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Thanks,
Sunita,
for your discerning comments. You get a
FREE Shoppers Stop Gift Voucher worth Rs.
1000 |
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Sunita’s Ratings |
4.44 |
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The Destination |
5.00 |
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The Location |
4.00 |
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The Appearance |
4.00 |
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Bookings & front office |
6.00 |
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The Service |
3.00 |
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The Room |
5.00 |
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Food & Drink |
2.00 |
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Activities |
4.00 |
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There's no place like
Goa to head to when you want to calm your
stressed mind and body. As soon as you
land at Dabolim airport, the tropical
scenery and humidity relaxes you completely
and you will find yourself getting as
laidback as the locals as you wait patiently
in a queue for your cab driver to arrive.
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Casablanca
beach Resort |
 ..
Casablanca beach
Resort |
This
year, we headed out to Goa over the Diwali
break in November for some R&R.
Due to the
delay in making bookings, we couldn't
manage to get anything other than Hotel
Casablanca on Candolim beach.
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However, the promptness of the replies
to our email by the resort staff and the
overall efficiency with which we got our
bookings reassured us that things were
not as bad as some of the internet reviews
had portrayed.
As we drove into the resort, a little
before sundown, I was a little apprehensive
about the location as I couldn’t
get a view of the sea. Besides, at the
entrance of the Hotel was a small house,
which looked like a settlement where workers
lived. The reception area at the entrance
was all but a small portico. Thankfully,
the staff at the desk ensured that we
had a smooth check in. As we walked from
the reception towards our room, the property
looked charming with the bright blue restaurant
building adding a Portuguese feel to the
place. It was however not plush by any
counts, but I suppose one can't expect
more from a three star property in Goa.
After checking in, we walked out towards
the sea to explore and found that the
beach was just a five minute walk away.
In fact, the hotel is located right down
the road from the point where a ship called
the River princess has been lying abandoned
for the past seven years.In typical Goanese
laid back fashion, the authorities have
still not taken any action to remove it
from where it ran aground in the sandy
shores.
Candolim Beach |
The rooms in
our hotel were large and airy,
with a good-sized bath attached
and an adjoining living area
with TV and fridge, opening
out onto a balcony. Once again,
the room furnishings were
quite basic but on the brighter
side, the rooms were cleaned
everyday without having to
request it.
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(This was far better than some
other three star properties
in Calangute and Baga that I
had previously stayed at.)
Room
service was pathetic. An order
for a cup of tea in the evening
could take anything between
1-2 hours. Our advance request
for morning tea made the previous
night in attempt to make things
move faster didn't work. We
would still wake up in the morning
and have to call a couple of
times until finally giving up
and having tea at the breakfast
buffet at the restaurant every
morning.
The variety and quality of food
was also below average, but
this didn't really matter. When
in Goa, it's best to have most
your meals at a shack on the
beach and fortunately for us
there was a very good shack
called the Calamari located
about a ten minute walk away.
We spent most of our days hitting
this shack for a late breakfast
and then staying on till sunset,
with swimming and sunbathing
thrown in to pass our time in
between meals. We had some of
the freshest seafood here, cooked
to perfection. The watermelon
martinis were superlative and
the coconut pancakes - they
were to die for!
Casablanca
did not have much
to offer in terms
of activities besides
the swimming pool.
The pool, although
small, was extremely
clean. In fact, since
our rooms overlooked
the pool, when we
awoke every morning
and looked out of
the window,
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Candolim Beach
|
Candolim Beach |
the
sight of the pool
attendant cleaning
the pool would greet
us - a rather reassuring
sight since we were
travelling with
kids.
However, the Candolim
beach was a saving
grace as far as
activities were
concerned.
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It offers
one of the best spots for swimming
in the sea as the beach slopes
gradually offering shallow waters
until quite far out.
The abandoned River Princess
acts as a barrier by breaking
the waves, if you choose to
swim in front of it. Candolim
beach also offers excellent
water sports like parasailing
(Rs.1200 per person), jet skiing
(Rs.400 per person), banana
boat rides (Rs.300 per person)
and several others including
a boat trip along the shores
of the Fort Aguada.
Candolim is also not as crowded
as other beaches like Baga and
Calangute, so it is ideal for
those looking for some peace
and quiet. For those looking
for nightlife, a taxi to the
party hotspots in Baga is less
than half an hour away and costs
approximately Rs.400 return.
If you happen to be there on
Saturday, then a must-visit
is the night market at Arpora.
The shopping at the night market
is more expensive than the roadside
shops but the ambience is great.
There is live music and plenty
of food stalls where you can
grab a beer and snacks and settle
down to listen to some of the
bands play.
All in all,
this was a wonderful beach
holiday and I would recommend
it to anyone who wants to
see the quieter side of North
Goa.
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| Other
notable contributors during the month of Nov’07: |
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