Whispering Palms – A Call To Ultimate Hospitality

From nearly being written off from the tourism industry to now making its way across states, Whispering Palms Beach Resort has cooked up the perfect success story

You know how you sometimes feel you can never get away? With so much work to be done, the “tourist season” quivering on the edge and Calangute awaiting overdrive mode, the pent up energy literally crackled the air. Strangely, right there in the heart of this sizzling village, I found a cosy little corner to soothe my senses.

The Whispering Palms Beach Resort is literally a stalwart in the hotel scene in Calangute, having been around for years in a place where resorts appear like flies around a bottle of jam. Jacob John, the charming vice president of operations who earlier had a major role to play in starting a Russian charter business to Goa, has turned the fortunes of the resort into a raging success.

The hotel highlights its easy-on-the-eye décor with contemporary amenities, housed within a frame of light Goan accents. Cosy and comfortable is what the resort aims for, and nails it. It has properties in Goa and Jaipur, with an addition in Bangalore coming up soon.

Only a furlong from Calangute beach, the staff, location, food and service always receive rave reviews from visitors.

The Accommodation

With 106 rooms, Whispering Palms Beach Resort manages to give each guest its attention. Choosing between the luxurious Studio Suite, spacious Terrace Rooms and Mediterranean-styled Balcony Rooms is all part of the excitement.

The sprawling Studio Suite offering private lawns and large balconies is done in warm tones, while the Terrace Rooms ooze a minimalist yet chic demeanour. The Balcony Room, as suggested, wins you over with its cosy little outdoor nook and comes in both twin and double options. Most rooms have views of the Arabian Sea.

Dining

Meals at Whispering Palms Beach Resort are something to look forward to. Overlooking the swimming pool milling with frolicking children and lounging adults is the Sun & Palms, a multi-cuisine patio restaurant. It is truly refreshing to sit here sipping a tall glass of juice after an early morning swim. With dishes spanning Continental, Indian, Chinese and Goan cuisines, the Sun & Palms has something for everyone’s palette.

I would suggest a definite visit to the resort’s authentic Indian experience at Aahaata. Styled with inspiration from a typical Indian village, this theme restaurant sends enticing aromas from its barbeque around the vicinity. Mouth-watering kebabs and grills, and a variety of exquisite Indian offerings are some of the pickings.

If it’s a snack you want or you’re feeling like you’ve done too much food sampling on your vacation, head to Lanai instead. Light meals, snacks and drinks are what the eatery does best, and its location right next to the pool means you can even sidle up in the middle of your tanning session to indulge in some refreshments. Lanai features a revolving menu designed for post workout meals or simple laze outs in the sun.

And when the heat of the day has dissipated and the stars come twinkling out, it’s time to head to Crossroads to meet familiar faces or make new friends. Even though it’s open all day and one can sit back and enjoy a tipple whenever one feels fit, the ambience comes to life in the evenings. Its bartenders are privy to lip-smacking recipes for both straight and exotic cocktails. Unlike other pubs, Crossroads plays soft music in the background and its comfortable seating means you won’t be moving anywhere else soon.

Spa

A long day of vacationing can only be upped by the invigorating hands of a trained masseur/euse. The resort’s in-house Tatva Spa offers a range of treatments made very popular among guests thanks to the spa’s qualified staff. On its menu one can find therapies from around the world. Internationally renowned treatments such as Aroma Therapy and Swedish Therapy are as much a favourite as ayurvedic options such as Abhyangam Therapy.

Guests can also rejuvenate with special massages, body scrubs and envelopes or reflexology. Tatva Spa also provides regular salon services.

Other amenities

The Whispering Palms Beach Resort is an ideal location for business houses and corporates to hold meetings and events. The management has ensured that the resort stays up-to-date with modern technology, and caters for groups from as small as five to as many as 200.

With its scenic sea-view locale, intuitive staff and thoughtful amenities, the resort almost provides an excuse to hold meetings, conferences or banquets. It houses a 1,500 square metre conference room and additional board rooms, with a pre-function space, video conferencing services and audio-visual equipment.

