Worth a stop, en route between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, is Pokaran Fort. It’s a good spot to enjoy meeting fellow local tourists and stretch your legs.
India
Casa Anjuna, Goa – sleeping
StandardThis converted Portuguese mansion offers four types of rooms, each with it’s own charm.
1. Standard rooms start at $108 in the low season and are lovely. (Casa Special Rooms)
Room 7 (A block first floor, overlooking the front garden)
Room 6 (A block first floor, overlooking the front garden)
Room 9 (A block first floor, no balcony)
Room 8 (A block first floor, no balcony)
Garden rooms G1 & G2 are in a bungalow in the front garden and share a common entry.
Pool rooms 1&2 are in a bungalow next to the pool. P1 is opposite the restaurant.
2. Luxury Rooms (Casa Favourite) start at $122 in the low season
Room 1 (Ground floor A block) has a lovely verandah onto the front garden but could lack privacy in the busy season.
Room 2 is at the other end of the verandah and is also a luxury room.
Room 4 has a lovely verandah, but it looks on to the restaurant.
Room 10 (first floor A block) has access to two nice shared areas with Room 11.
Room 11 (first floor A Block)
Room B1 (ground floor B Block)
Room B2 (Ground floor) B Block
Room B3 (first floor B Block)
Room B4 (first floor in B Block)
Room 12 (A Block second/top floor, overlooking back garden) next to suites.
3. Suites (Casa Luxury) (A Block second/top floor, overlooking the pool/back garden) start at $222 low season
Shared areas on top floor A Block (shared by Room 12, Mango Suite, Palm Suite)
Mango Suite (lots of room, but not as charming as other rooms).
Palm Suite (more charm than Mango Suite, and lots of room).
Also in the Suite category is…..
Room B5 (Ground floor B Block) (Opposite Room 1 in A Block)
and…
Penthouse suite (top floor B Block) has lots of room, and a kitchen.
My favourites were the Luxury Rooms (Casa Favourites) Rooms 1&2, on the ground floor of A Block as they have the lovely verandahs overlooking the front garden and are close to the shared areas. (But they would lack privacy in the busy season). Room 4 on the ground floor near the restaurant in A block is nice in very low season if it’s quiet (but otherwise would be very public).
The Standard (Casa Special) Garden Rooms are lovely, private and over look the front garden. They are ideal for two couples who are travelling together as they have a shared entrance area.
Luxury Rooms (Casa Favourites) Rooms 1,2,3& 4 in B Block are also very nice (and could be more private than rooms in A Block), but are away from the restaurant and shared areas.
Standard (Casa Special) Rooms 6& 7 in A Block on the first floor, are also nice (7 has a great bathroom) and have small balconies overlooking the front garden. Room 6 nearby is also nice with plenty of room, but no balcony.
The Suites are not very attractive (but the Palm Suite is the best as it does have a four poster bed.) However, there’s lots of room if you need to fit in an extra bed.
Standard (Casa Special) Room 5 on the ground floor of A block has a verandah like Room 4, that overlooks the pool but is more private. It is near the restaurant and could be busy. Room 3 in A Block is on the ground floor at the bottom of the stairs and probably not very desirable.
Casa Anjuna, Goa – eating
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The garden setting restaurant at Casa Anjuna serves meals, snacks and drinks throughout the day (very handy if it’s rainy).
The room tariff includes a generous breakfast with both western and delicious Indian options.
Besan ka cheela Goan pao
Aloo Paratha
The lunch and dinner offer a range of classic Goan dishes and are a good option if you want to eat in.
Chicken Xacuti and Kuchumber salad
Prawn curry & rice Prawn vindaloo
Fish Masala Rava Fry Marsala papad
Casa Anjuna, Goa – gorgeous shared spaces
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While most of the rooms at Casa Anjuna’s are lovely to stay in. one of the villa’s best features is all the shared spaces to enjoy.
Balcony on first floor A block (outside rooms 10 & 11) Front garden
Restaurant
Pool
Foyer A block
Casa Anjuna, Goa – ideal spot to stay in the rainy season
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Casa Anjuna, in quieter , leafier Anjuna, North Goa, is a converted Portuguese mansion, packed with character and charm.
It is open and full of gorgeous spots to sit, making it ideal in the rainy season for sitting and drinking marsala chai or a gin and tonic and watching rain fall on the lush garden setting.
