Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa

Spread out across 28 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens overlooking the Arabian Sea next to the stunning Fort Aguada, Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa is an elegant beachfront property built in a traditional Portuguese-Goan style. Accommodation consists of 142 air-conditioned terracotta-tiled cottages and villas a short stroll from the beachfront, all stylishly equipped with a separate seating area, 32-inch flat-screen TV, DVD player, contemporary bathroom and a choice of balcony or sit-out with scenic garden or ocean views.

Taj Holiday Village serves sumptuous food. The multi-cuisine Caravela is set out in the open with views of the sea. Goan-Portuguese fusion seafood is prepared in a live kitchen at the Beach House and Thai cuisine is cooked to perfection beneath an ancient banyan tree at the Banyan Tree restaurant. The Drift Bar offers a stylishly eclectic lounge atmosphere in which to enjoy sushi, sake and tapas with world music and dramatic sea views as a backdrop, and you can also relax and soak in the sunken pool bar and spend a perfect afternoon sipping a cocktail, or for deeper relaxation head to the Jiva Spa and rejuvenate with their range of therapies including massages, body scrubs and wraps. Tennis, squash, volleyball, cricket and golf are all available and the gym is excellent. Children are welcome and benefit from their own play area, restaurant and pool.

The pink sands of Sinquerim Beach, studded with bamboo beach shacks renowned for their Goan fish dishes, are fantastic for strolling along, and at the end of the beach is a small stretch of sand sectioned off by the old ramparts of Fort Aguada where you can sign up for water-skiing, banana boats, and parasailing. Sleepy Sinquerim’s tangle of palm-lined streets is dotted with charming colonial mansions and traditional Goan houses, while twenty minutes away is Panaji, Goa’s capital, where opulent colonial buildings brush up against ornate Hindu temples. At the Goa State Museum, there’s an eclectic collection of local art, photography and sculpture.

When to go

Central India, Mumbai and Goa are best visited between November and March when it is less humid, the temperature is pleasant and sun is pretty much guaranteed. During the summer months from April to September, temperatures can be a little high, but relief can be found in the early mornings and evenings. April and May are the hottest months of the year and if you can handle the heat, mark the best time to spot wildlife in some of India’s many National Parks. Monsoon season in Goa begins during June, when the hot temperatures are cooled with the introduction of rain, turning the countryside luscious and green. In Mumbai, the monsoon washes out the months of June to August with almost non-stop rain, so it is best to avoid visiting at this time.