Hotel Reviews of Golden Swan Resort

2.00
A HIQ Member, Bangalore | 20^th June 2008
Hotel Review of Golden Swan Resort
Comments: Everyone in the world thinks of Goa as their first holiday destination. It doesn’t matter summer or winter. It doesn’t matter rain or shine. Goa it always is! I got sick of it a little bit and didn’t want to do the same old beaches and the same old shacks. So I decided that life and holidaying was going to be more interesting just heading out along the coast of Maharashtra and stopping at places which the heart took fancy to. I also devoured travel books and websites trying to get a little more prepared. It was this way that I first read of Murud and was excited beyond belief. I forget where I came across it first, but the verdant hills, rough seas, unexplored coves, the rivers and waterfalls of the monsoon, an irresistibly old, dark and abandoned palace… the history… the geography… it all pulled me and made me want to go there.
I packed my bags, pulled a friend along into a car and drove off on a misty, rain drenched Bombay morning. We stopped for chai in little dhabas along the way, ate steaming keema-pao and got sick. Hence the intended leisurely drive through the ghats became a race against time to find a loo! After some hours, we started seeing the sea in the distance from our vantage point on the hilly terrain. It took my breath away. It’s hard to explain the beauty, much less capture it on a camera. Monsoon is truly my most favorite season.
We were on winding roads driving, hugging the hills, looking down at the crashing surf. There was unbelievable force in the wind and it kept blowing the rain every time it changed direction. With only a fortnight of rain, the place looked as though god took a bucket of green and threw it out of the skies.
Soon enough, Murud was only a few kilometers away and we were still trying to desperately find a hotel for the night. This is a harder task than you might think because while every turn on the serpentine road has an Airtel hoarding, the phones pick up no signal. I got through to Golden Swan and was relieved to find that they had a non AC room available still.
The property is very nice and has an ideal location. From the gate and if you only go in some 10 meters (but please, not an inch more), you'd think this is heaven. For, in front of your eyes in the distance, is a Casurina tree grove and beyond that, only beach and endless water. I was in bliss and looking forward to a great getaway.
We were shown to our room and it was as basic as they get. 2 double beds (???), a dresser, a 3- seater plastic sofa if you please and 2 ink-blue towels with some soap. I was hasty to confirm with the hotel person that the geyser worked and they had inverters, so we need’nt worry about being in the dark. Ha!
Well, so we moved our luggage in and sat on some chairs on the wrap-around porch and looked out at the beach and were quite pleased with ourselves. We had our tea and lunch parked there itself. The guy who got us our stuff was quite enthusiastic. He stood facing us, blocking the view. Clearly he wanted to hang about and chat. In fact, he contributed considerably to the conversation I was having with my friend. Initial polite smiles became strained and finally I had to ask him to come back later. That made no difference save that he moved a few inches to the left.
Evening drew close and we decided that we’d vegetated enough and must really go closer to the water. After all, what’s a beach holiday without a trip to the beach? We got closer to the Casurina grove and were horrified. The place was littered and filthy beyond belief. There was a whole range of goodies from soggy paper and plastic, to old food and leather shoes, bones, bottles, poo and what have you. Overwhelmed though we were with this treat, we gingerly walked around it and stepped onto the beach, glaring at rude young town Romeos who were trying to stone 2 dogs….and promptly regretted it. The beach was even dirtier than the grove. You cannot walk on this beach, much less even allow the water to splash at your ankles. It’s such a huge pity. Naturally, we hurried back.
Soon it was time for dinner and I decided that I must bathe and dress. The lights went out and came back on……….. only this time it sounded and smelt like there was a large smoke belching animal around the corner…….till I realized that the ‘inverter’ was a loud and incredibly polluting generator. Anyhow, we also discovered that the geyser was non-functional and the best we had to make do with was ice cold water, fresh outta the tap! How’s that for hotel facilities?
I grit my teeth, threw some water in a generally upward direction, hoping it wouldn't land on me and pretended I'd had a bath and was ready for yet another meal! However through dinner my friend kept watching me oddly and asking if I was feeling blue. I wasn’t really........till I looked in the mirror in the restaurant. I WAS blue!!!! The damn towel had bled color onto my skin and more prominently on my face! I was aghast, though I did finish my dinner with dignity. And then rushed back to clean up. Phew! Sleep was fitful thanks to mr. generator in use through the night and the dampness that was all-pervasive in the room.
Morning was lovely. I woke up to a dark leaden sky and lashing rain. It was highly enjoyable being on the porch and getting the fine mist on our faces while sipping tea and eating some biscuits. We pretty much stayed there till it was time to leave.

