Goa - Fun in the Sun

We went to Goa in January when the season was in full swing. It was quite sunny  though the heat was manageable. We stayed in Holiday Inn in south Goa. Its was towards the end of south Goa so the beach near the hotel was mainly used by the guests of the hotel. Also the cleanliness of beach within the hotel limits was maintained by Holiday Inn and it was almost pristine. We had booked a 3N- 4D's package with Holiday Inn which included a sightseeing tour as well. We took the Vasco Express from Bangalore and reached much before the check in Time of 12 PM. However, we had asked for an early check in through our travel agent and the hotel had arranged for our pick up and gave us a temporary room to freshen up, until our rooms got ready. 

Basilica Church

Holiday Inn Goa

Relics of St. Francis Xavier

Cruise on Mondovi River

We decided to get on with sightseeing the same afternoon and we were taken to the main tourist attractions like Shri Mangesh Devasthana, the Basilica church which still has the relic's of St. Francis Xavier a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary, etc. There was a cruise on Mondovi River to round off the evening. There were some dance programs on the Cruise boat for entertainment. We proceeded to our hotel after this and were pretty much exhausted.

Next two days we split the time between the beach and the pool. We got a floater for our kid so she could also join us in the pool and we had a whale of a time. The sunsets were so amazing and just captivates all our attention.

Sun Set from Holiday Inn Beach

The rooms in Holiday Inn are well appointed and if you aim is to relax, then you need to look no further as they have all the amenities and its also a well  maintained property. The food was also sumptuous and they had buffets for all the meals but they handled some special request for some food items like dosa or phulkas for our kids at no extra cost. The staff were also attentive and helpful. They had arranged for a candle light dinner on one of the nights.

Parasailing

Colva Beach

We checked out after break fast on day 4 and booked a taxi for checking out some of the other beaches like Benaulim Beach and Colva Beach.We wanted to try out some adventure sports activity. We tried our hand at Parasailing and the adrenalin rush that comes after that has to be experienced to be believed. We appreciated the quite and clean beaches near Holiday Inn all the more after going to the crowded and not so clean beach at Colva. However, the spirit and energy of  Goa steals a special place in your heart and makes us long for a return trip.