Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, Happy Moon Homestay may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only list the kinds of items we use at our own homestay in Aldona, North Goa.

By Ulhas Polle, host at Happy Moon Homestay, Aldona, North Goa, since 2024 · Updated 3 October 2026

Our track record: Google 4.9★ (130 reviews) · Airbnb 4.88★ Guest Favourite (41 reviews) · Booking.com 9.8/10 Exceptional

Guests ask the same questions every day: the Wi-Fi password, where to buy groceries, how to call a taxi, what time checkout is. A printed guidebook in every room answers them before they are asked, gives guests confidence and gives you your evenings back. Airbnb has a digital guidebook feature too, but a printed copy works with no internet, no app and no battery.

What to put in it, section by section

  1. Welcome. One paragraph about you and the house, and your WhatsApp number in large type.
  2. Wi-Fi. Network name and password, and what to do if it drops (the 4G backup network).
  3. Check-in and check-out. Times, how the RFID card or key box works, where to leave the card when you leave.
  4. House rules. Quiet hours, visitors, smoking, shoes, the kitchen. Keep it short and friendly. See our house rules guide.
  5. Using the house. AC and remote, geyser, induction, washing machine (and its charge, if any), where clean towels are kept, the garbage system.
  6. Food and groceries. The nearest grocery shop, vegetable market, bakery, pharmacy and ATM with Google Maps links. This is the most-asked question we get.
  7. Getting around. Taxi drivers you trust, scooter rental, bus stop, distance to the airport and railway station.
  8. Things to do. Your favourite beaches, churches, temples, walks and restaurants, with a line on why you like each.
  9. Meals and extras. What you offer and the prices.
  10. Emergencies. Nearest hospital and clinic, police, fire, your number and a backup number, where the first aid kit and fire extinguisher are.

How our own guidebook is organised

Our Airbnb guidebook for Corjuem and Aldona lists 37 places in four groups. Each entry is a few lines on why to go and when:

  • Historic sites (15): Corjuem Fort, St Thomas Church in Aldona, the Shri Sateri Bhagwati and Rawalghadi temples, the churches of Moira, Nachinola and Calvim, and the temples around Mayem Lake.
  • Sightseeing (5): the Corjuem cable bridge, the Corjuem riverside, the Calvim–Aldona bridge, the Ganapati visarjan shed for birdwatching, and Amthane Dam.
  • Food (9): riverside Goan bars and family restaurants for fish thali, plus the village cafés and bakeries guests ask about.
  • Things to do (8): kayaking in the Moira mangroves, pottery, a makerspace and an art gallery, Mayem Lake and two water parks.

Separately, a handy places message goes out the day before arrival: the nearest supermarket, two pharmacies, two doctors, fresh cow milk, three vegetable sellers, a gym and the street-food stalls, each with a Google Maps link. Groceries and medicine are what guests need first, and the tourist sights can wait.

Send it automatically

Airbnb lets you attach a guidebook to every listing and send it as a scheduled quick reply. Ours goes out five minutes after a booking is confirmed, so guests can plan before they arrive. Keep the Wi-Fi password out of the digital guidebook; anyone can read it before booking. Send it privately in the booking chat and print it on the card in the room.

How to print and keep it

Print on A4, put each page in a display file so it survives coffee and monsoon damp, and keep one in every room plus one in the common area. Update it when a shop closes or a price changes, and date the last page so you know how old it is.

Want ideas for what to include about Goa? See our guides to handy places around Happy Moon and the North Goa itinerary, which we give our own guests.

What our guests say about this (verified Airbnb reviews):

“The rooms were clean, well maintained, and the facilities matched the description perfectly… The cherry on the cake was the homemade food they provided which was absolutely delicious.”

— Surbhi, 5★ on Airbnb, January 2026

See it working before you spend a rupee

Everything in this guide is running at Happy Moon Homestay in Aldona, North Goa. Book a consultation: two hours on site with me, walking through the security setup, power backup, rooms, kitchen and the systems that keep reviews at 4.9★, and then your own property and plan. ₹10,000 for 2 hours. Free for persons of Goan origin. Staying the night is optional and charged at our normal room rate, so you can experience it as a guest.

Book a consultation on WhatsApp →

Want us to set it all up for you? See our done-for-you Airbnb setup service.

Frequently asked questions

What should a homestay guidebook include?

Welcome note, Wi-Fi details, check-in and check-out, house rules, how to use appliances, groceries and pharmacies, transport, things to do, meal prices and emergency contacts.

Is a printed guidebook better than a digital one?

Use both. A printed copy works without internet or a charged phone, and guests read it in the room.

When should I send the guidebook to guests?

Right after booking. Ours goes out automatically five minutes after a booking is confirmed, through an Airbnb scheduled quick reply, and the nearby-essentials list follows the day before arrival.

The full homestay setup series

Start with the complete checklist with real costs, or go area by area:

  1. Security and outside the property
  2. Power, water and internet
  3. Kitchen
  4. Bedroom
  5. Common area and dining
  6. Bathroom
  7. Supplies and maintenance

Staying in North Goa? See our rooms at Happy Moon Homestay.