As you know I got a weekend away in Goa recently and oh my God what a little slice of heaven it turned out to be! I checked out a new property called Coco Shambhala in Nerul (near Candolim) run by a lovely guy named Giles. The first thing that strikes you is just how peaceful and scenic it is there… Like walking into a postcard (kid you not, one of the few places I’ve been to that looks exactly like its website photos.) There’s a spotless pool in the middle of the four villas known as Rohini, Ashvini, Bharini and Ashleesha, each of which are uniquely designed by Giles & crew and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that the villas all have their kitchen and living rooms on the 2nd floor. This means you can lounge (as you tend to in Goa) with a fab view of the surrounding lush greenery and have the perfect spot to chill over breakfast, dinner or late night drinks with your peeps! (Just try to keep the volume down after 10pm out of consideration for the neighbors.) You can see tons of pix of the villas here and more pix from my weekend of bliss here 🙂 So If you’re looking for a little luxury R&R this is the spot for you, granted its not your 500rs a night in a shack on the beach bargain but deffy worth the summer splurge if you ask moi!
P.S. They’re fully booked up till the end of January but give Giles a shout to lock in a trip after that, tell him MissMalini sent you xoxo

Tell Me More, Tell Me More!

As soon as you get there Giles gives you the run down, everything from where you can find the iPod dock to restaurant recommendations around Goa (don’t miss Bomra’s for Burmese*, Thasalla for Greek and La Plage for French cuisine). You’ll also meet Rushad and Kiara who run the kitchen and will make you yummy breakfast, lunch and in-between munchies on demand (like nachos and avocado dip with fresh fruit margaritas) off no particular menu. If you have a big appetite be greedy like us and ask for extra bacon!) They also include a car and driver in your package for up to to 10 hours per day which comes in real handy if you don’t want to navigate a bike home in the dark.

The rooms are super comfy decked out with air-conditioning and flat screen TVs (and if you stay at Rohini say hello to my little friend Lizzie, the biggest poser in the lizard world, who wouldn’t budge an inch until he got hungry and took off to hunt!) If you’re into spa trips then hit up Joseph, their in house masseuse who has interestingly put his one-time martial arts training into healing people with his hands. Sign up for an hour-long treatment that you can get at their out-door massage table or in the comfort of your own villa. I think that just about covers it! So enough of the lip-service now I’ll let the pictures do the talking with a customary Goa photo series 🙂
*I’ve heard good things about Bomra’s although I’ve never been, but its on my list so watch this space!

MissMalini’s Goa Must-Tries!

Apart from some fabulous places to eat, Goa has some stupendous places to drink 🙂 one of my favorites on this trip was the beach-front bar at Marbela Resort. I even got a chance to meet Paul & Caoilinn who run the resort and found them utterly delightful. Also I’m heading back for New Year’s Eve and plan to check out the much anticipated re-opening of Daniel Shah’s Club Cubana “nightclub in the sky”. If you’re interested its 6,000rs VIP/head and 3,5000rs regular/head, on December 31st, call Daniel +919823539000. See you there! xoxo

Coco Beach, Nerul
Bardez, Goa
email: info@shambhalavillas.com
m.  +91 (0) 9372267182