ITC Grand Goa, Planning the vacation

Writing in after a while since the work challenges I had been through in the first half of the year.

With settling into a wonderful role, it was time for a short break and where else could I plan to relax than the lovely beaches of Goa.

So I started planning the trip looking at multiple options.

Being the Dushera holiday season, most of the hotels were full or the prices exorbitantly high.

I was in multiple thoughts to select between the below in order of cost and options to experience:

• Radisson & Novotel Dona Sylvia Resort – 2 nights each (hold Premium tier in Raddison & Gold in Accor)
• Taj Exotica Resort (Tata Neu no specific tier other than Epicure membership)
• ITC Grand Goa (Marriott Bonvoy Gold)
• St. Regis (Marriott Bonvoy Gold)

Made multiple bookings as the availability was getting limited but with a free cancellation option.

Final Selection

After much deliberation between a base category room in Taj Exotica vs. a Sew View room in ITC Grand Goa, the selection was in favour of ITC Grand (deciding factor was the lovely and the largest swimming pool in Goa tag it had).

Booking Experience

Coming to the booking experience, I am someone who prefers to book everything by myself for ensuring I build my vacation experience. Hence started looking at options on deriving a wonderful experience along with some returns on the money being spent for the booking.

I was contemplating between booking for ITC Grand Goa on the ITC app vs. Marriott Bonvoy app. This was a tough choice as ITC gives green points and Matriott Bonvoy points.

Status I hold with both:

ClubITC- Member

Marriott Bonvoy – Gold

So the choice to book shifted to Marriott Bonvoy.

Icing on the cake- ITC Grand Goa

Marriott Bonvoy runs promotions frequently and with this booking I was signed up for two such promotions:

Promotion 1– bonus of 1,500 points

Promotion 2– Double elite nights for nights stayed

So for this one booking with promotions that I signed up for, I received ~25,000 Bonvoy points (each point is ~₹0.32) for a 4N stay. This includes the additional bonus points rate I selected for this stay.

Well the earnings does not stop here…. Keep reading!

So thanks to a friend online (Ashwin) who posts details on redemption and how to gain better value, I was able to make this booking via United Airlines which would give me (at the time of booking) 4 miles / $ spent for this specific booking.

This would mean additional points coming my way which normally would hit my Bonvoy account in a months time!

The Travel Experience

Our journey started in Hyderabad with a layover in Bengaluru, kinda took the long route to Goa with Air Vistara, was an ok decision to do so.

Reaching Dabolim Airport, we were sceptical about the cabs as they tend to be at times super costly and as many of you are aware we might be charged 2-3 times by resorts we stay in.

We found Goa Miles to our rescue at the airport, a lovely celeria with prepaid option was selected on the app and the trip cost a little over ₹500 for the hotel drop some 20 – 25 minutes away. Highly recommend tourists to explore this option.

The Stay @ ITC Grand Goa

After taking the can and reaching the beautiful property of ITC Grand, we were welcomed with a Goan band and ushered to the reception.

Post a welcome drink later,we completed our check-in to the property and took the buggy to our home for the next 4 nights.

The room that we booked was a sea view room with beach and pool access.

Below are some clicks from the room.

List of all the restaurants at ITC Grand Goa where you can enjoy different cuisines: Restaurants at ITC Grand Goa

My Experiences at ITC Grand Goa

Overall right from reaching the airport to the property, the journey had been without any issues. The new cab system proved to be a great addition to reduce tourist challenges.

As we reached the property, we were welcomed in promptly and the room was kept ready.

A buggy took us to the room and the options explained along with the tour of the property.

The second day breakfast was a tad disappointing as the restaurant staff could not manage huge crowds and had to use a banquet and the service was mis-matched, when this was highlighted and also a friend reached out to the management, we immediately had an apology and a wine bottle as complimentary on the house (while I do not drink wine, this was a good move at least) and the subsequent restaurant visits were well managed.

The shack of ITC near the beach was a great addition to people who love watching sunset and sipping in coconut water or snacks. This is something that I personally love in South Goa beaches.

Swimming pool is by far the longest and spacious that I have seen in Goa and we did spend a good amount of time out there.

Kids play room had decent options and the management can probably add a few more PlayStation / Xbox equipment as kids love playing video games though this was well managed.

I would like to end this blog post wishing all my readers a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year 2024!

Looking forward to more travels in 2024 and sharing more through my blog post and social media handles. Stay Tuned!