Most rooms feature four poster beds and antique furniture and many have sit outs and balconies. There are so many lovely rooms, it’s hard to pick and even the base level rooms are a great choice.
Staff are friendly and immensely helpful, there’s a lovely pool, the restaurant offers a range of good choices and room prices start at $108 in the low season.
Around Anjuna – Goa
StandardAnjuna is well known for it’s huge Wednesday flea market (October to April only), its hippy history and it’s parties. In low season however, it’s green and quiet ( really quiet as lots of places are closed).
Good places to eat in low season include Curlies that stays open all year round…
And Villa Anjuna Guest House….
…and the Burger Factory.
Oxford Arcade is a terrific small supermarket stocking great buys including alcohol.
$AUS3 for 750ml gin
Around Jaisalmer – worth a look
StandardA few more interesting spots to visit around Jaisalmer that take you into the countryside, include….
Gadjisar Lake
Barabagh Royal Cenotaphs
The Sam Sand Dunes
Suryagarh Hotel Jaisalmer – absolutely delicious for food
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Suryagarh Hotel, 16km out of Jaisalmer, is beautiful, but isolated in the desert.
While rooms can be quite affordable, especially in the low season, food and drink is expensive, at Australian prices.
That said, the dining is very, very memorable….and there’s a few ways to stay in budget.
Welcome drinks and snacks are amazing and extremely generous.
Then, through your stay, little treats and sweets arrive mysteriously in your room.
Breakfast is included in the room price and is incredible, including a ‘chaat bar’ (make your own snacks) and traditional Indian sweets, as well as Indian breakfast foods and marsala chai served in a variety of traditional ‘tea cups’.
The setting for breakfast is lovely and peacocks wander around the courtyard.
Dinner is silver service, glamourous and romantic in the courtyard and very, very good.
Safed chicken, rice, misi roti $AUS25 Bundi ladoo
If you have enjoyed the arrival snacks and sweets that arrive in your room, then really, one main, bread and rice is enough for two people…and helps to compensate for otherwise steep prices.
The complimentary sweets are very lovely too.
Another tip to stay in budget is to take some pre-dinner drinks and snacks out with you (a welcome tip from a fellow traveller).
Gin is $AUS3 for 750ml (a bargain)
Navaratri Celebration – a Canberra Spring Festival (with great food)
StandardSpring is a great time to be in Canberra for festivals and September-October coincides each year with the Gujarati community’s Navarati Celebrations – colourful, spectacular and great fun, featuring amazing traditional clothes, music, dances and food!
Organised by the Gujarati Samaj of ACT, the Festival of Dance, Raas Garba and Dandia runs for ten nights – this year from 25 September to 4 October 2014.
The Sur Vrund Group from Vadodara, Gujarat India is providing some great music that inspires some amazing dancing.
Everyone looks so beautiful, dressed in some very special outfits and there is an obvious pride and pleasure in celebrating shared traditions and experiences.
Much effort has gone in to creating some wonderful traditional Indian vegetarian food with new dishes being added to the menu each night.
Chocolate Baklawa Methi na Gota $5
Ras Malai $5 & Mango & Cardamon Lassi $3 Behl $5
Samosa Chat $5 Dabeli $5
Pav Bhaji $7 Mancuria with Gravy $7
Mango Kulfi $5
And Canberra joins communities all around Australia and the world, celebrating Navarati at the same time.
Here’s a great fun Bollywood version of Garba sent by a lovely friend.
Suryagarh Hotel – Jaisalmer
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There’s no substitute for staying in the fort wall in Jaislamer, but if you’re looking for something different, Suryagarh, 16 km out of town, looks amazing….and it is.
Rooms start from about $AUS14o for a double (which is all you need) in low season, $AUS 200 for a suite.
Suite
There are nice facilities and walk ways.
And the property looks lovely as the light changes in the evening…..
…when there is also some traditional music and dancing to watch before dinner.
But it is really isolated. (It was good to know to take some drinks and snacks). Rooms have no view (which is why a double is enough, the extra space in the suite is not all that pleasant for sitting) and it’s easy to get ‘cabin fever’. Outside the room, there’s no air-conditioning, so when it’s hot, it’s really hot. And the walkways are latticed after the ground floor, so it’s easy to feel a bit imprisoned.
Best to get to the hotel late afternoon. It’s not a place to spend the day at.
In fact the best parts are arriving, the evening and breakfast…in fact the food is absolutely delicious. But that deserves a whole story of it’s own…..
Fine Eating 