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Invitation to my XING network

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I’d like to add you as a contact on XING, an online business community that allows you to build up networks. I’d really appreciate it if you joined my network as it’s a great way for us to stay in touch with one another.

Sincerely,
Mihir Nayak
Mihir Nayak Hotelier
The Mitaroy, Goa – A Heritage Homestay!
(Hotel Owner)
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View from my Balcao – Liberty Port

View from my Balcao …my Dad blogs from Goa

Visitors, and they will descend in hordes come October, to this island in the sun, make the rulers of this tiny state genuinely believe that commerce & vice go hand-in-hand. Maybe true of the rampant mining over the past decade and more. Not entirely true of tourism.

Goa is certainly not a twilight zone of drugs, booze & sleaze, as is currently being made out – Bombay & Delhi score higher, for sure. Its just a fun-place where richie-rich kids from Bombay & Delhi (and lesser cities) come to have a spot of merriment. Beer, nay any booze, is ridiculously cheaper than other cities, so why not indulge in an extra tipple when on holiday. And why traveel all the way to Pattaya when Goa is round the corner.

The social-service wing of the ruling government has grabbed headlines for their enthuisiastic attempts to curb night-life. This middle-class anxiety about hedonism could change the perception of Goa forever, making it a dull and boring beach-state as against the carefully nurtured halo of being a free-and-easy one. Their puritanism appears naive at best. Bombay & Delhi too have rocking night-life, so why single out Goa ?

Goa serves a singular purpose of allowing young (and old too !) folk, engaged in stressful lives of today’s money-changing world, to chill-out and get a taste of Goa’s famed laid-back (sosegaad) lifestyle.

Goa’s night-time avatar is unknown to many – hot-spots at Baga/Anjuna/Calangute or any of the casinos moored in the inland-waters, that start rocking by 9pm and shut shop around 6am, and why not. Partying is the sole purpose of holiday-makers to Goa. Goa is not just the gateway to India but also a rocking paradise for the foreign, and increasing now, the Indian tourist.

Lest their prudism turn Goa into the least sexy beach-town in Asia and allow a more strident Pattaya to turn the tables & turnstiles, it must beg the question as to what is good, bad or ugly.

Across the icy gulf of time from the swinging 60s to today, Goa has been India’s best-known secrets among all foreigners.

The ruling Government’s collective anxiety about keeping a clean image of Goa’s beaches must perforce go hand-in-hand with the image of a state that has had 11 CMs in the past 12 years, excluding the previous Congressman, and one that allows the mining-casino lobby as much freedom as the beach-bums of yore.

Putting a check on both is certainly advisable, given the burgeoning mining & casinos scams, & increasing number of rape cases, but lets not overload it to cause it to tipple the other way and take away the charm of Goa’s liberty to all its visitors. The present CM, who has a blue-blooded engineering degree to his name, will have to find the correct balance, a middle-path as the wise Buddha said of life.

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View from my Balcao: Goa in the rains !

My dad blogs from his Balcao in Goa…

 

Gimme shelter is the cover of one of the Rolling Stones popular albums.

And as the cloud cover in the sky bursts forth in a torrent of whiplash South West monsoons in the tiny state of Goa, nature’s power to upstage man’s arrogance is manifested in the sheets of rain that come down unforgivingly on your red-tiled-roof, beginning June and going on unabated till mid-September. you will ask for just that – shelter from the storm !.

Goa-in-the-rains is downtime for tourism and a celebration of calm & tranquility, a throw-back to the good times when tourism was not on fast-forward, but that was long ago & far away in time.

May-days are eagerly count-downed. Thankfully, last year, Mr Monsoon came a-calling on the dot on June 1st, putting an end to the agonising wait of sweltering heat that gets menancing by the day with a precious let-up in the evenings as the cool sea-breezes allow some respite.

As you meander along the relatively emptier highways, streets & bye-roads you can rediscover the serenity of the Goan countryside with its graceful cloak of green saplings, green-washed foliage and rain-washed countryscapes. White-washed Churches appear whiter, red-tiled-roofs seem just that redder, even the black asphalt of the road shines bright. Fishing is on enforced downtime (seafood is hard-to-get) as the storm-clouds gather on-the-run as if waiting to empty themselves into the churning grey expanse of ocean afar. Watch, ( from afar – the cosy confines of a stray-shack thats still doing the rounds ) in awe the breakers crashing to the shores, as nature, intruding its erstwhile frolicsome avtaar, comes down heavily, literally & figuratively, on man-made support-systems that suddenly seem so frail and vulnerable, against its mighty onslaught.Take a sunset strolle down the Panjim Causeway, with it array of raintrees along the boulevard – pretty sight.

