I’ve lived in Goa almost my entire life (except for the few years when I studied and worked in Mumbai), and like most Goans, I stick to my own neighbourhood for the most part. So when Novotel Goa Dona Sylvia in Cavelossim offered to host me for a staycation, it was the perfect chance for a change of scenery. After all, when you live where people vacation, the best luxury resorts in Goa are just a drive away. And so are Goa’s best beaches!
GETTING THERE
Novotel Dona Sylvia in Cavelossim, South Goa is quite a drive from the North – it can take up to 2 hours with little traffic, and can stretch to almost 3 if you’re travelling during peak hours. From the airport, it is around 33 kms and from Margao Railway Station, it is around 19. Many of Goa’s most beautiful beaches are a short drive away, if you’d like to travel. If not, this beach property is pretty spectacular and you can dig your feet into the powder-soft sand right here!
NOVOTEL DONA SYLVIA
As I got out of the car and stepped into the expansive lobby, the large black and white patterns on the floor made of glimmering little tiles, hiiiiigh roof, the 3D backdrop behind the receptionists, and colourful furniture was a sensory overload! I could hear shrieks of joy coming from the pool nearby as I quickly filled up the check-in form and sipped on my colourful welcome drink.
This 20-acre resort in South Goa offers what holiday-makers yearn for – fun for the whole family in a way that balances the affordable luxury feel with kid-friendly activities – all while being no further than a hop, skip and jump from the beach. When it comes to activities, you’ll find a spa, sauna, Jacuzzi, kids play area and club, water sports, fitness center and more on the premises.
Enjoy a refreshing swim or float on your back, watching the expansive blue sky! You can do it in peace, without bumping into screeching tots and noisy tourists – you know why? The massive swimming pool is divided into three sections – the kids area, the shallow section (upto 4 feet) and the deep end (upto 8.5 feet), and the latter two are separated by a walk-over bridge. So essentially, all the kids and noisy folks who don’t know how to swim are on one end, leaving the deeper section for those who want to take a few laps and swim without the ruckus! Bliss? Yes Indeed!
MY ROOM
This beach-side hotel in South Goa has a unique layout. It isn’t contained in one massive building, like Novotel Hyderabad Airport, nor are rooms placed one beside the other in a row, each one opening out to the garden, like Manas Resort in Igatpuri. A cool feature of Novotel Goa Dona Sylvia is that the rooms are divided into, what seems like, colonies, each one named after a flower that can be seen in abundance in that section.
Like small villas, some with only a ground floor, and some with two rooms – one above and one below, the little clusters of rooms look really homely. When you walk around the property, it almost feels like you’re in a suburban town or a quaint village, not in a hotel, since every ‘villa’ has its own balcony, balcony-furniture and garden. It appeared to me that most rooms in almost every wing looked identical, though, except for the higher-end rooms.
My room was in the ‘Hibiscus’ section. And for me, nothing is more exciting than opening those magical doors and seeing what my hotel room looks like! I always have those kid-in-a-candy store feels. Since I checked in around lunch time with my friend Rhea, we just parked our bags in our room and headed off for lunch, before coming back and putting that good fluffy bed to use with an afternoon siesta. We watched a bit of TV while eating Pringles from the mini bar and making ourselves two cups of coffee – all in-room amenities!
That aside, my room contained a little couch and table, en-suite washroom with toiletries, wooden cupboard with a safe, ironing board and iron (already set up!), and an a/c of course. The room was so comfy that I didn’t even notice that there was no window! Apart from the glass paneled door that opened out to our gallery, there was no other source of natural light.
Last but not least, my room was equidistant from the pool was on one side, and the beach on the other! And on both the days that I stayed at this South Goa resort, we spent our warm evenings in the pool before sloshing our way to the beach, to catch the sunset. Vacay goals, AmIRite?
THE FOOD AT NOVOTEL DONA SYLVIA
This Novotel property in Goa has a choice of three restaurants and a cocktail bar. The 24 hour restaurant, Seagull is a hub of activity and during meal times, this restaurant is so packed, that even the fans hanging from the roof does little to rid the place of the heat that so many people in an area generate, especially in the humid summer. Food-wise, there is a range of options to choose from – Goan, a few Indian and Continental items, chaat, salad bowls and cheese platters, live counters where fish and chicken are grilled… and of course, an array of desserts in every colour possible. My favourite, hands-down, was the Thai Cuisine!
On my second morning at the resort, a Sunday, we headed over for breakfast AND stayed on for brunch that began at 1 PM. Being at the fag end of Goa’s mango season, the brunch was dedicated to the King of Fruits. Novotel Goa Dona Sylvia took the theme seriously – and how!
Every single item had mango in it – there was mango mixed in pancake batter, mango in the omelette, in chicken gravies, vegetarian curries – and they even had the ever popular Kairichi Amti in the Goan section! Did I mention, there was also Pani Puri with Kairi Pani and Thanda Mango-La? The dessert section looked like a mango explosion, with mango cheesecakes, mango semi fredo, mango pavlova, mango chocolate, mango baked yogurt, mango macarons… you get the picture!
Again, a SUPER packed brunch and an overall chaotic atmosphere – we even had to wait for a table. I like my Sunday Brunches quiet and leisurely – but hurried it up because I don’t dig crowds.
The other two restaurants at the property are Kebabs and Kurries, serving Indian cuisine; and Tia Mia, their open air steak-house. In terms of food, I loooved the range of kebabs and the Dal Makhni that I tried at the Indian restaurant! But in terms of ambiance, my vote goes to Tia Maria – their candle-light, open air setting was a great place to unwind. And being a steak-house serving meats of all kinds (as well as being slightly heavier on the wallet), it doesn’t see as much footfall as compared to the other restaurants at the property. For those who like peace and quiet as you unleash your inner carnivore, here’s where to head.
Don’t forget to check out Amalia, the bar that overlooks the lobby and features a wall-to-wall mural of Mario Miranda style Goa caricatures. Comfy seating, a large projector screen on which sports matches are telecast and a limited selection of drinks (but no food), is what you can expect. I’ve got to give a special mention to Govind and Benny for being so hospitable!
SO I’M SAYING…
There’s no such thing as boredom here at the Novotel – I mean, we ate ALL the time, watched TV, napped, walked along the beach and swam for as long as we wanted to. I did spend some time doing some work on my laptop in bed… my favourite place to work, of course! And it was nice to simply walk around the lush green property. By the way! Every hotel wing has a different Goa-inspired statue in the center, and that was such a cool concept! My Hibiscus wing had statues of old Portuguese settlers and the wing nearest to the beach had a statue of Dona Paula!
When the only thing on your agenda is ‘nothing,’ you know you’re going to come home feeling totally rejuvenated!
I hope you enjoyed this post! If you’ve stayed at a Novotel property before, give me a shout in the comments below. This is my second Novotel experience this month and I’d like your suggestion on which one I can explore next!
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xoxo