What Happens In Goa Stays In Goa: A Travel Tale of 17 Men

Mahesh Kumar organized a 4D/3N trip to Goa for his 17 colleagues with the help of TravelTriangle. The package took care of their accommodation expenses and local transfers, at a price of Rs. 67,150. Although pulling and unifying the group got hectic at times, but overall they all had a lot of fun. Here is what Mahesh has to say about the group outing.

Personally, I go for a corporate or family trip once in every 6 months. This time I arranged a trip for 17 colleagues and after incessant discussions, we finalized Goa. I trusted TravelTriangle with the responsibility of booking the package, since my last experience with them had been amazing. I exchanged my ideas and plan with TravelTriangle, and was offered three different Goa holiday packages. After another round of discussion, the best option was selected and the journey was set off.

Day 1: Getting lucky at the casino

We took off from Bangalore, landed at the Goa airport around 3:30 pm and were at the Abalone Resort by 5 pm. On the way, the cab driver was reluctant to stop anywhere, since he was directed so by the hotel authorities. As a result, we did not get a chance to have a full-fledged lunch on the way, but managed to have vada pao in the 10 minutes of a brief stop. The highlight of the visit was the idea of visiting a local casino in Goa. After resting for around an hour at the hotel, we went for the same.

We went to one of the best casinos in Goa – the Deltin Royale Casino, which is housed in a ship docked at Panjim’s River Mandovi. The 2500 entry fee per person was inclusive of the dinner and 2000-worth coins (with which one can play). Luckily, all of us won around 1500 bucks on an average, while a few lucky ones were able to recover the complete entry fees.

Proceeding to the top floor, we got served with premium brand drinks, followed by a buffet dinner. The dinner was accompanied with dance performances on local and Bollywood songs. With the guys cracking jokes against a background of beautifully decorated lights and a carnival-like atmosphere – it turned out to be a very memorable experience. After spending good 5 hours at Deltin Royale, we returned to our hotel and retired for the night.

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Day 2: Exploring famous tourist spots in Goa

The next morning, we started the day by walking down to the Baga beach, just 4 km away from the hotel. We roamed around the neat beach, splashed in the clear waters and had tender coconuts. After that we came back to the hotel and had our breakfast, which was not up to the mark.

For the day, we were booked for a local tour to Goa. An hour before the tour, I tried to call the travel agent to request for a private vehicle for our group, but the request couldn’t be met. Ultimately, we had to take the shared bus. The bus started off by taking us to the Dolphin show. We were transferred to a boat and taken to the place where dolphins are sighted. On the way we also saw the famous jail of Goa and the governor’s house. On reaching the main spot, we luckily caught a glimpse of two dolphins and were then dropped to the shore. The voyage lasted for about an hour.

The Dolphin Show was succeeded by a visit to the St. Xavier’s church, one of the oldest churches in Goa. The central attraction of the church — our guide emphasized — was not a mummy, but a dead body preserved in a way that has prevented it from decomposing. The guide was good and thoroughly explained the history of places that we visited with him. After the church-visit, he took us for the horror show, which we refrained from doing and waited for the other passengers of the bus to join.

The next spot to visit, was the Manjeshwar Temple – situated about 10-12 kms away from Old Goa. The temple was intriguing to me because of its unconventional architecture, particularly its Garbha Gudi – the place where the main idol rests. It was now time for a lunch break and the bus stopped along the way to the Kolva Beach. The Kolva beach — which is considered to be one among the best beaches in Goa — was not as clean as Baga, since it was flocked by tourists and numerous locals.

We spent around an hour at the beach before heading towards Panaji, where we hopped on a boat cruise. On the cruise, we got to enjoy the beauty of the Mandovi river and dance performances by local artists. Even the tourists were given a chance to pick their song and dance. After having a great time at the cruise, we were dropped back to the hotel around 8 pm.

Traditional Goan cuisine at Starlight hotel

For dinner, we thought of trying authentic Goan meal and hunted for a restaurant that could fit the bill. With a consultation from some locals, we finally found one place near our hotel and had an awesome time. We then came back to the hotel and had a sound sleep.

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Day 3: Wrap-up

On the final day, we got up early in the morning and enjoyed the swimming pool instead of visiting the beach. Since we were supposed to check out at 11 am, we quickly wrapped up packing and breakfast. On the way to the airport, we made a last stop at the the local liquor shop and bought few local drinks.

High Point: Manjeshwar Temple came as a surprise and I, personally, enjoyed it a lot.

Low Point: The hotel could have been better.

Tip for future travelers: If you are going for a local tour in Goa in a group, opting for a private transportation facility can be considered.

To spin your own Goan tale, book a trip to Goa now!