Travelogue- Goa: 4th to 6th May- II

After an evening of drinks and dance with the divas of the organization, I just fell on the bed and slept like a log. Only, to be woken up after 4 hrs with a wake up call from front desk.

We were to leave for the nearby Colva beach, for water sports- Jet Ski and Para-sailing.

Sleepy eyed, I reached the lobby, waiting for the team to come, and watching the other teams heading for the bus in herds. Being in HR, it was compulsory for me to go. The previous night I was so eager to go, but in the morning, all I could think of was sleep, sleep and more sleep... and sleep was evading me!

Well, another 15 minutes drive, and we were at the beach. It was 6.30 in the morning, and the only human beings visible were our colleagues, a couple of shack operators, a lifeguard team, and the adventure activities operators.

This beach was not very clean, as I had heard about Goa beaches. Probably, we were in the wrong part of Goa. Anyways, after a quick chai at a shack, we queued up for Jet Ski. Now I was excited. When the turn came, it was all over in ten minutes!!!. It was total fun. Adrenaline pumping and all. And, there was saline water all over me... clothes, hair, eyes, mouth, nose...errgh. But it was FUN. I wanted to do all over again. Though we were not driving on our own, there was a guy who was steering and I was sitting in front. All the waves just hit me in the face, I just loved it.

Now, it was time to try the other activity- Para Sailing. Another queue and finally our turn came. This was even better. It make me feel like a bird. Just flying in the air for 10 minutes, literally a bird's eye view of the land and sea and the beings inhabiting them. Well well well... it came to end with a thud... our falling on the sand!!!

I would want to do these two activities, along with rafting, again and again.

Well after satisfying the adventurous soul, it was time to satisfy the palate. We headed for the breakfast laid out for us at a shack. We just stuffed ourselves, and headed back for the hotel in small groups. It was just 8.30am, but it was so HOT already. I was gain dreaming of the bed.

Distance from Park Hyatt: 15-20 minutes

Auto fare: Rs 150/-

(that's what the going rate was, though we then waited for our bus)

At around 12pm we checked out, and headed for the lunch at Martin's Corner. The experience I have already shared here.

Our flight was at 7pm. So we had at least 3.5 hrs with us to kill. We headed for the local market at Margao. A small town in South Goa, and most of the trains from Mumbai end here.

The first liquor shop was literally attacked by all of us. The sight of females managing a liquor shop was quite a surprise, for a North Indian like me.

Well, I explored the local port wine and fanny brands. I also bought few miniatures of IMFLs. Another thing left to buy was local cashew, one with the skin on. And then I was done.

Distance from Colva: 6km/ 15 mins

Nearest rail head: 0km (Margao has a railway station!)

It is difficult to take away a bunch of females from a shopping place, how so ever small it may be. And that was the case with us. Finally, we started for the airport and our rendezvous in Goa came to end. Delhi here we come!!

Travelogue: Goa- 4th to 6th May

In my previous post, I wrote about my experience at Martin's Comfort and Martin's Corner. That was the day we had landed, Day 1.

Distance from Airport: 30-45 minutes

Here is what we did on Day 2

We had a conference scheduled in Park Hyatt and the further stay was also arranged there. So we moved over early morning to Park Hyatt Resort and Spa.

Distance from Martin's: 15-20 minutes
Distance from Airport: 20-30 minutes

The drive between the two hotels is a winding road with fields and villas and coconut trees on both sides. The bright and vibrant colored villas just pep you up. And when the drive ended, the sight that awaited was a treat!

The resort is a sprawling property spread over more that 20 acres of land by the sea. As we checked in, the front desk efficiently guided the porters to our rooms. Considering that we were joined by other colleagues from across the country, making a total of around 120, they were fast.

We quickly had our breakfast and rushed into our conference. The lunch was also there. Finally, in the evening we moved into our luxurious rooms. And, it was time to explore the hotel.

Some of us went to explore the private beach that the resort has. It was neat and clean and we watched the sun go down. After sometime, we were ready for an evening of fun, organized in the resort's 'Magical Forest'. It is a lovely piece of sand surrounded by tall coconut trees.

The resort has a fantastic coffee shop, The Village. The pastas served there are just amazing. Also try the tiramisu and walnut tart.

My room overlooked a pond and it was pretty picturesque. The entire resort is so green, it just makes you forget the metro life. You are transferred into an entirely different world.

I could notice some guest lazing by the pool, and it was quite a temptation to join them. The ride in the battery operated buggies was fun. Alas, we had our meet!

The resort was more than what I had expected, considering this was my first experience at such luxury. And I was smitten, completely.

Musings: Goa- 4th to 6th May

This week I was on a business trip to Goa for a couple days. Though this is not the best season to visit the beautiful coastal state, nonetheless I was excited. I will post a detailed travelogue over the weekend, in few parts. Here is the first in the series- this one not exactly a travelogue, more of musings.

We reached on 4th evening at 7pm through SpiceJet flight. The very first night we were to stay at Martin's Comfort, a small hotel in South Goa's Betalbatlim village. This is about 30 minutes away from Airport.


It has an adjacent restaurant, Martin's Corner, which seemed to be a local favourite, going by the number of cars with Goa number plates, parked outside. Another interesting thing is that there is a private villa on a stretch of land separating the hotel and the restaurant.The hotel manager informed us that a sumptuous buffet awaited us at 9pm at Martin's Comfort.




We stepped in and were amazed to see the crowd, phirang as well as desi. Live band. Lively crowd. Dancing couples. Wow! I was impressed.

But the story was pretty different when we asked about our seats and 'the buffet'. The stewards had no clue. We were a group of 30 persons, and they seemed to be unequipped for handling such a large group. After arguing with the restaurant manager, we were given a corner in the restaurant, tables were laid, but no sign of food. It was already 9.30pm and we were informed that we will not be served any buffet. The menu for us was pre-decided and would be served on the tables, but only when all the 30 members were present. I some how convinced the manager that already 20 of us were there, and people will keep coming and going, and he should start serving.

Even then the food took another 30 minutes to be served. The stewards were not proactively serving. They did not keep an eye, if any item needed to be replenished. We had to remind them continuously, and the entire group was hugely dissatisfied. When the remaining 10 members came, they had to wait another 30 minutes to be served, and that too with the condition that all be seated on only one table, together.

Well, first night, at a well-reviewed restaurant, did not go down well with most of us. All of us being from service industry, and from the organization which lays immense emphasis on customer service, this was a huge disappointment.

We were scheduled for lunch at the same place day after the next day. This time we were a 120 strong group. The promised buffet was there, but only one set. It seemed that they did take the learning, but did not have the farsightedness. Only one set of serving bowls for buffet for such big group was not adequate. The queue stretched till the entrance of restaurant. And by the time our turn came, the first set was ready to replenish. The stewards were again unable to manage the drinks orders.

Though the ambience was good, the food must be good (if served hot), going by the waiting crowd, but the place sure needs lessons in customer service.

My recommendation: Visit the place if you are a small group. Variety of drinks and sea food. For vegetarians, less options and not good on the taste buds.