ASIA GOA DESTINATIONS
SAMPLE PRODUCT
Hayes & Jarvis offers a week at three-star Colonia Santa
Maria hotel on a B&B basis with three evening meals, transfers and Oman Air flights from
Gatwick, priced
from £899 based on a November23 departure. hayesand
jarvis.co.uk
Cox & Kings has a seven-night stay with breakfast at Ahilya by the Sea, including Jet Airways flights from London via Mumbai and transfers, from £1,595. coxandkings.
co.uk
Thomson offers seven nights’ B&B at the 4T+ Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort, including flights from London and transfers. Prices start at £825 for travel on December 2.
thomson.co.uk
Travel 2 provides seven nights with breakfast
at the Alila Diwa Goa in a terrace room, with
return flights from London and transfers, for £959 in November.
travel2.com
ends with three days in Goa, with
visits to local markets, a spice farm and chance to sample the local feni spirit, made from cashew apples or coconut palm sap. Yoga breaks attract many too, and it’s easy to book classes once there through hotels and yoga centres. Nature lovers will enjoy birdwatching trips along the mangrove-lined River Sal, nature walks with Goa Nature Trails or crab-fishing, either via hotels or companies such as John’s Boat Tours.
w SEE: SPICE FARMS, MARKETS AND CHURCHES GALORE Beach life, sunset cocktails and seafood suppers keep many happy, but those who want to explore won’t be disappointed. Suggest the 16th- century Portuguese fort, Fort Aguada; grand churches such as St Catherine’s Cathedral in the former capital of Portuguese-India and Unesco World Heritage Site of Old Goa; trips to Panjim or Margao town; or a peek inside restored colonial mansions such as Palacio do Deao by the Kushavati River in Quepem. Built in 1787 by a Portuguese nobleman and founder of the town, owners offer guided tours and an Indo-Portuguese lunch. Goa’s spice plantations are beautiful, and include places such as Sahakari Spice Farm, Tropical Spice Plantation and Savoi near Ponda, and Tanshikar’s Working Organic Spice Farm near Sanguem, where guided tours include lunch and a sip of feni. Other ideas include Dudhsagar Falls, one of India’s highest waterfalls, and the boat to Chorao Island, home to Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, which was named after a renowned Indian ornithologist.
Visitors can sample the local feni spirit, made from cashew apples or coconut palm sap
Agents can add many of these
experiences with Viator, which also offers a trip to Loutolim where the Ancestral Goa Centre, known locally as the Big Foot Museum, showcases local customs in a re-creation of a Goan village. Opposite is the restored colonial mansion Miranda House. Urban Adventures’ cultural tour of
Panjim takes in the old Latin quarter Fontainhas, markets and an art gallery. For shopping, there’s more than the Anjuna flea market. Suggest Mackie’s Night Bazaar and Saturday Night
Market in Arpora and Mapusa Market for textiles, jewellery and souvenirs.
w STAY: LUXURY, BOUTIQUE AND HERITAGE HOUSES Five-star resorts, family-run guesthouses and boutique hideaways: Goa has the lot. Among Carrier and Kuoni’s choices are Mediterranean- style Taj Exotica Goa, set in 56 acres of gardens by Benaulim Beach; the luxurious suites of The Leela, with 75 acres of tropical gardens by quiet Mobor Beach; and Park Hyatt Goa Resort & Spa on Arossim Beach, popular for its kids’ club, lagoon pool, spa and Portuguese-style pousadas. Signature from Thomas Cook has recently added Goa to its Exotic Escapes brochure, offering six five-star hotels bookable with its charter flights. Other options include the Taj
properties by Sinquerim Beach. Vivanta by Taj Holiday Village has an excellent spa and Goa’s first Thai
FAR LEFT: Taj Exotica Goa
LEFT:
A potter at work
BELOW: The Leela hotel, Goa
8 October 2015
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