Monday, October 09, 2006

Weekend @ Goa

Just came back after yet another awesome long weekend at Goa. We were a group of about 50+ people travelling together. Stayed at the Radisson White Sands Resort Hotel for the first time; the resort is located in South Goa, about 20-30 mins drive from Margao railway station.

Yes, that's another highlight of this trip: a train journey after almost five years! And that too, in second class...the great Indian travel experience after years of Business Class travel In spite of all the horror stories a few of my colleagues primed me with before I set out, the train journey was actually fun! And this in spite of the 3 hour wait at Pune Station for a late-running Nizamuddin-Goa Express.

Anyway, the Radisson White Sands is pretty similar in design to the Park Hyatt Resort hotel, also in the South Goan beach-front. However, I think the Park Hyatt has better designed rooms (one of the best I have stayed in ever with open-sky shower areas and excellent sunken bath).

The seas were rough, and the high tide most of the day ensured that we didn't venture too much into the waves. However, the resort has a long, winding and excellent swimming pool (or a series of interconnected pools). Nandini just wouldn't come out of the water, and so I stayed put too most of the day.

The water was a little cold, but the pool-bar (with the barstools underwater and great music!) served a mean concoction called Brain Damage...a couple of shot glasses later...there was enough warmth inside of me to have survived the Arctic :D

The Spa has authentic Kerala Ayurvedic massage and therapy sessions (btw, the Park Hyatt at Goa has a much larger menu). The wife and I tried out their 60-minute Rejuvination Massage, that includes a Steam Sauna and Scalp Rub, on the last day -- very nice, relaxing yet not intense -- and reluctantly packed up up to return to the madness of daily life...

Oh, and btw, I finally had dinner at Martin's Corner... had been meaning to do this for ever but never got around to doing this before. Turned out to be a nice evening...gorged on seafood (so much that I had to stay away from breakfast the next day!).

2 comments:

Lakshmi said...

guess the monsoons have not yet hit Goa...its been a while since I last went there..your post is a reminder

Travelfreak said...

Everything about Goa

http://www.xperiencegoa.com/