Last month was our first wedding anniversary. To celebrate, Ajay and I decided to go back to the hotel where we took our wedding vows, The Park Hyatt Resort & Spa, Goa. Ajay is a regular at this resort and has enjoyed his stays much before he met me. Perhaps it was the comfort he had with this hotel, to execute some of his quirky ideas on a small not so fat Indian Wedding, that helped us seal the deal.

The Park Hyatt Goa, a Category 4 hotel is by far the best Hyatt property we have stayed in India. A reward night at this hotel costs 15,000 points per night while the cash price retails from INR9,000/ USD 135 and goes all the way up to INR 17,000/ USD 250 per night in peak season. We booked our stay in cash and then applied a Diamond Suite Upgrade from my account.

We flew in to Goa with an early morning flight from Mumbai, because why waste half a day being in Mumbai when you could be in Goa. Once outside the airport we learnt that the hotel had sent their Mercedes to pick us up. Ajay couldn’t remember a time when he had to use the shuttle. It was always a private pickup from the hotel. The drive to the hotel was beautiful, filled with lush greenery due to the monsoon. The Park Hyatt is located in South Goa and is a 25 minutes drive from the airport.

Once we arrived at the hotel, the view from the entrance porch is absolutely mesmerizing. There is a clear view of the lagoon, overlooking the swimming pool and all the way down I could see the sea in the horizon. Water Water everywhere…

The entire resort has Portugese style villas and there is no tall building inside giving it a very Bohemian look and feel. Once at the hotel, we ran into a crew who had met us in the front office in the past, and went on with the Welcome Back greeting. While Ajay completed all check-in formalities, we were served kokum sherbat ; a sweet and tangy juice made out of regional fruit. Regular 12 noon check-in’s get tender coconut water, but that comes in fresh later in the day. I was a bit groggy from the early morning flight however the gloominess did not last long as within 5 minutes we were seated in the buggy and our host whispered that we have been upgraded to the Imperador Suite a.k.a the Presidential Suite.

Being a massive sized resort, the living areas are scoped into five separate ‘courts’ and the Presidential Suite is located in the third court. On our last visit last year, it was being renovated, so in spite of being a special occasion, they were not able to assign it to us. On entering the suite, I realised that it was nothing like anything I have stayed in before. Measuring 172 square metres the suite was as large as our home in Mumbai.

The Living Room

The suite is divided into 3 rooms. The entrance opens into a living room that was tastefully done up in wooden furniture. The upholstery was on the sofas was rich and pastel.

The entire suite had wooden flooring and the walls were pale cream. That gave the room a smooth, warm tone. At the corner of the room was a study table which had a tray with a welcome letter for each of us and the Diamond amenities placed.

The amenities included a bottle of red wine, a box of chocolates along with an assortment of sweet and savory cookies.

The most wonderful thing in this room was the circular, rose window above the study table. I could see the palm trees and the sea from that window.

The room had a television that we could not get to work. After calling the technician we learnt that the remote battery had leaked. It made me think that perhaps the TV was not in use too much.

The living room balcony opened out into a lawn on the seaside, fringed with palm trees.

On one side of the balcony was an open air private Jacuzzi done up blue tiles that looked very inviting.

The dining room & the kitchenette

A one end of the living room was an impressive dining room that had an 8-seater dining table. The table and chairs were all in wood and on top on of the table a fruit platter was placed. Ostensibly, this was for entertaining a big family or a party, and not for the use of two people.

The balcony from the dining room opened out right in front of the swimming pool. The hotel has one of the largest swimming pools in India.

At the end of this room was the entry to the kitchen. This kitchen I realised was equipped well for long stays, or for entertaining a big party again. Apart from the regular microwave and amenities to make tea/ coffee, there was a cooking range, a toaster and a mixer grinder placed in the shelves.

The refrigerator was full size and instead of a mini bar offering we discovered a mega bar when we opened the fridge.

The shelves were well stocked with crockery and preserves. The only thing missing was a Nespresso machine, which I do think they should add in the kitchen. There was even a utility space with a washing machine and a dryer. I was  also surprised to notice that the Presidential Suite had an independent power supply unit.

The Bedroom & The Bathroom

The bedroom was large and divided in 2 parts by an elegant wooden separator that also doubled up as a shelf.

In one corner there was a lounge sofa perfect for a daybed and there was a reading chair as well.

On the other side of the separator was the bedroom, a king sized bed with side tables and a television. The room was furnished in a minimalist fashion and there was plenty of light and air coming in.

The balcony outside the bedroom had a long sitting couch again provided uninterrupted view of the palm trees, lawn and the sea in the back drop.

The room opened into a walking closet that had wardrobes and a dressing table with a straight back chair. The bathroom was as big as the bedroom. I have always loved the sunken bath tubs at this hotel but here not only was there a stone built bath tub but also a long walk in shower with four different kinds of shower heads.

The bathroom amenities were all Forest Essentials, a brand that manufactures all its products locally and uses a variety of herbs derived from sustainable agriculture. It’s a brand I absolutely love.

Overall, we had a wonderful 2 nights stay. It almost felt like we were living in a villa with a garden and a private beach all to ourselves. Even more the staff at this resort really know how make you feel special. The next day on our anniversary, the resort staff came to wish us with a cake and made us go down memory lane with a quick video they had made. They also gifted me a bouquet of red roses and a gift box that contained an assortment of natural ayurvedic products they use for treatment in Sereno Spa.

This is a place I can never get enough of not just because it is lovely resort but also because the staff at this place never leave any stone unturned to make our stay memorable.

You can check out the video we made of the Presidential Suite here, and we’ll continue with a separate review of the hotel as a whole shortly.

Have you stayed at the Park Hyatt Goa? I’d love to hear about your experience at this place.

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Pros

+ Massive amount of space
+ Truly hospitable staff

Cons

Nothing really!

Rating