Best Experience: The saving grace for the hotel is its location.
Worst Experience: The worst thing about the place is that there’s no civic sense that even the hotel guys have. There’s no sense of ownership. The indifference is killing the natural beauty of the place. It seems they’re ok that the hotel property is alright if it’s kept swept, but they give a damn about what’s outside their gate.
And they also seriously ought to reconsider their tariff since nothing except the bolt on the door works.


5.00
Mags, Mumbai | 13^th May 2008
Hotel Review of Golden Swan Resort
The Resort is extremely nice and well maintained. The resort opens to the sea and has beautiful breeze all through out the day. It gives a very lazy & relaxed feeling and rooms (front facing) has a nice sit out. One would find most of the guests just chilling out in the sit out area... till late night. The sea is extremely calm with no strong currents and has a long beach into the sea i.e. it does not drop suddenly....

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4.67
Priyatosh, Mumbai | 06^th December 2007
Hotel Review of Golden Swan Resort
Good. A nice little getaway for weekend....

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5.22
sald, Mumbai | 07^th November 2006
Hotel Review of Golden Swan Resort
A great location is the highlight of this resort as it is located just about 100 metres from the sea. The resort is well maintained with really nice landscaping, the rooms are clean and functional (we stayed in an A/c. Deluxe Room). The staff is courteous but service is a little bit slow. However, while on holiday, time does not really matter much. Bookings are however a pain at their Mumbai office. When you call, yuo are given the...

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4.11
LALATENDU, NAVI MUMBAI | 23^rd March 2006
Hotel Review of Golden Swan Resort
The overall experience was good as the location , the sea and the place wre calming influence and a welcome break from the everyday monotony . But the sea food supplied was not upto the mark and were quite high priced....

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5.00
Deepak, Mumbai | 11^th March 2006
Hotel Review of Golden Swan Resort
The location of the resort is excellent. Although there are other beach resorts like Kashid but this one steals as far as location is concerned. Its right on the beach which is what one wants going for relaxation. Sea is nice and calm. Children can really enjoy the sea water without too much of worry. For activities one needs to carry all the stuff on his own. Food is of very good quality. There's plenty for both veggies and non-vegetarian....

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6.00
Rajesh, Mumbai | 22^nd February 2006
Hotel Review of Golden Swan Resort
It was a nice welcome break and the place was breathtaking. It has direct access to the beach and we enjoyed our drinks there. Only thing missing in this place is the swimming pool. Rest the rooms, the ambience, food was excellent. I would love to there again...

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3.33
Ashish, Mumbai | 09^th January 2006
Hotel Review of Golden Swan Resort
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4.56
Ashraf, Mumbai | 07^th January 2006
Hotel Review of Golden Swan Resort
It had been great refresher of a travel. Virgin Beach, nice weather, good hospitality shown....

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4.89
Dhritiman, Mumbai | 28^th November 2005
Hotel Review of Golden Swan Resort
Overall, a sort of ambience which one looks for relaxation. The beach beside the resort adds to the ratings. There's an air of serenity within the place. the cottages are well done and the balconies in front of them provides quite a picturesque view. ideal for sitting down and having a few gulps. However the card rates are a bit on the higher side, especially considering murud as a place. I guess the premium is entirely for the beachside location....

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