High-speed internet access is ensured in all meeting areas, and guests can access wi-fi from the lobby lounge through the meeting areas to the gardens and the beach.

The staff is happy to oblige with any further requests visitors might have.

The experience

It’s no secret that Calangute-Candolim is the busiest stretch of sand in Goa (possibly in India!), but Whispering Palms Beach Resort has found a way to slow the clocks. Everything is about the guest experience, and while patrons were lounging and having a good time, there was a bustle among staff readying for an evening of great music and food as I walked in.

The vice president of operations Jacob John showed me around, pointing out various upgrades made over the last seven years that he has been running the show. It was interesting to hear his story – from the charter business with E M Najeeb and The Great Indian Tour Company (now ATE Air Travel Enterprises to taking over the Whispering Palms when the owner was near exiting the industry and turning it into a success story that doubled its revenue for three consecutive years. The team opened a hotel in Jaipur in 2011, the owner of which is a Delhi-based industrialist.

He regaled me with anecdotes over a sumptuous lunch which included hummus, salad, cream of mushroom soup, grilled fish and prawns with cilantro and panfried chicken with red wine. The mouth-watering food was followed by a yummy strawberry pannacotta all prepared by executive chef Vincent Gomez.

It was an impressive start to a wonderful stay, and as I walked to my room I knew from the buzzing atmosphere that the hotel’s contagious ‘feel-good’ energy would surely pass on to me.

Quote

Stepping stones to success is to face the reality and for every success there has to be a vision combined with an intrinsic understanding of one’s strengths & weaknesses applied for a mutual betterment

–          Jacob John, vice president – operations

A Winning Debut – Godwin Hotels

An invitation to indulge, the recently opened Godwin Hotels in the heart of Candolim has plenty
on offer.

Godwin Hotels, a chain of luxury hotels in India with locations between Haridwar and Rishikesh and soon in Meerut, has launched a new and exciting property in Goa just over four months ago.

Builders by profession, the group has two managing directors, Bhupinder Singh Bajwa and Jitender Singh Bajwa, along with assistant general manager of the group M D Rajan and operations manager in Goa, Ashish Kaushal.

The hotel is easy to locate in Candolim and we were welcomed into the busy reception area where staff and guests cheerfully mingled. As we waited for the final touches to be applied to our room, we were just in time for the buffet lunch.

Golden Glory offers family style dinners and customised meals in addition to classic dishes.

Godwin Hotels has a choice of dining options with a few outlets still to open. At the lobby level, we enjoyed Golden Glory, a worthy and luxurious restaurant which treats its guests to a delicious ambience. It offers family style dinners and customised meals in addition to classic dishes.

The Maritime Lounge and Bar is a comfortable lounging place which has been interestingly designed and keeps in mind Goa’s alluring seascapes. It also offers private spaces where you can relax in a club atmosphere, enjoy groovy tracks and sip on imported wines, spirits and some rare and unusual brews.

As it was a long holiday weekend, the hotel was fully booked, so we didn’t have much of an option on the choice of accommodation. But as it transpired, this wasn’t a problem as the Executive Room left us spellbound with its luxury with its tastefully designed interiors and modern comforts.

With two other classes of room on offer, the Premier Room is more opulent with its traditional beauty and tasteful interiors thoughtfully chosen. At another level, the Royal Suite has been designed and furnished with careful attention to detail and exhibits a distinctive charm. Spacious with well-cushioned, comfortable beds, a sizeable writing desk, a flat screen television and wooden flooring, the suite is luxury personified.

With the sun peering out through the monsoon skies, the Leisure Seashore – the swimming pool – became my favourite hangout. While a leisurely swim dip was a great way to feel re-energised, my travelling companion enjoyed the shades of the tropical greenery that surrounded us.

A dip in the Leisure Seashore is a great way to feel re- energised.

The Godwin Goa is a new and exciting hotel where one can break free from the shackles of a hectic and mundane routine. With its warm ambience and modern comforts, it offers a range of facilities and services to help you unwind and relax.

(Published in Viva Goa)