My birthday occurs on the 15th of April each year! This time it was my 40th birthday. On the occasion of my birthday my parents decided to take me along to the Club Mahindra Resort in Assonora in Goa this year – 2025 for a 3 Nights and 4 Days stay. We checked-in on the 20th of April in the afternoon. After a long drive by car, Dad was exhausted but we were happy to have reached our destination. So, after completing the check-in formalities we entered our Studio room and we ordered lovely Chinese fare from the Gourmet Express – the in-room dining facility at the resort for the day’s lunch.
On the dining table at lunch time all the items along with the cutlery was laid out by my Mom. Studio apartments in the Club Mahindra resorts do have next to the dining table a kitchenette and a Fridge. All the dishes were delicious such as “Sweet Corn Chicken Soup”, “Golden Prawns Fry”, “Mixed Hakka Noodles” with Chicken, Prawns and Eggs. There was Dark Soy sauce and Red Chilli Shezwan sauce along with this. The “Sweet Corn Chicken soup” was prepared with Corn, Chicken, Chicken stock, Cornstarch to thicken the whisked egg whites for a creamy texture with seasonings like salt, pepper, ginger, and garlic. The soupy broth was piping hot and had a luscious relish! (Delight-in) The “Goan Golden Fried Tiger prawns” was deep-fried with Semolina having a crunchy crust and it tasted so scrumptious! Well, we had the “Mixed Hakka Noodles” cooked with Chicken, Prawns, Eggs! I noticed the noodle strands were thick, long and stringy. It was prepared with veggies like Carrots, Beans, Onions, Green Chillies, Soya Sauce and even Green Chilly sauce!
Just as we finished the lunch that day I dialled the Housekeeping extension number and to mend the room Mr. Lingraj arrived. He neatly arranged the blankets, bedspread on the bed and even handed over the toiletries in the washroom. At the kitchenette he even brought for us the Coffee, Brown sugar and Milk sachets. Lingraj even arranged for an additional duvet quilt on the sofa cum bed. I even asked for body lotion and hair conditioner which was supplied to us. We slept for about 2 hours this noon.
After a short nap we got ready to see the swimming pool at the resort. So, we walked slowly towards the pool in the evening at around 6PM and on way we observed green trees and other foliage around the property. By evening at around 7PM we noticed the lampposts around the pool and property were lit. Guests swarmed around this pool and many of them were swimming in their swimming costumes in the huge swimming pool. At the pool for the guests only swimming costumes are allowed. We clicked some interesting photographs this evening at the pool and then, walked back towards the entrance of this resort. On way to the lobby of this resort I pictured Dad next to a huge tree in the garden which had outstretched green stalks that appeared like an open fan and there were even huge green leaves over them.
At the lobby of the resort Mom and Dad were seated on the sofa while I enquired in case Mocktails were available at a counter near the lobby. At this counter there were a variety of beverages displayed for the guests which were available on purchase there. At the counter the staff said we could have “Fresh Lemonade” and we sipped Lemonade this evening. In the same area there was a display of semi-precious jewellery by a business woman which were on sale for women. The chunky jewellery seemed quite fascinating! There were on display thick chains, bold pieces of jewellery like cuff bracelets and rings.
We visited “JAUHAR” - a boutique at the resort where Kashmiri shawls, Cotton stoles, Ethnic wear & dainty bags for women were sold. We were at “CURRIES” – the Indian restaurant at the resort for dinner tonight. We just enjoyed “Chicken Manchow Soup” and a starter which was “Chicken Satay Gai”. This starter was a dish of skewered, marinated, and grilled chicken, typically served with a rich, sweet, and spicy peanut sauce. The chicken is marinated in a mixture of spices and herbs before being cooked over an open flame, giving it a smoky, charred exterior and a juicy, tender flavourful inside. It is a popular Indonesian dish. Well, tonight we desired to have a light meal and after that we leisurely walked back to the bedroom. For the night we dozed off on our cozy beds while watching the television.
The next day on the 21st of April, 2025, we woke up at 8AM and we were ready to go on an ECO Trail at the property itself. We wandered in the wilderness and found Jungle fruit bearing trees, tall Palm trees, Coconut trees and other trees like Jackfruit, Banana, Mango and kokum. There were Snake plants, flowering plants, creepers like Pumpkin and Aubergines were grown. Other ornamental plants and plenty of lemongrass was growing around. We also found rare bird species in the wild like Eagles, Wood Pecker, Common crows, Red- Whiskered Bulbul, the Myna, the Hornbill, the Owl and even Parrots. Since, it was genuinely rejuvenating to wander in the natural habitat we made it a point to go on the ECO trail on the first three days of our stay during the day time.
For the day, once the Eco trail was over we would return to the restaurant of the property to delight-in a delicious lunch. On the 21st, April, noon for lunch we had “Chilly Chicken Dry” again Mixed Hakka Noodles, Mixed Fried Rice and “Chicken Kung Pao” gravy! This “Kung Pao Chicken” gravy preparation was made with Chicken cubes, Red Chilly sauce, Tomato puree, Soya sauce, Brown Sugar, Garlic, Red Chillies, Green Chillies, Spring Onion whites & Greens. The gravy was spicy and combined well with the Fried Rice and Noodles. The same evening on the 21st April, we went around the property on a buggy ride and Mr. Manoj Mashelkar from the staff drove us around the gardens. The view outside was alluring! From the staff we even learnt about the “Adventure Park” and it takes around 4 hours to watch this entire property. For dinner that day we just had some “Sweet Corn Chicken” soup which was light on our belly.
On the 22nd April although we continued going for the Eco trail we returned back to enjoy a delicious Indian meal at the restaurant. This afternoon at first, we enjoyed “Latte” and some milk cookies with that. We even ordered “Chole Bature” and the preparation was awesome. After lunch, there was a Tree plantation drive and my parents participated in this event. My parents planted two saplings and watered the plants. Photographs of everyone present there were captured by the staff. In the evening we enjoyed in our bedroom sipping hot “Coffee” and watching the television.
On the 23rd of April we would be checking-out from our room. We were happy to enjoy a three nights and four days stay at the resort. After our check-out and before leaving the resort we had lunch at the restaurant. For this afternoon we ordered only Goan speciality. This time we ordered a plate of extra-large “King Fish Rava Fry” which were two large pieces of the fish, one large “Mackeral Rava Fry” and “Goan Tiger Prawns” curry accompanied with fresh Basmati Rice! I have even enclosed some interesting pics of our trip to the resort! Hope you guys loved to read this all round travel review at the Assonora resort!