Everything Nice at Fortune Miramar!

You know how you like your hotel to be a little bit of everything? Close to the beach, but also to some shopping. Convenient to get to, but also out of the city. Luxurious, but still affordable. Contemporary, but classy. Warm, but not overly friendly. Well, that is Fortune Miramar to the ‘T’.

The five-star resort, in what is almost Panjim’s ‘suburb’, is the latest venture by ITC, India’s second largest hotel chain. With more than 100 hotels, the company knows what works best and with Fortune Miramar, reaches out to clients who desire a certain kind of travel – something that’s easy-going and laidback, without the tamasha of overcrowded tourist spots.

There’s no cloying fuss with service and no pushiness to tempt guests into ancillaries. Fortune Miramar is simply as hospitable as you’d expect from an ITC venture, and a stay here leaves you joyously satisfied with its service.

Overview

Located at the end of the famous Dayanand Bandodkar Road of Panjim shaded by a canopy of rain trees, Fortune Miramar has joined the ranks of the transitory architecture in the neighbourhood. Decades-old buildings are being redeveloped or given a face-lift and swanky new restaurants and spas have sprouted nearby.

Behind its classy glass façade, the hotel hides a quiet space to unwind and gather your thoughts, either as a business traveller after a long day at work or a leisure visitor summing up a day of sightseeing.

Accommodation

Fortune Miramar houses 45 beautifully furnished rooms, all contemporary at its core, but touched subtly by a Goan vibe – blues and greens reminding you of the azure ocean and lush greenery, and warm wood of heritage interiors.

There are 32 Standard Rooms kitted with amenities expected of a five-star hotel – tea/coffee maker, safe, high speed internet, fruit platter, TV, the works. Upping the luxury quotient a little bit is its posh sibling, the Fortune Club Room, of which there are 11.

Finally, there are two suites featuring separate living areas, private work station and four-fixture bathrooms. The choice is yours!

Dining

Here too, the resort has kept things clean and simple. There are three food and beverage outlets – one multi-cuisine restaurant, one bar and lounge, and one café. Together, they satisfy every craving most judiciously, ensuring you never have to leave the hotel should you not want to.

Orchid is busiest at breakfast time, serving a sumptuous repast at its buffet. Many guests also avail of its tidy selection of à la carte offerings at lunch and dinner, choosing to sit indoors when it’s hot outside and al fresco when it’s cooler. Open round-the-clock, you’ll find this the perfect place to stave off midnight munchies or grab a bite after a night on the town.

For a relaxing night, head to Neptune for its thoughtful selection of spirits, wines and beers. It’s also got snacks, cold beverages and mocktails along with lively music to keep your spirits up.

The most tempting aromas, however, waft in from the Fortune Deli, a comfort food lover’s hideaway with its warm goodies straight from the oven. There are light snacks like puffs, sandwiches and quiches, as well as pastries, cakes, chocolates and breads.

Amenities & Services

Fortune Miramar offers a whole range of complimentary amenities for guests who stay there – from buffet breakfast and parking to tiny bits and bobs like babies bibs, diapers, dental kits, band aids and even a mobile phone charger. There’s a clear blue swimming pool up on the rooftop and a well-equipped gym.

For a fee, guests can avail of valet parking, airport transfers, baby-sitting services and in-house laundry. There’s a doctor on call as well, and a currency exchange desk.

Small business meets will find their perfect partner with the hotel, which has a fully equipped board room for conferences, discussions and brainstorming sessions for up to 10 guests. The hotel also offers Wi-Fi internet connectivity, professional services and other infrastructure for such events.

Experience

I’ve always been a fan of the Miramar stretch from Campal onwards with its beautiful colonial houses leading towards open spaces, public sports infrastructure, and finally the beach, all the while shaded by these giant rain trees that have been around since Portuguese times.

For a while now, the area has been adding fun hang-out spots from restaurants to spas, cafés to pubs, each bringing its own character to the area, but retaining its relaxed vibe. With ITC’s Fortune Miramar, we have an added element of luxury to the main stretch.

My stay at the hotel reinforced the feeling that this hotel has everything one could want, as a business or leisure traveller. I see lots of potential in it becoming the next big thing for meetings with all its offerings available right there on the ground floor, along with valet parking.

I found the suite pretty luxurious and the spacious work area with desk and office supplies impressive. The living space had comfortable sofas, a large television set, and a massive bedroom. I was most taken in by the expansive bathroom and the inviting bath with the loveliest of toiletries. Nothing relaxes me more than a hot bath after a tiring day!

