It was my Honeymoon, and once I decided that the destination was going to be Goa, the hunt for a good resort began. I searched online, seeked help from friends who are regular visitors to Goa and finally zeroed down on Club Mahindra Goa.
The booking process was fairly simple as the Club Mahindra Helpline number was self sufficient. The executive on the helpline was willful to negotiate. I do not know if it was the fact that I booked almost 3 months before or maybe because it was the economic slowdown, but I got a decent deal. This is despite me not being an RCI member.
We stayed here for 5 days in February 2009.
*Things I really liked
*The ambience of this resort is extremely pleasant. I would say it is prettier than the pictures available online. Green plush lawns, pretty blue swimming pools and an aura of peace and tranquility.
The rooms are nice, comfortable and very beautiful. (We stayed in what they call the Studio Apartment). Ours was a pool facing room and it was amazing to just sit outside the house and enjoy a nice chat over tea.
A nice variety of cuisines. Nice little events planned throughout the day to entertain the guests.
*However I take the liberty to recommend a few things
(Pls remember I am a non-member)*
Do not hesitate to try food outside the resort. Stone’s throw from the resort, are a few hotels serving you some awesome food delicacies. The food at Club Mahindra, I thought was expensive. Ensure that you include breakfast in the package you take. There’s a huge variety to choose from and a good breakfast is a day well begun.
Maybe, it is better if you do NOT include all meals in your package. It restrains your travel plans and doesn’t let you experiment with outside delicacies. If you are staying here at Club Mahindra, do not plan a lot of sightseeing. One reason is this place itself is pretty self sufficient and the other is the place is pretty far from the popular places/ beaches in Goa.
Though there is a small general store within the premises of Club Mahindra, it doesn’t provide everything. So ensure you carry your scarves/ caps/ medicines/ sunglasses/ contraceptives etc. If you wish to explore Goa, an interesting thing to do is to rent a self driven car or bike from some localities. You needn’t be bothered to find them. They’d find you. Right outside the resort main gate. Club Mahindra also have chauffer driven cars renting facility available. They are really good, if you can afford an extra shilling.
In case you are not a member of Club Mahindra, there’d be one of their marketing guys who would like to schedule a small presentation with you. Please be aware that this “small” presentation is almost an hour long. There’s a beauty parlor within the resort premises. My wife visited this place and does not rate it too well. She says the ladies there were not too good at their tasks. Try the local alcoholic drink the Kaju Feni. It has this strong odour and taste, but worth the try. Overall a memorable and definitely recommended place for your family.