MEET MARIA
The Heritage Village Club in Arossim feels more like a home away from home than a hotel.
Arossim beach is a tranquil stretch of golden sands and is home to one of south Goa’s best hidden secrets – the Heritage Village Club, offering spectacular sea views with leisurely swaying palm fronds. India’s first ‘all inclusive’ boutique resort, it pioneers the idea of the guest paying only one comprehensive price for all amenities.Owner Arjun Sharma, Managing Director of Le Passage to India, has maintained a high standard that gives the competition a run for its money. He scouted out the property in 1995, and completed the sea-facing hideaway two years later.
Part of the Select Hotels Group, the brand is strategically positioned in the Indian hotel industry through Heritage Village Resort and Spa Manesar, Gurgaon and the Goa property.
In fact, Select Hotels belongs to the fast growing dynamic of the Select Group, which has diverse business interests including real estate, travel and tourism, and private equity investments in biotechnology and publishing. Sharma says, “Our business philosophy inspires our vision and strength to achieve the highest standards imaginable. We continually pursue the spirit of innovation through all our businesses.”
The accommodation
The Heritage Village Club is a collection of 97 rooms which circumscribe a deliciously blue swimming pool and verdant landscaped gardens.
From 23 Superior Rooms to 47 Design Pool View Rooms to 24 Grand Club Rooms besides two Suites and a disabled-friendly Design Room – all are immersed in vibrant colours, besides being well-appointed, spacious and equipped with international standard amenities.
Additionally, guests benefit from the all-inclusive concept with plush accommodation, unlimited food, snacks between meals, in-house beverages and entertainment activities for the entire family.
The restaurants
One of the keys to overall success is exquisite dining, and the Heritage Village Club manages to pull out all the right stops.
Chutney is a Latin Quarter-styled, air-conditioned, all-day buffet restaurant. Here, guests are treated to a great spread of international, Indian and Goan specialties.
An outdoor à-la-carte Goan-style restaurant serving seafood and grills, Mango Terrace is the best option for dinner. A variety of Indian food is also served in traditional thalis with two meals a week included in the all inclusive package.
Head to Casa Rosa, a Mediterranean-style bar that presents just the right blend of cocktails after a day of deckchairs and umbrellas or dine at Forrest, a specialty Grilled Resto Bar for premium beverages and sumptuous grills.
After a splash out, the Poolside Snack Bar offers hot and cold snacks between meals. Guests can also float to the Swim-up Bar for the occasional drink.
The spa and other facilities
Want to ease out all that tension knotted up inside? Then escape to Ayura for a heavenly spa date. A full-fledged Ayurvedic spa, the therapies are based on an ancient science first developed in Kerala. The special treatments spread over three to seven days are aimed at people suffering from arthritis, spondylitis, migraines and stress.The Experience
It was a wonderful way to start the morning, stepping out onto the golden sands of Arossim beach, wading through the gentle waves, the coast stretching as far as the eye can see. My travel buddy and I arrived the day before into a gentle afternoon buzz which cocooned the Heritage Village Club.
We were warmly welcomed by Guitry Velho, General Manager, who has run the hotel impeccably for 15 years. With outstanding service, we were all set to be pampered during our stay.
Chefs Ramesh Chandar and Gajanan Kalwaghe both have a big job on their hands with the resort promoting the all inclusive package. They painstakingly make sure there is a wide assortment of fresh and delicious meals in all the eateries. Their recommendation of fresh Lobster Thermidor with a green salad and a chocolate fondant for after, made for a grand lunch. A few hours later we were relaxing in the gardens, enjoying our evening with live entertainment.
The next day we were treated to a wellness fix at Ayura spa. Dr Naveen Kumar has been practicing Ayurveda for the past nine years at the Heritage Village Club. I was amazed by how he discovered my body type just by a feel of the pulse. After the consultation, the therapist was called in to create a personalised programme. The massage I indulged in was a rejuvenating Ayurvedic treatment followed by a steam bath which left my whole body revitalised.
A stay at the Heritage Village Club ticks all the appropriate boxes. With the people more like family or old friends, we felt rested with a new lease of life. On his third visit, a guest describes the experience as “coming home to our Goan family.” We left with a longing to return.
