My husband and I like to take short
holidays throughout the year. So we try not to
spend too much on these quick getaways and instead indulging ourselves during our annual vacations.
Goa is one destination we can holiday on pretty much every weekend. It’s such a laidback destination and designed for
lazy people like ourselves, relaxing on the beach and sipping cocktails.
Our train travail
We decided to
visit Goa after a gap of a few years this July. My husband had been insisting on me experiencing the Konkan Railway route so we decided to take a trainthis time. It was
monsoon at its peak; it was raining the day we left till the time we reached Goa.
In our enthusiasm to make
most of the four days, we booked an early morning train from Thane, which meant
that we pretty much slept all the way. Either way, the train
journey turned out to be a horrible experience. Our bogey was full
of families along with their non-stop crying machines, which are commonly
referred to as toddlers. But who’d have known.
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| Clean and pristine Candolim beach |
We got off at Madgaon station and
took a cab to our guest house called D’mello’s. Our taxi dropped us off near a
small lane because this property is enclosed within a wooded area and the only way to reach it is to take a
short walk from the road.
Day 1: At D'mello's
The property is sprawling and our
room had the best view. We were right on Calangute beach; it was literally five
steps from the sea. The owner also runs a beach shack but it was shut because
of the monsoon.
The room was big and very neat and the balcony offered a remarkable view. After checking in, we went to the beach. It was high tide and empty save for some fishermen and a scattering of tourists.
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| View from our room at D'Mello's |
We walked to the main Calangute market and bought some essential stuff to get us through the night like late-night munchies, wine, etc. It rained like crazy and were completely drenched by the time we returned to our room, despite an umbrella.
If you're planning to stay here, you need to know a few things. There is no TV (which is okay), no mosquitoes repellents, no electric geyser (they rely on solar ones which is of no use when its cloudy) and no phone in the room.
Because of the lack of phone in the room, we had to walk all the way to their kitchen to place our food order. And yeah, they don’t have a concept of quick room service.
But then again, impatience comes very naturally to us Bombaywallahs.
We paid Rs 1200 a day for our room. According to the owner, the rate doubles during peak season.
Day 2: South Goa
This was when the actual fun began.
We reached Baywatch Resort is a beautiful 3-star property on Serenabatim beach in South
Goa. This too was right on the beach and due to off-season our room (sea-facing) was priced
at Rs 2,400 per day.
The service at the resort is great. But like most beach properties, this one too is far from the main market. Fortunately, the resort has live performances in the evening at their resto-bar.
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| Baywatch Resort |
Most casinos are in North Goa but there's one in South at Zuri White Sands, Goa Resort & Casino. It charges Rs 1,000 per head as cover and includes unlimited
food and beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). They even give you tokens
for roulette.
But the casino is quite sad in terms of upkeep and the crowd. Most of them looked like serious gamblers. We played a bit of roulette and tried our luck at slot machines - most of them were not even working. But just as I was regretting our decision to come here, I won a jackpot which was 50 times the
bet. So we cashed out and left because we knew it wasn't going to get better than
this.
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| Our room at Baywatch Resort |
We took our rented Activa (rented at Rs 400 per day) and went to Colva market to do a bit of shopping. We got back in time for another live performance at our hotel.
On our last afternoon in Goa, just
before leaving for the station, we lunched at Martin’s Corner for old times’ sake and we couldn't leave without eating here. Although we both are vegetarians. But I've heard their crabs are to die for.
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| A live performance at the hotel |
And just like
that, three days went by in a flash. Thankfully, our return journey on the
evening train was better than our onward journey even though we couldn't really see the Konkan
route. Sometimes an old woman who keeps to herself is all one needs to enjoy a train journey.
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Chhavi Dang made a dent in the exciting world of journalism with stints at The Economic Times and then CNBC Awaaz where she met her husband.
She loves her wine and her space. If you wish to invade it or need a top-line PR consultant, you can contact her at chhavi.dang@gmail.com.
1 comment:
Goa is spectacular during monsoons…i won't forget my first bike riding experience in Goa…i was shitting bricks…but i had the best time riding a scooty between Calangute and Bagha. For me it was all about braving the harsh rain and getting out there with my camera and it's only saving grace was an umbrella, which failed most of the times. But the thrill of taking pictures of Goan Monsoon was just awesome !
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