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Break your fast the Mitaroy Way

We have all heard it said-breakfast like a king,lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper but in practice it is impossible to do so.We barely have time to gulp down that scalding cuppa-coffee/tea as we rush to catch our transport to school/college/work.Nowadays with Coffee Day, Starbucks and others opening outlets at entrances of metro and other stations it is not only more convenient but fashionable to have coffee on the go-sipping it while you hang on with one hand in the bus /train.

No matter how many times my parents told me to get up a little earlier and keep the extra 5 minutes to have a sandwich/dosa/paratha all I could and still can manage is the bowl of cornflakes which thankfully comes in so many varieties these days.I have seen students and medical interns who are so stressed out that they make do with a bar or two of cadbury’s (one even offered to share it with me as we walked along).Although my granddad never left the house without his bowl of oats/wheat /semolina porridge,now we see even mothers dropping the kids to school while carrying their coffee flasks and munching on chocobiks early morning to get them through the stressful morning.

Even though most hotels now offer 2 or 3 or 4 courses for breakfast,I always hated it when we went for our annual holiday to the Taj Village or any other hotel,that the breakfast closed by 10/10.30am.So no matter, that I was on holiday or that I had sat up late watching TV or reading, I had to jump up latest by 9.30am groggily change clothes and rush for breakfast. There I hurriedly drank up my juice ,served myself the cereal and ordered the Indian/continental dishes before the counter closed and then ate a cold breakfast,never appreciating all that was on offer so tastefully displayed.

When I started my Mitaroy Goa hotel, I always promised myself , I would see that breakfast would offer all the courses piping hot at whatever time the guest wanted from 7am to 7pm. This has been really appreciated by all my guests.

Even though we are a small exclusive 4 suite property,my manager Jack seesthat the breakfast is different everyday,even asking the guest his preferences the night before, as is done in big 5 star hotels.Personalized service being the mantra, my man Shekhar stands discreetly around after laying out the breakfast so one can have all the privacy and yet ask for something like another glass of juice or a hot cup of coffee or a special herbal tea if one so chooses.

Now I have a gone a step further.Since the Mitaroy Goa is mainly a couples only hotel catering often to couples on their honeymoon or first or second anniversaries, I have started making the holiday really memorable serving an exclusive CHAMPAGNE breakfast.

The table is tastefully decorated with fresh red roses and a bucket of perfectly chilled champagne is placed thereon.The couple can start with it or maybe after they are fully awake and relaxed after their morning juice. Sipping your champagne,munching on the breakfast while soft jazz or Goan music /folk songs plays in the background,relax with your choice of newspaper,listen to the hustle of the early morning school and office crowd in the distance.-since my Mitaroy Goa hotel while being in the heart of Panjim,is so discreetly and quietly tucked away that one can appreciate one’s surroundings.

I am determined that at my Mitaroy Goa hotel, the guests can really break their fasts with healthy, tasty food in a relaxed atmosphere and all the privacy one desires.I am sure that all those who stay here will continue to appreciate this special service which will leave good lasting memories and hopefully be followed once they are back home…

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BACKSTORY

About Us

My name is Mihir Ignatius Nayak and this is the story of how I started the Mitaroy Goa. 

From a very young age (I think I must have been 2 or 3 years old), my parents used to take me on a number of holidays across India. My father was one of India’s first travel journalists and he got to stay at many hotels as part of his work. My mother, who had a really stressful job as a Doctor, loved to travel.

My earliest recollections as a small boy, were packing our stuff, getting into our small car and driving away to some new, exciting place. And when my little sister was born, we used to bundle her into the car too, nappies and all!

When I started school, we used to go every summer for a week’s holiday to Goa. Delicious Goan food, miles of untouched beaches and the knowledge that school was a full 2 months away meant that I looked forward to the summer holidays the whole year round. For me, the summer holidays were undoubtedly the best time of my childhood.

It was then at the tender age of 10 that I had a dream. One day I would open my own hotel in Goa and it would be called “Mitaroy”.  

When I told my mother about my dream to open my own hotel someday, she must have smiled to herself, wondering how I could ever dream of owning my own hotel.

When I finished high school, my parents wanted me to study law like my grandfather. But I was determined to study hotel management and pursue my childhood dream. After looking at a number of hotel schools in the UK, Switzerland, Australia and Austria, I finally decided on the Salzburg Tourism School in Austria, where many famous hoteliers from across the globe had studied.

5 years later, I graduated with excellent grades, topping my class, even though all the subjects were in German! From making beds and polishing cutlery to checking in dignitaries and cooking with a Michelin chef, I worked my way from small bed & breakfasts to Grand Hotels. But I never forgot my boyhood dream of opening my own hotel some day.

When I returned to India, I was looking to start out on my own. My parents owned an old house in our ancestral neighbourhood of Fontainhas. They didn’t know what to do with it and it was lying in a dilapidated condition. I decided that I would take up the job of restoring the old house and convert it into a hotel.

And 15 years later, I actually did open my first hotel, thus making boyhood dream a reality.

In the future, I plan to open hotels in Salzburg, London, Berlin and Cape Town.

But whatever the future might hold for me, I have learnt that if you dare to dream and believe in yourself, all your dreams will come true…