They were dancing on the streets the day I arrived in Goa. And I have it on reliable authority that barely a week before I touched down, women about town had stripped down to some rather intimate innerwear. But it soon became evident that these manifestations of an ebullition in the human spirit had little or nothing to do with my advent. Goa, it turned out, was just being Goa. The Carnival had rolled into town—which accounted for the song and dance and the roadside gaiety; and the Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort, where I was staying, had barely days earlier hosted the Indian Beach Fashion Week, which was why sexy swimwear had been on effusive display.
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In every other way, however, Goa and the five-star resort put out the very best they had to offer, and infused me with a revival of the spirit. And they did this by tapping into their quintessential Goan character. Indicatively, upon checking in, I was proffered a tall glass of sol kadhi, the signature drink of the Konkan coast, whose tangy kokum hit the right spots and gave tantalising notice of gourmet pleasures to come. And later that evening, at Chy, the lobby-level café, I sampled the trademark West Coast ‘cutting chai’ served in glass tumblers typical of roadside teashops. By then, I didn’t really need the Portuguese-inspired décor to remind me I was in sorpotel territory.
And yet, Amy, the cheery bartender at the Junho bar, seemed determined to reinforce the geography of my coordinates, even down to the heady cocktails she brewed me. The Kokum Cosmopolitan that she whipped up is a vodka-based cocktail, with a hint of Cointreau, a dash of cranberry juice, sugar syrup and lime juice, and such is the bestirring effect it had on me that I fancied I spoke in Portuguese for the rest of the evening. Amy, I learnt, had been a finalist at the La Maison Cointreau bartending competition for women last year, and sipping on her spirited concoction, it was easy to see why.
For dinner that night, I opted to sit in the alfresco dining area attached to Festa, the all-day diner, where the Cotta family rendered soulful fado songs. It was an enchanting outdoorsy night: the nearest thing to a full moon was being reflected off the Vitality Pool, a cool spring breeze was wafting across, chef Anurag Garg had conjured up a wholesome risotto dish for me, and the Cottas—Franz Shubert and Chantelle—were evidently in peak-season form. The fado is a musical genre that traces its origins to the early 19th century, and its spirit evokes the longing that Portuguese women were susceptible to when their sea-faring partners set sail. And so hauntingly did Chantelle channel the mood of the music that I could almost sense an empathetic longing creeping into my heart.
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At break of dawn, I went for a bracing sea bath: the Candolim beach is a mere 10-minute walk away. In the morning light, the resort acquires an altogether different atmospheric: I became aware of the lush green surroundings it is surrounded by, which more than make up for the absence of a sea view from any of the rooms. A knot of bendy visitors was stretching themselves on the yoga deck. And over at the back, children were gambolling about in the open area, where grows a banyan tree, whispering stories of times gone by. The resort has gone that extra mile to preserve the natural surroundings of the terrain, even preser-ving a largish stone cross that had been put up by the family who stayed on the plot before it was acquired.
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Later that afternoon, I signed up for a rejuvenating Balinese massage, administered with exquisite tenderness by a Tibetan masseuse, at the Balae wellness spa. The Warren Ticomi Salon & Spa offers a range of treatments, and lays claim to having introduced the Raindrop Treatment Technique in India.
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I wallowed in the poolside sunken bar for the entire duration of the evening, imbibing gallons of the local King’s beer and the laidback languor that defines the place. And fully revived to life, I presented myself at dinner-time for Head Chef Bosteo Furtado’s award-winning Saraswat Brahmin meal. Fresh fish is a defining part of the meal, and the cuisine varies from village to village. And Bosteo had delved deep into a 28-year professional legacy to prepare a divine surmai, prawn curry, tisri kokum (clam), moogha gathi (sprouted bean curry), batata banastari, bindi sol, Goan and steamed rice. It was a royal repast, suffused with spicy flavours, and it verily elevated me to gastronomic heaven.
After a soul-elevating meal like that, there remained only one thing to do. So I retired to my Superior Room, summoned up the extra soft pillows, and pressed the ‘Do Not Disturb’ button. Something attempted, something done had earned a night’s repose.
The information
Where: Ten minutes’ walking distance from the humming Candolim beach in North Goa, some 35km from the Dabolim airport.
Accommodation: 5 executive suites, 20 superior suites, 10 deluxe rooms, 86 superior rooms.
Tariff: Off-season (April-September) Rs 6,500-8,000; season (October-March): Rs 8,000-12,000; high-season (December 20 to January 4): Rs 20,000
Contact: +91-832-2494848, www.mercure.com