. On at least one occasion there were children who were not staying in the Club playing noisily in the pool. With regard to the Club pool this is in need of refurbishment, dirty grouting and the water jets/jacuzzi no longer work. Also it should be noted that the Pool and sun beds are almost totally in the shade all day so no good if you want to get a tan. We were there for Christmas and New Year on an “all inclusive” basis so we’re shocked to discover that you had to book and pay extra for the Christmas Eve Dinner and Christmas Day Brunch. This was not made clear to us before or at the time of checking in, nor did the signs for the events suggest it. It was only by chance I asked a few days in advance whether you needed to book a table. We spoke to one other couple who got all dressed up Christmas Eve only to be turned away as they had not book and they were “full” even though there were several large no show tables. This policy was inconsistent with New Year where everyone in the hotel was included. Communication about events was very poor. The “all inclusive” package was a bit confusing as you could only get included drinks from certain bars at certain times and why on earth was the mini bar, containing half a bottle of wine, 2 beers and some soft drinks not included? A wedding was on the first few days we were there and on one day they took over the main hotel pool so hotel guests were sent over to the Club pool where there were building works going on. To give them credit when complaints were made the Manager did get the noisy building works stopped for a few hours and with complaints made through our TUI rep we did get the Christmas events for no extra charge. We were surprised that most guests seemed to be on Bed and Breakfast only so the evenings were pretty quiet. I for one did not fly 5000 miles to a 5 Star hotel to sit in a beach shack all day. It was not all bad though as our room was large, the WiFi worked, the food from the “a la carte” menu in each of the restaurants was excellent and the staff were all very friendly. But the service was lacking in some areas for a supposedly 5 star hotel for example the drinks service around the pools was virtually non existent and the lifeguards/pool attendants were often missing or did not come on duty until mid morning. If it had not been for the acceptable resolution of our complaints I would have given it 3 stars.

Communication before arrival extremely bad information not consistent. Musty Room Paid for club thought. There was a designated children’s pool but it was obviously the club pool noisy children no sun beds.. Breakfast service in club slow and inefficient. Not a club experience

A fantastic resort within a resort. I couldn’t have been happier with this place. So welcoming, so comfortable and beautifully maintained. Lots of personal touches and delicious food. Breakfast served when you want, teatime snacks and sundown cocktails, everything done to a high standard. It’s small and intimate and a wonderful hideaway place in Goa.

We first went here in 2019 and had an amazing time. Although we were blown away by everything, it was then our first experience of a Winter Sun holiday, (something that probably lifts the spirits of your average Brit almost regardless of where you're staying) and having had others since we wondered whether it would still seem as good. Particularly, as the Alila had changed hands since then and often the second time of doing something / seeing something is never as good as the first. Especially if the first is super good. Any fears we had were un-grounded. If anything, the Alila was even better second time around. Everything was just so good. The facilities are great. The main pool is massive. At 20 metres wide, it is wider than most hotel pools are long, and it is probably twice as long again. There is also another pool, just for the use of Alila Club guests, which although not as large, is again bigger than most hotel pools. In keeping with the huge pool, the rooms in the Club are also massive at a round 700 sq feet, including bathroom area. The breakfast is excellent with a vast range of choices covering Western and Indian cuisine, cold and hot options. From omlettes, freshly cooked to your specifications, through to Dosas, potato cakes, pancakes, cereals, fresh juices, pastries and so on. Not forgetting, of course, sausages, bacon, beans etc. Food across the 3 other restaurants (Edge, Spice Studio and Bistro) was also excellent. We often don't eat in hotels as it's usually over priced and not great, but that is not the case here. Yes, it was more expensive than eating at a local restaurant, but not hugely so, and the quality was great and the portions more than ample. I'll post a photo of some of the menus so you can judge for yourself. Perhaps most impressive, though, is the level of service. All staff we met… and I mean all staff, (ie including those not often front of house like gardeners and security) were friendly. Those you interacted with more often such as waiters, pool assistants, reception were not only friendly as well, but also helpful, eager to please and often second guessing what you might need before you had even thought it for yourself. (Take a bow Majorda Colin). The Alila Club is a big upgrade from the main hotel and that is what my review is based on. As well as bigger rooms and your own secluded pool area (you can use both the main pool and that specific to the Diwa club) you also get your own dedicated reception team, complimentary chat snacks at 4pm every day and a complimentary sundowner (cocktail/glass of wine/beer and accompanying snack) at 6pm each day, served in the Diwa Bistro. The Club Pool is a huge benefit as it can provide a quiet sanctuary if there is a wedding on and the main pool gets a bit noisy. When we there, there was a wedding on, which took the main pool out of action for a day, but it didn't matter to us as we could retreat to 'our' pool, where we weren't really affected by the noise and hub

Superb place. Very tranquil and the service was impeccable. Aditi, Shivraj, Raju, Collin and Sourav were all fantastic. We will definitely be going back. We went as a couple for some peace and quiet after being in Delhi and Jaipur and it couldn't have been more perfect.