Hello everyone! I'm back again with another travelogue, and this time a place which let me cherish a lot of childhood memories and helped me create some unforgettable memories to cherish for life. "Goa" is the name which comes with many images in our head: the beach parties, paradise-like beaches, oh yes the famous phrase of our college days "chal Goa chalen". Though Goa has many more shades apart from them, which I experienced this time and there are a lot more to experience in the coming days.
I like to plan my trips early and this time was no exception. I booked with Vistara and ITC Grand Goa about 4 months back. Though Goa has a direct flight from Kolkata with other carriers, I wanted to utilise the points to minimise the cash burn, thus booked with Vistara. Let's see how many points it took for us:
Vistara Economy 4 pax CCU-DEL-GOI Round Trip: 88,000 CV Points
ITC Grand Goa: 2,20,626 Green Points for 4 days, two rooms
Total Points: 3,08,626 (About 3,85,782 Axis Edge RP)
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I wanted this trip to be a staycation only and planned accordingly. For convenience, I pre-booked a cab from a contact so that no issues should happen. It took about 40 minutes to get to the hotel. We were welcomed by a beautiful Goan song played by two talented musicians and a delicious Goan beverage. Oh yes, not to forget the beautiful garland of tiny seashells. The reception is outstanding, it's grand, filled with colours and there's a beautiful chandelier which is inspired by the Gulmohor flower, which can be seen in Goa.
When we visited the property, it was under renovation, and this renovation will continue till October 2023. We were booked with a Sea view Suite and an adjoining room but as those were under renovation, including the beautiful Presidential Suite, we were upgraded to their Jacuzzi Suite, which is the highest category of Suite along with the Lap Pool Suites. Got welcomed with beautiful welcome amenities.
Now let's talk about the room we got. It's a Jacuzzi Suite. When you're making a reservation with ITC from their app/website/central reservation, a few higher categories of rooms stay excluded from these reservation channels most of the time and Presidential Suite or Grand Presidential Suite are always the ones but there are other few as well. There are only two Lap pool Suites and two Jacuzzi Suites at the property, and now you know why they're not publicly available through those reservation channels. To book these rooms, you need to directly call the property to make a reservation. Oh yes, of course, you can pay with Green Points for them, as well. The rooms are expansive and one of the biggest I've ever stayed at. The outdoor space is almost as big as the indoor space if you consider the bedroom and living room. These rooms come with unique things like two open shower spaces, named Secret Garden, powder rooms, and a big outdoor space with a Jacuzzi. The housekeeping service is just really good. In our 4 days of stay, I asked twice to change the Jacuzzi's water, and they happily did. Some snaps of the amenities, the beautiful Suite and a short room tour:
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Here's another room tour of the Lap Pool Suite. This was newly renovated, and the only difference with Jacuzzi Suite is the Lap Pool in the place of the Jacuzzi, the rest are identical. So you can choose as per your preference. Thanks to Ms. Khushboo from the PR team to show me around the hotel and convey me how all the things are designed to give the best experience in ITC Grand Goa.
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ITC Grand Goa is one of the finest of ITC's The Luxury Collection properties and one of the finest resort properties in Goa. ITC took over from Hyatt in 2018 which used to be The Park Hyatt Goa and made a total aesthetic change to fit it into the ITC Brand. From the dark hues of Park Hyatt, ITC brought its colour palate and gave it the big bright colours which can be seen in the ITC Hotels. It has a total of 246 rooms and 21 Suites, built over 45 acres of area filled with lagoons, Palm trees and unique Pine trees in the midst of it. The architecture evokes an Indo-Portuguese village, rooted deep in the red soil of Goa. The whole property is divided into five courts, which are linked by cobbled pathways, reminiscent of the city’s traditional Latin Quarters. The resort itself is studded with traditional Goan design elements, like the palanquin near the courtyard, and welcoming balcaos, resembling typical Goan homes.
