Hey folks, what’s new?
If you read my blog regularly, you’d know that I am grounded from travel for a couple of months due to the merging of my digital marketing agency with another one, here in Goa. What that means is that I get to play ‘tourist’ in my home state.
Lucky for me, I live in one of the most beautiful places in India!
ABOUT SONESTA INNS, CANDOLIM
Hidden in the many lanes of Candolim are resorts that suit every traveler’s budget and preferences. It is a very popular place to stay in Goa – since many of these lanes lead straight down to Candolim beach on one end, and the choc-a-bloc Candolim-Sinquerim Road on the other. Also in the vicinity are some of the most happening nightclubs, restaurants, and shopping spots.
Ordinarily, this bustling area isn’t a place I’d hang out a lot at, but this time, I had a staycation booked at Sonesta Inns, a fine resort in Candolim, with my cousin Ria. As the summer was nearing an end, I figured it would be a great time to visit, as a lot of the ‘season-time’ crowd was thinning out, my bumpy transition from Mumbai to Goa was slowly settling down, and I really, really needed some me-time!
About Sonesta Inns
A pristine resort in Candolim, Sonesta Inns is ideal for families and couples to stay at during their trip to Goa. Being one of the many resorts in North Goa with direct access to the beach, it is definitely one of the better-maintained ones, as I could see, the moment I stepped into the property.
Don’t be fooled by the colonially designed reception. The resort is actually quite contemporary. Not just that, but the hotel grounds are lovely, the pool is sparkling clean and everything is immaculately kept.
MY ROOM AT SONESTA INNS
Sonesta Inns in Candolim has 60 rooms divided into 2 categories – suite or luxury. Mine was the latter – a spacious, pool-facing room with a private balcony on which to bask in the morning sun and watch the world go by.
As I walked in for the first time, I noticed how peaceful it was. Furnished with a TV, mini-bar, tea-coffee amenities, spacious cupboard, and even a rain shower in the bathroom, it was super cozy! The huge white, fluffy bed was calling my name, and before long, I was doing just what I’d imagined – lounging around, watching sitcom after sitcom on TV, and binging on snacks.
Bath amenities were provided too, as well as complimentary wi-fi (which is always a plus for a blogger), even though I had to reconnect to it every few hours.
THE FOOD
After taking a much-needed moment to relax, we headed to ‘Flavours,’ the restaurant on the property for lunch. We ordered Butterfly Prawns and crispy Calamari for starters – and while the prawns were crispy and flavourful, we found that the Calamari lacked on both fronts.
For mains, I ordered cheese-stuffed chicken but was surprised to find that it didn’t resemble the usual cheese-chicken fillet that’s usually associated with the name. Instead, what appeared was a different version – something like chicken pakoras that probably had cheese grated into the batter, making the dish quite heavy. The mashed potatoes that came alongside were quite starchy and gluey. Ria ordered the beef steak sub, but we were underwhelmed with this, too, as the beef was extremely tough and a tad bit burnt. A positive, though, was that the individual portions were enough to feed two.
For dinner, we called room service and ordered a pizza! A meal in bed, while watching TV is a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence, after all! We picked a pizza off the menu and asked the restaurant to add to it, a few of our favourite toppings. It arrived quite quickly, and taste-wise, it was exactly what we wanted! I’d definitely recommend their pizzas!
Sonesta Inns provides a breakfast buffet outdoors, in front of the restaurant, comprising Indian and Continental options. We walked around the buffet area for a glimpse of everything on offer, but as we found it way too hot to comfortably enjoy an outdoor breakfast, we headed into the restaurant and ordered a-la carte, instead. Here’s what we got – scrambled eggs, bacon, baked beans and toast. With bacon on a plate, any meal is a good meal, but what would have made this better was if the eggs had a bit more salt and the toast was crispier.
Beach-side Hotel in Candolim
The pathway to the beach begins right outside the restaurant, and so after we had our fill, we walked down to the shoreline that was a mere 100 meters distance away. While we really wanted to cool off in the pool at some point during our stay, it always had a handful of families and several kids splashing around, making it a little too noisy for a peaceful back-float. So if you are travelling to Goa with kids, they would definitely make a friend or two by the Sonesta Inns poolside.
While there is always scope for improvement, I was quite pleased with my stay overall. For anyone considering a day trip to the area, or better yet, a vacation, Sonesta Inns is a worthy contender.
I’m quite enjoying staycation-ing whenever I can, here at home in Goa. My goal, apart from indulging in a little self-care, is to show you that you don’t have to go very far to travel. Oh, while you’re at Sonesta Inns, don’t forget to stop by Artisan Backerei, to sample fabulous confections from around the world, or Tio Tilly’s for some great burgers.
Bye for now, and keep in touch on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.