Cidade de Goa, the hotel we stayed at Goa, is located at Vainguinim Beach, Dona Paula. Dona Paula, known for its water sports and bargain shops, forms the central part of south Goa. One can see a string of 5-Star and 5-Star Deluxe hotels along the South coast of Goa.
The holiday mood set in as we stepped in the hotel at 7:00 a.m. As can be expected in Goa, all the hotel staff were clad in a floral dresses. We were greeted with sea shell garlands, which my blue teddy - Pilu, now proudly wears:).
Beaches and Ambience
Cidade de Goa, rated 5-star is beautiful, covered on all sides by a Fort-like wall natural structure. The ambience is nice if you are a foreigner or a honeymooner as they form the majority of the hotel's guests. At one point, I got so tired of seeing the white and red bangles and hands full of mehendi on every other India woman. Hospitality is not at its best at Cidade de Goa. The decor is nice. The hotel tries hard to sport a Portuguese look. Except the "Caval Heiros and Senhoras" outside the restroom, there was nothing Portuguese about it. The rooms are not designed with taste and not spacious enough like the Taj. You get only the beach for free :), every other facility including half an hour of a Shuttle game is charged. On that account, I wouldn't recommend this hotel at all, for the price you pay!
All roads in Goa lead to water. The hotel has a private beach which is protected by cliffs on both ends, a natural barrier for trespassers. The beach as such is quite small compared to the other South Goa hotels. Nevertheless, it is clean and very well maintained. The moment that we enjoyed the most was after sunset when all the sunbathers had retired to their rooms. The feeling of lying on the beach under the huts, listening to the waves lashing against the rocks, palm trees swaying to the wind, with music playing at a distance in the background, is beyond description. 
I've heard the Baga and Palolem beaches are very good but we couldn't make it there. When you have a private beach that is just a few meters away from your room, you just don't feel like getting away from it. Close to this one, is the Miramar beach. This is a public beach and its fun to go there in the evenings as the sunset is very beautiful, owing to the vast expanse of the sea that one can see from here. There is also a lot of free entertainment in the offing on this beach, as you see couples posing for pictures like a Bollywood dance sequence and some were quite funny.
Wining and Dining
Before we left on this holiday, friends advised us to try the Pomfret Fry and Feni at the Beach shacks. But we never got a chance to step out of the Hotel's Restaurants. The food was absolutely delicious at the Hotel's Restaurants - Laranja & LaGoa Azul that we looked forward to it.
I still can recollect the mouthwatering desserts - Mousse (Strawberry, Lecheee, Chocolate, Mint, Mango), Channa Rabdi, Kalakand, Shahi Tukda, Black Forest to name a few and a range of icecreams.
Vivek enjoyed the Palm and the Cashew Feni at the Taverna Bar as some of his/my favorite numbers "Country Roads take me home", "Wonderful tonight", "Something stupid like i Love you" played ...
Sights and Sounds
It is an amazing experience waking up in the morning to see the train passing through Goa's varied terrain and meandering rivers. I was in for a pleasant surprise when the train pulled out of the Madgaon Station ....there lie the Arabian Sea. I don't know how to describe it...all this while you were seeing nothing but greenery and bang! there is a huge body of blue water bordered by palm trees on one end, long clean beaches as far as the eye can see. It was a treat to the eyes and so very refreshing. You gotta travel by train to see this magnificent view and the Konkan.
As far as the sightseeing goes, we were taken on a half day trip to Old Goa and Mangeeshi Temple. The old styled Portuguese homes in Panjim is worth seeing. The place that I liked the best was were two of Goa's rivers - Zuari and Mandovi meet the Arabian Sea. The Cathedral and the Basilica where St. Francis Xavier's body has been kept since the 17th century, drew a lot of crowd. These are the places of historic significance.
The good time was not meant to be forever. Well, what can I say. It was good while it lasted. After 3 days of total indulgence, we returned with our minds full of wonderful sights, a 256 MB card full of our Kodak moments and a bag full of pebbles.
Categories: travel,, goa
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