Tag: Old Goa

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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

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Book our romantic Honeymoon Package now!

Mitaroy Hotel in Goa

Musings of a Journalist

A 4 Suite Hotel only for Couples, the Mitaroy Goa Hotel is located in the UNESCO Heritage Zone of Fontainhas. Fontainhas is quietly tucked away from all the hustle and bustle of Panjim, yet is only a few minutes walk to the Panjim Jetty. Known as Asia’s only Latin Quarter, Fontainhas is quaint, quiet and pollution-free – an idyllic bastion of the old Portuguese times.

The property itself is an over 200-year-old Portuguese Bungalow, carefully restored by one of India’s most respected architects who has created a happy blend of the old and the new – an inviting water-body at the entrance, terra-cotta floor-tiles, typical white walls, exposed laterite stone walls, wooden staircase, large French windows, old doors, a relaxing red-oxide balcao to while away the time of the day.

The Suites are spacious near 1000 sq feet with a lounge, bedroom, bath and balcony or garden area. Antique furniture, airconditioning, modern toilets, hand made toiletries, crisp bed-linen and caring service blend seamlessly to offer the discerning guest a memorable stay.

Couples staying at the Mitaroy Goa Hotel experience life in the slow lane – cats stretched out lazily on window-sills, fisher-women doing her rounds, replete in her marathi-style sari, bakers with their hot Goan “pav” breads tooting along on their cycle. Fontainhas is seemingly an idyllic “vaddo” (village) but just a stone’s throw from city-centre. A walk through the narrow lanes and quaint bye-lanes of Fontainhas makes for quite an unforgettable romantic experience.

In congruence with the leisurely lifestyle of the Goans, breakfast is served at a time of your choice (none of the hustle and bustle of a typical hotel buffet). Bacon, salami, boiled-eggs, fresh fruit & fruit-juice, Goan pav bread, aloo bhaji, butter, natural fruit jam, marmalade, cheese and freshly brewed coffe or tea.

Lunch and dinner are not served at the Mitaroy Goa Hotel. Instead, guests are encouraged to wander and visit the typical local Goan restaurants and sample the local fare – typical Goan cuisine at Linda’s, fusion cuisine at Venite (Latin for “Oh Come” ) or a typical Portuguese food at the Horseshoe restaurant – that is in abundance in and around Fontainhas. For entertainment, the local hotspot “Down The Road” or the casinos with their jettys just a 5 minute walk away beckon the daring. A boat cruise at sundown on the Mandovi River, a romantic movie at the Inox multiplex cinema or window shopping at the swank, new Caculo Mall nearby are pleasant ways to while away your time.

Jack, your natty caretaker & guide will be happy to assist with any longer journeys you may wish to make to the beach, Old Goa, Mangueshi Temple or the famous bird sanctuary in Diwar. He might even take you for a walkabout in the Fontainhas area, known for its heritage walk circuit.

Innumerable options to keep you busy on the 4 Day 3 Night Romantic Package with late check out option if you so wish comes with a price tag of Euros 100 per night.

For more information and pictures, check out their website at http://www.mitaroygoahotel.com or mail them at mitaroygroup@gmail.com (call 0-9448087708). For those living in Europe, Mihir Nayak, the young Austria-based owner is available at mihhirnayak@gmail.com (call 0043-6802303682).

Goa Sightseeing

Museum of Christian Art, Old Goa

Tucked away in a quiet road near the majestic Basilica of Bom Jesus is Asia’s first and only Museum of Christian Art.

Inaugurated in 1994 by the then President of India, Shri Shankar Dayal Sharma, the museum, which has enriched the cultural heritage and history of Goa was originally set up at the Seminary of Rachol in Salcette, Goa.

However, for the convenience of the general public and tourist visitors to Goa and with the support of the Archdiocese of Goa, the Museum of Christian Art was relocated to within the precinct of the Convent of Santa Monica, Old Goa, in the vicinity of the World Heritage Monuments. Most tourists only visit the World Heritage Monuments, leaving the few tourists that trickle in to the Museum of Christian Art enough space and time to look around.

I join a few tourists who have managed to make it past the World Heritage Monuments and are walking slowly, almost solemnly, toward the Museum of Christian Art. Before we get there however, we pass by the Convent of Santa Monica.

Th Convent of Santa Monica, built in the year 1627, has considerable architectural and historical significance. The Convent was at one time extremely important on account of royal patronage and was known as the Royal Monastery. I dislodge myself from the group and take a look inside. Past a few scaffoldings, I enter a large Church which is in the process of being restored. As I look around, I come upon an old cross hanging in the centre of the Church. I read a faded inscription next to the cross stating that sometime in the 17th century (I forget the date), this cross actually wept blood. Millions of pilgrims came from all across Goa and South India to witness this miracle. Now the cross hangs forlorn and forgotten in an old Church. 

The Museum of Christian Art in Old Goa itself forms the other half of the Church. Thanks to an entrance fee and efforts by the Archdiocese of Goa and the Goa Government, the Museum of Christian Art is much better preserved than the old Church.

The Museum of Christian Art houses a number of beautiful old paintings, sculptures and statues dating back to the early reign of the Portuguese in Goa. However, the Museum of Christian Art is unique in the fact that it houses a selection of objects on display that are the Hindu contribution to Christian Art in Goa and India.

Before visiting the museum, I wasn’t aware that many Hindu artists and artisans were involved in the building and creating of Christian artifacts during the Portuguese colonial rule.

At the time, images and paintings could not be dispatched from Portugal fast enough to meet the rising demand in an increasingly developed Goa. Hence, the Portuguese authorities were forced to use local Hindu artists and artisans to complete this religious work. The permanent requirements of producing images of the myriad of Hindu deities coupled with the existence of hundreds of Hindu temples and shrines in Goa was the shining proof of a well established and highly respected Goan School of Art.

Later, Hindu artists even sold images of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and many Christian saints door to door, thus depicting their ability to move from traditional Hindu backgrounds to sophisticated forms of European art steeped in venerable Christian traditions.

The Museum of Christian Art in Goa is thus a unique testimony of the close bonds of interdependence, religious understanding and mutual acceptability between Sacred Christian Art and its traditional Hindu artisans in Goa !

While there is a fair amount of silverware such as crosses, chalices and mass plates, my favourites among the items on display are the richly embroidered priestly gowns and a portable Mass kit for priests who had to travel to distant villages to say mass.

Stay Romantic!

Mihir