It has 6 distinguishing restaurants and bars named: Ottimo Cucina Italiana, Kebabs & Kurries, Tempero, The Royal Afghan Seaside Barbeque & Grill, Pavilion At The Village Square, Farol. From these restaurants, two are unique here. Tempero serves the Goan dishes and the Executive Chef over here is from Park Hyatt days, and she knows the best of Goan cuisine to make your experience memorable.
I'm an in-room dining person unless it's the complimentary breakfast, and we loved the Goan dishes served to us from here, and guess what, we loved the flavours so much, we didn't miss even one day without having a Goan dish. The in-room dining team is amazing. Once I was out of the room and my mother needed to order a meal, and the team was sweet enough to communicate in our native language with my mother and she was absolutely delighted to have this gesture. This absolutely shows the amount of attention that is given to each and every guest as per their taste. Ms. Chandrima was amazingly helpful in all the matters when it came to in-room dining and she helped a lot in choosing the perfect dishes for us.
The Royal Afghan is a seaside, open-air restaurant. Though I badly wanted to try but got to know it stays closed from the month of June till the month of September due to the weather condition, maybe next time.
The buffet breakfast gets served at Pavillion. The breakfast spread is expansive and it's pretty obvious that you will not fall short of choices. If the venue gets filled up you get accommodated at Kebabs & Kurries for the breakfast which is just the adjoining restaurant.
Though most of The Luxury Collection properties do have "luxury hours" where you get an unlimited pour of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks with the sides, being a resort property, it doesn't offer the same, but you can alternatively get your drinks at Farol, a two-storied bar.
ITC Grand Goa also does have Ollie’s Club, a club just for children, which is packed with interactive indoor and outdoor recreational activities. The club also has a toddlers section with plush toys. It's also a pet-friendly resort, so if you're planning to visit here with your loved pet, feel free to. Another unique perk of ITC Grand Goa is the pool, which is a two-storied pool with water slides and is boasted to be the resort property with the biggest pool area among all the hotels in Goa. If you're travelling with kids, the slides and pool are something you can see the little ones completely engaged with for hours. Oh yes, you can even order your favourite cocktail or mocktails from the poolside bar when your kids will be enjoying the pool and slides.
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As we went during the time of monsoon, the beach is closed for a swim, though you can freely walk there under the supervision of lifeguards, and they can also do sitting arrangements if you want so. I would highly recommend staying at the beach during sunset if it's not raining too much at this time of monsoon. The sunset looks absolutely magical at Arossim Beach. If you come during the summer time or winter, there will be lots of food corners at the beach and you can do a lot of water activities as well.
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If you're travelling for work purposes, there are 3 conference rooms. The conference rooms are decently sized with elevated floors and yes for those who want to go bonkers, these conference rooms have to hidden bars, which can be brought to life if you wish to. A picture of one of the conference rooms which was being prepared for a conference:
As our journey comes to an end, I want to share some more pictures which make this property absolutely Magical. During dusk, Goa shines, and it shines brighter with ITC Grand Goa. If you go for a walk you can see the whole green lawn is filled with lamps, which is bliss and of course the beautiful sky during sunset which is something you don't want to miss at any cost, it gives the peaceful vibe of the Goan village.
Captured by Points Dojo Member Suhail (SM27)
Like every other good thing in life, it had also come to an end. The memories which got created, the Goa we witnessed is something to be cherished for life. Whenever you have a great vacation, you feel like a part of yours is being left there and a part of that place is coming with you. The experience made me feel the same. I'm extremely grateful that I could have managed to have a vacation like this, the one which filled me with joy and unforgettable memories to be cherished for life. The amazing people at ITC Grand Goa made it possible for us. I just can't wait to get back here again.
So have you been to ITC Grand Goa yet or planning to? Let us know your experience and plans 😃
So have you been to ITC Grand Goa yet or planning to? Let us know your experience and plans 😃