Goa becomes its old self – quieter, less infested with loud tourists, table-space is easily available at the local shack or downtown restaurant, no road-rage and lots of spac to manouver your two-wheeler as you merrily ride the storm in your 2-piece rain-gear, or just stay indoors, pour a fiery feni ( fried breadfruit or ganbi-roasted shrimps) and watch the rain descend for hours at a stretch.

Enjoy Goa in the rains !

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Goa Honeymoon Packages

Marriages are made in Heaven…and consummated in Goa! Or so the saying goes…

Goa has always been one of the most beautiful honeymoon destinations in the whole of India, being blessed with miles scenic beaches with swaying coconut palms, old colonial Heritage Portuguese buildings, delicious and a easy going, laid back populace.

A short flight away from most major cities in India including Mumbai, New Delhi/Gurgaon, Kolkata, Hyderabad or Bangalore, Goa is a popular destination for honeymoon couples looking for a memorable romantic honeymoon experience.

After checking in to their Honeymoon Suite, the first thing that honeymoon couples usually do is head to the beach. There is nothing more romantic than walking hand-in-hand across miles and miles of scenic beach. And Goa does have a wide variety of beaches to offer. From the busy beaches in the north to the untouched beaches in the south, honeymoon couples are spoilt for choice. While the waves crash in the background, the honeymoon couple seems completely oblivious to the beauty outside, so taken in are they by the beauty of their partner walking hand-in-hand beside them. And after a while of walking on the beach, the honeymoon couple sit down, close to each other, and admire the expanse of seemingly endless blue ocean.

However, Goa is not just about the beaches. 400 years of Portuguese rule has left an indelible mark on the architecture of Goa and nowhere is this more evident than in the capital city of Panjim or Panaji. After building up a glorious capital city in Old Goa, the Portuguese were forced to flee to Panaji or Panjim to escape the water contamination in Old Goa. The upper class Portuguese set up residence in and around the Neighbourhood of Fontainhas and then set about building up Panjim as a worthy successor to Old Goa. While certain buildings and statues had pure prestige value, other buildings like the high court and the administrative offices also served a bureaucratic purpose. Today, honeymoon couples can marvel at the Portuguese architectural heritage as they walk past magnificent buildings built in the Portuguese era such as the first Medicine University or the old City Library. Many honeymoon couples also like to walk hand-in-hand along the Mandovi pier as they watch the twinkling lights of the luxury yachts and casino ships moored in the river.

Quietly tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Panjim or Panaji, the capital city of Goa, is the neighbourhood of Fontainhas, home to my Mitaroy Goa Hotel – India’s only Couples Hotel!. The neighbourhood of Fontainhas (which means “little fountain” in Portuguese) is home to the last surviving Portuguese families of Goa. In 1984, Fontainhas was declared a UNESCO Heritage Zone & most of the buildings and churches here date back to the mid 19th century.Fontainhas has a number ofdesigner boutiques where you can shop for Portuguese crockery, glassware, art and clothing. With its narrow winding streets, quaint bye lanes, old heritage houses and distinct Portuguese flair, Fontainhas evokes a nostalgia and longing for the romance of an era gone by.

As the sun sets on Goa, it is time for honemoon couples to get dressed and step out for a cocktail under the starlit sky followed by a romantic dinner at one of the many restaurants in Goa. While Candolim and Calangute and Anjuna have a few decent restaurants, both honeymoon couples and locals agree that Panjim has the best restaurants that Goa has to offer. From Punjabi cuisine to local Goan delicacies, Panjim offers it all. Fontainhas has a wide range of local restaurants and bars where honeymoon couples can sample traditional delicacies in a quiet, romantic setting.

And after a quiet romantic dinner and a glass of local Goan wine, it is time for honeymoon couples to return to their Honeymoon Suite and make love till the wee hours of the morning…

Stay Romantic!

Mihir

Would you like to spend your Honeymoon in Goa?

Book our romantic Honeymoon Package now!