Travelogues

It was Dec 13, my first wedding anniversary, and we had decided on spending a week in Goa. Maybe because of my upbringing next to the beaches of Kerala I was never too keen to visit Goa. I would have preferred a hill station any day. But I had to give into higher calling, my wife.

Contrary to my usual self I wanted three things pre-decided:- mode of travel, place of stay and activities. I wanted the vacation to be as special as the occasion. So I read every bit of information available on the googles and the wikis of the world about Goa. The idea was to take an informed decision.

Travel:
Well most flights these days are on time and in case one is delayed then all tend to get delayed. I chose Jet Airways for the onward journey and Spice for the return. No particular reasons, just a spontaneous decision.

Stay:
Two things that went into my consideration before booking a hotel was the location and the type of property.

Location: From my reads I understood that Goa is not a small place. And North Goa and South Goa are very distinct and serve different palettes. North Goa is where people mostly go. That’s where the action is and hence the crowd. South Goa has more secluded beaches where one can be with themselves and enjoy the peace. I was not sure what to choose. I wanted both. I decided to spend three days in North Goa and two days in South.

Property/Hotel/Resort: Goa as a place has something to offer everyone. From basic beach shacks which cost as less as Rs 300 a night to high end luxury beach cottages and suite for the high heeled. This would cost anything above Rs 20,000 a night. In Goa you can find both these extremes and everything in-between. My indecisiveness continued.

I wanted the anniversary day to be as special as possible and I did not want to take any chances. I wanted the best that Goa had to offer. After a lot of considerations I chose Taj Village Holiday. The location was good. It was on the Sinquerim beach very close to Calagute Beach market. The resort had cottages spread across a large area, a welcome break from monotonous suites and long corridors. So it was three days and two nights in Taj Holiday Village. This way I can avail their airport pick-up facility.

I kept the fourth day for some water sports, so I booked a budget hotel Bio Do Sal facing the Baga beach. I had saved the last two days for South Goa. I chose the Grand InterContinental in Palolem Beach. The architecture of this property was awe-inspiring, very Portuguese and elegant.

Activities:
For the first day after arrival I had booked my self a guided tour of Old Goa in a chauffer driven car. This way I would have seen the must sees of Goa. For the evening I had informed Taj Holiday Village for a special dinner at the Chef’s table. The second and third day was for some water sports and beach action. The fourth day we spent travelling from North to South Goa and some shopping. I had booked Corta’s the beach shack restaurant at the Grand InterContinental. The sixth day was for some more shopping and return.

I hope this blog makes sense and people benefit from this. Do drop your comments. Bon Voyage!