Contiki Eternal India: Goa

We were able to sleep in by Contiki standards before our flight from Mumbai to Goa in that we didn't have to leave the hotel until 8:15 AM. After we checked our bags and went through security, we had about 45 minutes before boarding so two of us went to one of the Priority Pass Lounges in the airport for a few minutes before heading to the gate to meet the rest of our group. Our flight arrived at 12:30 PM in Goa and we had an hour or so bus ride to our hotel in North Goa, which is known as the more lively part. South Goa, where I went after the tour ended, is known as the more relaxed part of the area.

Our hotel was pretty far from the beach, about a 20 minute walk, but my roommate and I decided to voyage towards the beach after we checked in. In our minds, it didn't make sense to fly to a beach town and not see the beach. We wound up meeting up with a few people and grabbing lounge chairs for the equivalent of $2USD for 2 hours in front of a restaurant. We ordered some drinks and a side of french fries, which was just enough to tie myself over until dinner.

We saw the sun start to set over the Arabian Sea before hopping in a taxi to go back to our hotel. We wanted to shower before dinner, which was a 15 minute walk in the opposite direction of the beach. Even though I am staying in India for a few more days, it was our group's last dinner together, so it was bittersweet. Usually, the group goes to a club on the final day of the trip in Goa, but we were all pretty exhausted from the previous day and it was a Tuesday night, so we decided to go back to the hotel and relax by the pool. Most people went to bed, though, and I decided to do the smart thing and get some sleep because I needed to stay healthy for the next few days before going home. It was also uncomfortably humid outside and I had a nice, air conditioned room calling to me!

The following morning, we had a farewell breakfast where most people woke up to say bye to each other. Most of us know we'll see each other again soon on an upcoming trip that our tour manager will be hosting, so it was less of a "goodbye" and more of a "see you later".

After our farewells, it was time for me to head to South Goa for a few days of post-Contiki relaxation! I had used some of my credit card perks to land two nights at the St. Regis Goa for a very affordable price and was really looking forward to staying there. Uber isn't legal in Goa, so I tried to use their local government sponsored alternative, GoasMiles. Despite being forced to preload money onto the app to call a car, I was unsuccessful in getting one to pick me up. I figured I'll dispute the charge on my credit card when I got home and went outside the hotel to speak with a taxi driver waiting for a fare. The one hour ride with GoasMiles would have been around $20, but this taxi driver quoted be ~$30. At that point, I just wanted to get going so I said yes and hopped into the taxi.

We hit some traffic, but eventually arrived at the St Regis. It was like stepping into an episode of White Lotus after staying at some of the very nice, but budget hotels that I had over the past two weeks. The check-in process was quite smooth in that you sat down in the lobby, they gave you a coconut with a straw in it for a welcome drink, and they came back with your room key. Once we were sorted out, they put me on a golf cart to give me a tour of the property before dropping me off at the room they had upgraded me to (a benefit of my Amex Platinum). I had booked a standard king room and was upgraded to a suite with a separate sitting area, two bathrooms & two balconies. It was much more than I needed, but was definitely a nice surprise!

After unpacking a bit, I decided to walk around the property which had a spa, pool, private beach and multiple on site restaurants and bars. I decided that I wanted to try every food & beverage outlet on property when I was there, for the next two nights and almost three days. After walking around a bit, it was time to change and head to dinner. I decided to eat at their riverside restaurant, called Riverside, and had beef for the first time in two weeks. I don't know if it was because I hadn't had beef in so long, but it was one of the best meals I'd had. I also had a fantastic whiskey cocktail that was light and flavorful. To satisfy my sweet tooth, I finished with a creme brulee. Belly full, I headed back to my room and called it an early night.

I didn't set an alarm for the following morning, but surprisingly woke up relatively early. The property had an included breakfast buffet at it's main restaurant which reminded me of having the selection of a cruise buffet, only grander and much better quality food. I wasn't starving, so I decided just to have an omelette, pastries and an espresso.

After breakfast, I put my bathing suit on and headed for the beach. I have never been a beach person, but needed to take full advantage of everything at my disposal for my stay. I forced myself to relax, something that is very difficult for me to do, and then put my ankles in the ocean, which was quite warm.

The sand was scalding hot, so I went back to the chair and grabbed my belongings to head to the pool instead. I was one of three people in the pool area and took two quick dips to bookend a snack of chips and dip that I ordered from my chair.

Time flew, though, and I looked at my watch and realized it was time for my massage. My credit card gave me a $100 property credit, so I figured I would treat myself to an hour full body Swedish massage. The entire experience was a lot longer than an hour, though, in that you had pre-massage and post-massage tea and also used the steam room just after the massage.

After getting out of my massage, I decided to go change out of my bathing suit and go to the lobby bar to grab a drink before dinner. It happened to be happy hour where they served two for one cocktails, so I had two espresso martinis before heading back to the beach for the iconic St Regis Champagne Sabering ceremony, which is intended to celebrate the transition from day to night. This is inspired by Napoleon where he would use his sword to open a bottle of champagne to celebrate a victory. We then toasted on the beach.

I decided to stay on the beach to grab an appetizer and watch the sunset. It started out great and then, for the third night in a row, ducked behind the clouds just before it set. My next stop was the main building of the hotel at an Italian restaurant, where I had gnocchi and a glass of local Indian wine, ending with a house gelato. The food was fantastic!

By the time I finished, it was late and the pool had closed, so I went back to my room and called it another early night. The following morning, I had the same thing at breakfast and arranged for a late check-out of 4:00 PM. After breakfast I relaxed by the pool and walked around the property a bit before going back to my room to take a shower and pack. I decided to have a late lunch / early dinner at the restaurant by the river again before getting a cab to Goa Airport, which was around a 75 minute drive away from the hotel.

The airport was pretty dated and essentially a giant holding pen with gates around it, but it served its purpose while I waited for a flight to the final stop of my whirlwind tour around India, Kerala!