A bit of Goa in offseason

When we decided to do a road trip to Goa in May 2015, it was more a choice by elimination than by selection.  

Since any part in Goa, north or South was about 550 – 600 kms from Bangalore, we decided to cover the distance with three halts. Also, we were not prepared for a long stay at a beach in Goa and thought it might get boring.  So we consciously planned an itinerary with a little bit of mountain and beach thrown in.  This travelogue covers the route, eating places as well as our destinations, and our experience with GPS for such long journeys as well as for locating local city spots.

Destination One – Hubli:

First day halt was at Hubli or Hubbali as it is called now.  We left Bangalore Hebbal at 6:30 and entered Hubli at 1pm with a breakfast halt for about 20 minutes and another mid morning halt for some 15 minutes.  Breakfast halt was at a hotel called Shri Vrindavan Veg restaurant which was located a few kms before the Kamat on the Tumkur road.  Got good South Indian food. 

We had booked at Swathi Hotel at Hubli.  It was a value for money place and the 3 bed room was very comfortable; though it had no AC , it had two fans and windows for ventilation. The room and bath room was clean and well provided for.  The restaurant at Swathi hotel serves yummy vegetarian food.

At Hubli, we asked around for a good place to stroll and did not get any good suggestion.  Finally browsed internet and ended up in Unakal lake.  Used GPS to reach and were going round and round as the GPS was taking us to the geographic area of lake but not to the entrance!  Finally managed to reach the place after asking around. It was a beautiful place with a nice walk way and some watch towers around.  Taj property adjoins this lake.

Destination Two – Wildernest Resort, Chorla Ghats:

Our second stop was at a place called Wilderness Resort at Chorla ghats , at the border of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa.  We relied completely on GPS and it did take us to the destination with any major hitch.  The only issue was with a 20 km stretch of a state highway which went through Khanapur and was about 20 metres wide at its worst.  After that, it was Ghat road which was very scenic. 

About Wildernest resort:

The resort is in the middle of a valley and has wonderful views – either valley or forest or waterfall.  After parking at the entrance, we have to take the jeep and go the cottages which are higher up.  The cottages are well designed the valley view ones had large balcony with breath taking views. They have an Infinity pool which again overlooks the valley and is a very unique experience.  

Infinity pool at Wildernest with valley view

The resort arranges for short treks, bird watching, wild life movies and some other activities as part of the package.  We spotted a huge scorpion and a bison at close range within the premises. 

Scorpion spotting at Wildernest, Goa

Food was based on local and freshly available ingredients and was an interesting mix of Kannadiga, Maharashtrian and Goan cuisine.  A stay here would do well to take the stress off city life.

Destination Three – Cidade De Goa, Panjim:

We chose this resort because of its location – its proximity to many country roads and destinations in Goa. It is a self contained resort with all amenities and a stretch of beach almost exclusively. It has what is expected of a hotel of this calibre.  If one has to pick out something, it was the food. The food was exemplary and the choice was abundant.  Cafe Azul is a place to visit and experience.

The pool and the sea from Cidade de Goa

Two other food places we visited were Peep Kitchen near Cidade de Goa and Black Sheep Bistro in Panjim.  The former had good sea food.  Black Sheep Bistro is a wonderful place to chill out with a great hostess and lovely food options.  

Starter at Black sheep Bistro, Panjim

Roaming around Goa:

Goa is in hibernation mode in May!  All shacks and many markets close – we were disappointed that none of the flea markets were open.  But it actually freed up our time and made us explore Goa for what it is and not what it decides to show to the tourist. 

We started with the popular location - Basilica of Bom Jesus, and though I have been there 2 times , this is the first time where I was not pushed and shoved.  We took a guide who did a great job of giving the history and showing us around.  Whether you are a believer or not, the place does get to you!

We did the drive to the Reis Magos fort in the evening – it was a nice drive along the Mandovi river (such a sight to see the flowing river, mixed with back water, in full flow in the middle of the summer).  The fort is a majestic structure and one of the best preserved.  There is a permanent exhibition of Mario’s cartoons and drawings and sales.  Some parts of the fort have also been ingeniously converted to display areas to depict Goa’s history.  A place worthy of visit for about a couple of hours. 

Rais Margos fort

The death hole at Rais Margos Fort, Goa

Another destination we decided to check out was Braganza house.  The drive to this place was very beautiful through country roads.  The house itself reeks of history and the hostess does justice by explaining everything. Obviously the family carries some grudge about the way they have not received any support from the State Government, etc.  It is a window to the way of life over a course of 5 centuries and is teeming with artefacts and collectibles and antiques.

The GPS behaved well during these jaunts. With complete faith, we keyed in Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary and reached a kind of marshy area following the GPS.  But no entrance was in sight and nobody there had a clue what we were looking for.  We then dug up the number for the sanctuary and realized that the sanctuary was actually to be approached from a very different route after crossing the waters in a barge!  It was too late to do that trip (the sanctuary closes at 5 pm ) and so we had to abandon this plan.  Lesson:  If you are looking for a destination like lake, park, etc the GPS directs you to the closest point, which is not necessarily the entry point!!

 During the return journey, we put our faith back in GPS and landed up in Bangalore 10 hours later with a short break for lunch!  Not bad... 

Another off season trip for us (we did Kerala in second half of May 3 years back) which was actually enjoyable, not mentioning the off season tariff :>