It’s also important for me to stay fit while I travel, for work or otherwise, so I was happy to have a gym with all the trimmings and a swimming pool as well. Plus, a four-kilometre long beach was barely 150 metres away for a morning run and some functional training on the sand.

Food was another highlight of my stay at Fortune Miramar. For lunch, the very talented Chef Pranay Mallick treated us to a smoked salmon cornet and a grilled snapper with garlic mash and roasted pepper coulis, followed by a decadent dark chocolate mousse. Dinner saw my partner and I share a Goan chowder, watermelon steak salad and a grilled pork chop with potato rosettes and thyme jus. It was finished off with baked cheese cake with brandy snap. Each dish was both innovative in taste and presentation, and flavourful.

The ITC Hotel Group is one of my favourites in India and I had no misgivings about the quality of hospitality at its latest addition. With its splendid location and easy accessibility, I see Fortune Miramar becoming one of my top meeting places for a business discussion or a quick coffee catch-up with a friend.

A Charm by the Sea – Sur La Mer

Boutique resort Sur La Mer is located away from the usual crowded spots of Goa, but is in proximity to Morjim Beach.

Soon to be unrecognisable from the beauty of the monsoons, it’s off for the off-season traveller; the shutters are back up and beach umbrellas fight for non-existent space. It’s season time in Goa!

With a buzz in the air that the Morjim-Ashwem stretch is the place to be seen this year, we headed north to see what all the fuss was about.

Aneel Verman is back from his annual monsoon expedition travelling around Asia and Europe, and his boutique resort Sur La Mer has just about shaken off its monsoon cobwebs. Celebs like British designer Jade Jagger (who resides nearby!!) and flashpackers – yes, flashpackers! or backpackers of the upscale sort – are set to rub shoulders.

Hidden up a narrow dirt track you will find Sur La Mer, blink and you will miss it – in fact you won’t even see a signboard. The resort is located away from the usual crowded spots of Goa, but is in proximity to beautiful Morjim Beach.

Warmly welcomed by the staff, we were delighted with the setting that we found ourselves in. The first thing that captivated us was the length of the swimming pool. With 20 differently-styled rooms – each facing the pool – and the Penthouse Suite on the upper terrace overlooking the sea, it was more than a good deal. One of the best things was that all water activities were in easy reach.

The charming and charismatic Aneel lends his ‘X factor’ to the resort.  Originally from Delhi, most of his career was spent in the carpet-export business, but after troubled times and his need to get away from his metropolitan lifestyle, Goa was it for him. On his first day, he bought the land on which Sur La Mer was built from scratch.

Today, with his unique ideas, the resort mixes colonial Goan elements with Morrocan ones; furnished with fine antiques for which Aneel has a keen eye. Each room is individually designed with a large walk-in bathroom with double doors both front and back. The rooms on the top floor offer a special playful annexe for families which allows space for all. A Plasma TV, along with a selection of DVDs provides a soothing indoor escape when the scorching beach turns unbearable.

As late evening approached, we parked ourselves by the cosy bar. Steering his ship from there, Aneel multi-tasks – he directs his staff, while entertaining his guests and on several occasions gets stuck into the cooking, even adding the final touches to the food.

A master in the kitchen, he has spent years travelling the globe taking fancy cookery courses. Clam chowder, Beef Carpaccio, Lobster Thermidor, baked goat cheese salad with balsamic sauce, ruccola and cherry tomatoes, followed by brilliantly textured chocolate fondant and paper-thin filo pastry is what I found myself indulging in. With an option of either dining in the courtyard or on the terrace with the sunset as our backdrop, both are perfect for a fine dining experience.

As the night progressed, I observed other guests, all dressed up for a night out, but who would eventually stay put in the resort. Similarly, I was enthralled by the entertainment around, the comfortable surroundings and the endless stream of cocktails and delicious snacks which would suddenly materialise at our table.

Between meeting new and wonderful people, spending time with the owner, listening to his tales and enjoying his hospitality, Sur La Mer is a charming beachside getaway. As a guest from London says, “During our holiday at Sur La Mer, we got everything we dreamt of. A charming hotel near the sea, we felt so good that we spent all our time there without feeling the need to venture out.”

Explore Sur La Mer in 3D! 

(Published in The Navhind Times on October 27, 2012)