DESTINATIONS GOA ASIA
restaurant Banyan Tree, and is sold by operators such as Abercrombie & Kent and Kuoni. Neighbouring hillside resort Vivanta by Taj Fort Aguada is renowned for its food and drink, with the likes of seafood grills at Morisco and creative cocktails at the SFX bar. Boutique is big too. Cox & Kings’ India product manager, Sue Livsey, says: “We’re seeing increased interest in small properties, which are often in former Portuguese colonial houses or heritage buildings. They offer the atmosphere of a private home with period decor, but with hotel facilities such as a pool and Wi-Fi.” Among Cox & Kings’ options are
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Ann Ashley, Thomas Cook regional product manager, the Middle East, Far East, Africa and Indian Ocean: “Goa is still a great destination for eating out, where visitors aren’t restricted to an all-inclusive hotel. The shopping is fantastic, prescription glasses are especially cheap, and there are some great tailors who will tailor- make a suit, dress or whatever you fancy for a fraction of the cost in the UK. Visitors should also ensure they make time to watch the sun go down; I think Goa has some of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen.”
the seven-suite Siolim House with a private pool, 10-room Casa Britona in a 300-year-old former customs house on the Mandawi River, and Ahilya by the Sea by Coco Beach, which has eight rooms and suites inspired by Goan art, culture and cuisine. An infinity pool and paddy field setting have made Alila Diwa Goa a favourite with operators such as Audley Travel, Thomson and Thomas Cook. Its new Detox Detour programme includes hypnotherapy, yoga and cooking classes at award- winning restaurant Spice Studio.
Boutique properties are often in ex-Portuguese colonial houses or heritage buildings
Behind Bogmalo Beach is the boutique resort Coconut Creek, its luxury two- storey villas set around a lagoon pool popular with clients of TransIndus and Insider Journeys. For golfers, suggest five-star all-inclusive Lalit Golf & Spa Resort on Raj Baga beach. Goa also has an excellent standard of mid-budget accommodation. Olympic Holidays offers several two and three-star spots in the resorts of Calangute, Candolim and Baga. With Insider Journeys, agents can book three-star hotels Sonesta Inn on Candolim Beach and heritage property Cidade de Goa on Vainguinim beach, while Colonia Santa Maria, a Hayes & Jarvis favourite on Baga Beach, features Goan art and a secluded garden setting. Goa continues to be popular for
Thomson. It has added Grand Mercure New this season
The Goa Experience is a new specialist brand which begins its first season on November 3. Introduced by Serenity Holidays, which also runs The Gambia Experience and several other specialist brands to Senegal, Cape Verde, Corsica and Sardinia, the new programme features 20 hotels, ranging from two-and-a-half to five-star, spread across Goa and including a handful of boutique properties exclusive to the brand. The brochure also features a comprehensive guide to Goa, with ideas for what to see and do, including excursions, multi-centre holidays and short tours of India.
goaexperience.co.uk
Goa Shrem Resort, which it gives a Platinum 4T+ rating, for winter 2015, along with the 3T-rated Ocean Palms, in its new Small and Friendly collection. Clients embarking on the operator’s new five-night Kerala Backwater Tour, which starts in Goa, can stay on at the Taj Exotica or Heritage Village Club.
LEFT: Palolem beach
BELOW: Park Hyatt Goa Resort & Spa BOTTOM: Heritage Village Club
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travelweekly.co.uk 8 October 2015
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