For me, the place where I stay on holidays is as important as the holiday itself.... A non descript hotel ain't really my cup of tea, would rather prefer a home stay minus the hotel comforts but leaving you with an authentic taste of the place!
With this in mind we zeroed on Hotel Bougainvillea/Granpas' Inn which was listed by Lonely Planet as one of the Best Heritage hotels in Goa! N the extract from the website says "Hotel Bougainvillea also known as Granpas' Inn, was renovated from a 200 years old Portuguese-styled Goan House, which has a pleasant blend of old world charm with modern comforts and spacious gardens".
Right bang on?? Now Now here is the catch..... Take it with a pinch of salt when a foreign publication suggests a hotel as the best heritage hotel.......what defines 'heritage' for them aint really 'heritage' for you! My fool-proof guide till date is “Outlook Traveller” .......But couldnt get hold of a copy of “Outlook Traveller Goa” !!
Ok now what am I complaining about? The word 'heritage' \'home stay' conjures up in my mind a place with minimal modern amenities but with friendly staff ,knick knack of yesteryears and of course some good authentic food to make it up! So what did I get here? A luxury hotel complete with outdoor shower (yeah yeah yeah! More on it later), beautiful swimming pool, professional staff(Note the difference 'friendly'\ 'professional') filled with 'elite' foreigners (U c in Goa the foreign tourists fall into 3 categories - one the usual everyday tourists like U n me, other the hippies n the third who are similar to first category but have resources to explore the inner nuances of a place ~~ Like the instance here where they stay put for a month just to learn Yoga!! ) and its the third category tht populates Bougainvillea....Translating to a very peaceful n serene surroundings which isnt what I was really looking for(??). But my biggest grouse…. Zero interaction with the house owners…May be a small interaction with the owners n a peek into the portugese life style would have added to a ‘Home-Stay’ experience making it v authentic.
Now after the uncalled for defaming of the place lemme get into the things I loved the best here. N I shout from top-of-the-roof that it is without a doubt the OUTDOOR SHOWER...... One reason why you may see me crawling back to the place :). Wondering how a Outdoor shower looks like ..... It translates to a backyard covered with high raise wall but open to sky! Well this open-to-air bath setting has been my long time fantasy.....N the experience was better than wht I had fantasized. But but given our Indian sensitivities am not sure if its an ideal family vacation place?? U C its just not the outdoor shower...The bath tub as well is covered by almost-transperent glass walls :)
N the other next best thing? The swimming pool complete with deck bed.......A swimming pool all to yourself, where your try your hands at swimming even as food n booze is awaiting you at the pool side...Imagine nibbling the finger food, taking a sip of beer even as you are soaking the pool. Heaven hey!! N of course with no audience other than the hubbs I lived my other fantasy of a dance recital in pool with no inhibitions whatsoever :)
So the next time you waana have a peaceful vacation in Goa away from all the maddening crowd n a small dollop of luxury to soak in you know were to head to!
With this in mind we zeroed on Hotel Bougainvillea/Granpas' Inn which was listed by Lonely Planet as one of the Best Heritage hotels in Goa! N the extract from the website says "Hotel Bougainvillea also known as Granpas' Inn, was renovated from a 200 years old Portuguese-styled Goan House, which has a pleasant blend of old world charm with modern comforts and spacious gardens".
Right bang on?? Now Now here is the catch..... Take it with a pinch of salt when a foreign publication suggests a hotel as the best heritage hotel.......what defines 'heritage' for them aint really 'heritage' for you! My fool-proof guide till date is “Outlook Traveller” .......But couldnt get hold of a copy of “Outlook Traveller Goa” !!
Ok now what am I complaining about? The word 'heritage' \'home stay' conjures up in my mind a place with minimal modern amenities but with friendly staff ,knick knack of yesteryears and of course some good authentic food to make it up! So what did I get here? A luxury hotel complete with outdoor shower (yeah yeah yeah! More on it later), beautiful swimming pool, professional staff(Note the difference 'friendly'\ 'professional') filled with 'elite' foreigners (U c in Goa the foreign tourists fall into 3 categories - one the usual everyday tourists like U n me, other the hippies n the third who are similar to first category but have resources to explore the inner nuances of a place ~~ Like the instance here where they stay put for a month just to learn Yoga!! ) and its the third category tht populates Bougainvillea....Translating to a very peaceful n serene surroundings which isnt what I was really looking for(??). But my biggest grouse…. Zero interaction with the house owners…May be a small interaction with the owners n a peek into the portugese life style would have added to a ‘Home-Stay’ experience making it v authentic.
Now after the uncalled for defaming of the place lemme get into the things I loved the best here. N I shout from top-of-the-roof that it is without a doubt the OUTDOOR SHOWER...... One reason why you may see me crawling back to the place :). Wondering how a Outdoor shower looks like ..... It translates to a backyard covered with high raise wall but open to sky! Well this open-to-air bath setting has been my long time fantasy.....N the experience was better than wht I had fantasized. But but given our Indian sensitivities am not sure if its an ideal family vacation place?? U C its just not the outdoor shower...The bath tub as well is covered by almost-transperent glass walls :)
N the other next best thing? The swimming pool complete with deck bed.......A swimming pool all to yourself, where your try your hands at swimming even as food n booze is awaiting you at the pool side...Imagine nibbling the finger food, taking a sip of beer even as you are soaking the pool. Heaven hey!! N of course with no audience other than the hubbs I lived my other fantasy of a dance recital in pool with no inhibitions whatsoever :)
So the next time you waana have a peaceful vacation in Goa away from all the maddening crowd n a small dollop of luxury to soak in you know were to head to!
Wow! Lovely review with the pros and the cons :)
ReplyDeleteWow girl! U hv hd some of the best romantic moments of ur life there eh ;)