I'm setting off on a long holiday, and we're going try our luck starting off in Goa or Kerala for a few days in late may to beat the monsoon and get some (hot, humid) time on the beach / by the pool. After that we'll head on to other activities in Kerala which seem like they'll be less severely adversely affected by the rains, and then up to other parts of India altogether.

For most of the trip we'll likely stay in local accommodation - inexpensive hotels, guesthouses, etc. However I have some money, credit card and loyalty points set aside to stay in nicer boutique / luxury hotels from time to time.

I was originally going to stay at Kovalam or Varkala in Kerala for a few days on the beach and there I planned to stay in something small local and cheap but it seems like a better weather bet to start further north.

My question is, is it worth it to use some of the luxury hotel nights up in Goa (we're traveling all over, but figure we'd be giving up a fancy hotel in Agra, or in Helsinki, or something) to have a nice resort with a quiet beach and good services, or should I find a guesthouse in Baga or elsewhere and would that give me a decent experience despite it being the off season?

If we stay at a chain hotel it would likely be the Park Hyatt, which I know has relatively mixed reviews here, but set that consideration aside for a moment.