Will the car still be there if the flight is late, and will Aaji manage the step up? Those are the two questions we get from families, in that order. Yes and yes, but the second depends on which car you pick, so let us start there, then the beaches, the inland days and a four day plan.
Quick answer
Five or six with soft bags: Ertiga. Six with suitcases or grandparents: Innova Crysta or Hycross. Beaches in the morning and after 4 pm, one inland outing a day, the car back at the hotel by late afternoon, and nobody drives after a shack dinner with drinks.
Which Car Suits Six People and a Pram?
| Car | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Maruti Ertiga | Five or six on a budget; sits low, so it is easy for older people to get into; fits village lanes | With all seven seats up the boot takes a couple of soft bags and not much more |
| Innova Crysta | Six with luggage; a real third row, a boot that takes four suitcases, comfortable on the ghat roads | Higher step up; grandparents may want a hand the first time |
| Innova Hycross | The same space with a hybrid engine, quieter and smoother; automatic only | Same step up as the Crysta |
| Hyundai Alcazar, Kia Carens | Families of five or six who want a newer 7 seater with an automatic option | Third row is tighter than the Innovas for adults |
| Toyota Fortuner | Anyone who wants to feel the road less, with the most legroom in the back | Big for Calangute lanes and tight parking |
Grandparents and the step up: the Ertiga is low and easy. The Innovas and the Fortuner sit higher and have a grab handle, which most older people prefer once they are in, but the first step needs a hand. If someone in the family has a bad knee, tell us and we will suggest accordingly. See every 7 seater on the fleet page.
Child seats: we keep a few, subject to availability on your dates. Ask for one when you book. If one is free it comes fitted with the car; if not, please bring your own. Every 7 seater we run takes a standard child seat with the belt.
Every car comes with unlimited kilometres inside Goa and free delivery to the airport, your hotel or the railway station.
The Airport Pickup, Done Properly
Share the flight number when you book and we time the handover to your landing, so a delay does not matter. The car is handed over at arrivals, the paperwork takes about ten minutes while the children run about, and you are on the highway before the family behind you has found the taxi counter. If you are landing at Mopa with small children after 9 pm, book a hotel in North Goa for the first night rather than driving to the far south in the dark. Mopa is in the far north of the state and South Goa is a long drive from it; Dabolim is the closer airport for Colva, Benaulim and Palolem. More in our guide to Mopa and Dabolim pickups.
Which Goa Beaches Suit Children and Grandparents?
- Palolem and Patnem. The bay at Palolem is sheltered, the water is calmer and shallower towards the northern end, and the beach is small enough that nobody gets lost. Huts and restaurants sit on the sand, so the elders have shade and a chair ten steps from the water.
- Colva and Benaulim. Wide, flat, lifeguarded and easy to park near. Good for a first swim and for building things in the sand. Close to Margao and the Dabolim side.
- Mandrem and Ashwem. Quieter than Baga, with a shallow creek at Mandrem that toddlers like at low tide. Closer to Mopa than to Dabolim.
- Calangute and Baga. Busy, noisy and fun for teenagers who want parasailing and the banana boat. Go early morning or after 4 pm, park at the Calangute end and walk. Swim only between the lifeguard flags; the currents are stronger than they look.
Whatever the beach, the water is safest between the flags and the sand is hottest in the middle of the day. Plan the beach for mornings and late afternoons. Our North Goa or South Goa guide helps you pick a base.
The Days That Are Not About the Beach
The Old Goa churches are flat, cool inside and take about an hour, which is the right length for both the seven year old and the seventy year old. The Museum of Christian Art next door suits the elders. The Mangeshi temple near Ponda has steps, so plan a rest after it, and pair it with a spice plantation lunch: a shaded walk, a big thali under a roof, and a place where children can see pepper actually growing. The museum complex at the old Aguada jail in Sinquerim is the one where children press buttons and grandparents read plaques, and it has places to eat inside.
Dudhsagar is the day to think hard about. Private cars stop at the forest entry point at Mollem and the last stretch is by authorised jeep over a rough track, then a walk over rocks. Good for a family with children over eight and fit grandparents; not the day for a toddler or a bad back. Access arrangements change with the season, so check before you plan it.
Evenings: Miramar beach in Panjim for an ice cream and a walk, the Saturday night market at Arpora for teenagers, and Fontainhas for a short stroll and dinner if the elders enjoy old houses.
A Four Day Plan That Works
| Day | Morning | Afternoon and evening |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Land, collect the car, check in | Rest, then the beach nearest the hotel after 4 pm |
| 2 | Old Goa churches, Museum of Christian Art | Lunch at a spice plantation near Ponda, back by 4, pool |
| 3 | Aguada jail museum complex, Sinquerim | Candolim beach, dinner in Candolim |
| 4 | Drive to Mandrem or, from a South Goa base, Palolem | Sunset on the beach, early night before the flight |
One outing a day, the car back at the hotel by late afternoon, and everyone still talking to each other on day five.
Small Things That Help
- Book the car for the whole stay, even the days you think you will not use it. Having it at the hotel is what makes the 6 pm ice cream run happen.
- Ask for an automatic if two people will share the driving. The Ertiga, Crysta and Hycross all come as automatics.
- Seatbelts for everyone, including the back row and the children. The police do check, and the roads have cows on them.
- Keep a folded sheet or towel in the boot for wet children and sandy feet, and shake the sand out before the drive home.
- For the elders, carry water and their medicines in the car, not the hotel. Goa afternoons are hotter than they look from a pool.
- Nobody drives after a shack dinner with drinks. Book one of our drivers for that evening or take a taxi, and collect the car in the morning.
