To make it even more special, I planned to reach Goa by Cruise from Mumbai.
My blog these days doesn't seem to begin without a mention of Neena (Mini & Jone Hospitality) who efficiently planned, adviced and arranged the trip.
We flew from BLR to MUM on the day of her birthday. I was pleasantly surprised by the automated self check-in of Luggages as well at BLR Airport.
Reached the Princess Dock in MUM by 12.30 PM. Access to the port and their check-in/holding area was a challenge, as there are no clear indications to reach the place.
I chose Angriya Cruise over Jalesh, as I just wanted to travel one way to Goa by Cruise...Seems like Jalesh offers round trips. Though Jalesh can host 4000 passengers and is more luxurious, Anyriya was good enough, value for money that houses 300 passengers.
We paid Rs. 18.5K that included Snacks, Dinner and Breakfast.
The check-in, Security process was similar to the one we go through in Airports.
We carried a small baggage along with stuff required for the overnight stay. They don't accept Card or Cash payments in the Ship but offered pre-paid Cards which could be redeemed to buy anything in the Ship. Any balance in the Card was promptly paid in cash as we landed in Goa.
We were transferred to the Ship docking area by a small boat.
The excitement of travelling in a Cruise and the expectations of a unique experience kept us eager to board the Ship.
We were welcomed with Tea and Snacks as we boarded...we were then guided to our Room on C Deck...each Deck has different class of rooms and ours had a Port hole.
The room was spacious enough and offered a luxurious stay with spick and span rooms and bathroom.
The Ship was scheduled to depart by 4.00 PM, and we rested in our room till then.
As the Ship departed, we started going around the Ship, exploring the facilities, Restaurants, Pubs, Pool and Decks.
Exploring the Ship itself is a major activity, as each area, each deck has lot of things to offer, and we leisurely spent time doing that till 6.30 PM.
Live show was arranged at 7.00 PM and the party began...the band performed on most of the famous Bollywood classics to get the crowd hum along.
Those who preferred a relaxing and calm place, there were sufficient spaces where one cud sit, relax and do nothing but consume the sound of the sea, seagulls floating in the air, cool breeze and gaze at sunset, and watch the unending stars in the sky.
It was funny however to walk, as one cannot walk straight as the boating effect of the sailing Ship keeps pushing you to the right and to the left.
We had a small private birthday celebration on our favourite sky deck.
They had a good spread of Buffet Dinner and tasted nice.
The DJ started rocking the floor to get the party going till late night.
Breakfast in the morning was excellent as well, with the backdrop of a beautiful sunrise.
The ship reached Goa at 9.00 AM, that ended the most exciting travel to Goa and a very unique experience.
It took half a day for us to recover from the boating effect after reaching land. 14 hrs of constant wobbling and boating effect, long walks to reach from one point to the other within the ship left us bit tired and wanting to rest.
A memorable birthday celebration indeed for Preeti. The celebration was just a beginning though, the extended celebrations awaited at Goa.
Here comes Goa...A place where we never get tired of visiting, as vibrant and full of life as ever.
We stayed at Pirache Art Hotel in Baga. Hotel ambience was nice, the feel was good, food was decent...but...very poorly maintained and tired looking staff. Maybe we just came from a very well maintained Rooms, organized and efficient staff at Anyriya Cruise, that we were let down at Pirache. Though the hotel looks old, it has its Goan charm and feel, the reason which I chose to stay here.
Me n Preeti have our own hippy ways of enjoying Goa..not doing touristy stuff..but hire a bike and roam around with absolutely no plans and to do list.
Couple of our usual places like Bobbs Inn, Browntown Regal, Beach Shacks at Candolim are still our favourites.
The Birthday girl took advantage of the leverage she had on her Birthday celebrations, and shopped till we dropped.
This time, we wanted to try the most hyped joint - Titos at Baga.
It lived up to its hype, it was a crazy party and another face of Goa!
Well spent two days at Goa, Titos hard core party and Peace and tranquility at Anyriya Cruise...perfect birthday celebration and a memorable experience that I cud gift my wife :)
