The Menon's Weekend Getaway to Neemrana Fort Palace

Ever since Adhira arrived, it feels like the hubs and I have been running around like headless chickens. And for some reason, we seem to be tired all the time! :) So when the long weekend came up at the beginning of May, we decided to head off to the Neemrana Fort Palace with some friends for a night. It would be Adhira's first overnight trip with us and we were quite excited and just a little nervous too.

Last year the hubs and I visited Kesroli Hill Fort hotel, another property of the Neemrana group, and I've been wanting to visit Neemrana ever since then. The Neemrana Fort Palace is actually a hotel, in fact one of India's oldest heritage hotels and it's about a 90 minute drive from Gurgaon. It's a beautiful structure that is nestled on a hillock and offers magnificent views of the surrounding area. 

We had a great time there, spent some fun time in their pool, sipped on some cool beers while the kids played, and I, of course, spent some quality time in their Spa. The spa offers some great treatments, although a little on the pricey side, and to be honest, I have had better massages, but they do a nice facial, which I really did enjoy. 

The rooms in Neemrana are pleasant enough, although I think they need a little bit of attention in terms of upkeep. The ac in our room was leaking, but we just couldn't be asked to complain, since we spent most of our time out of the rooms. The food, though, is wonderful and their lunch spread is especially good. A little word of caution, with this hotel though, my view is that the Neemrana Fort Palace hotel, while lovely and romantic, does throw up some issues for infants as well as for anyone with knee problems. There are just so many steps to climb, and everything is spread out over such a distance, that at one point I got lost in search of the lunch room :) For me, Kesroli Fort, because of its smaller size, offers a much more intimate setting, with beautiful rural scenery and you can let your kids run arounds without fear of them toppling down stairs :)

While I wanted to stay on for another night, the hubs wisely decided to keep it to one. According to him, we would need the rest of the weekend to recuperate from the trip. While initially there was quite an animated 'discussion' over this, I concede that in hindsight he was right (for once). Travelling with a child is quite tiring :) In between all the swimming, spa time and running around behind Adhi, I did manage to click a few pics ... enjoy!

[All images by Shalini Pereira. Please do not use without prior written permission]

3 Magical Days at Vivenda Dos Palhacos, Goa

There are some places where you go on holiday and you end up never wanting to leave! Vivenda Dos Palhacos, a quirky boutique hotel in the South of Goa (Majorda to be exact), was just this sort of place. A group of all school friends planned a reunion of sorts over the long weekend and this lovely hotel/B&B provided us with the perfect setting to catch up, unwind and reminisce about the good old days :) 

The hotel itself consists of a beautifully restored one hundred year old Portuguese Mansion and an old house with rammed earth walls (which have now been made into the main house) and a few old outhouses. The setting is a typical Goan village and it's quite an interesting feeling waking up to cocks crowing and also hearing the village church bells ringing in the evening. The setting reminded me so much of childhood family vacations in our ancestral home, now sadly sold off. 

The property is owned by brother-sister team, Simon and Charlotte Hayward, and they are the most amazing hosts. Charlotte has travelled all over India and she was always ready to help with suggestions on the best places to visit in Goa. 

Breakfast is a communal meal and all the guests sit together and share stories about their adventures and experience. This massive concrete table was where we were treated to the most amazing breakfast of fruit, cereals, fresh Goan pav, eggs, the most delicious banana pancakes and homemade preserves- I could go on and on. The staff is incredibly helpful and go out of their way to make you feel at home. My tip would be to enjoy breakfast and head out for lunch and dinner, although they do have a fixed dinner as well as an al a carte menu. If you do it eat, try their burgers and the chilli prawn salad and for dessert, their chocolate pots are to die for.

A great amount of thought and care was put into the styling of this hotel. It's Indian, but still modern and the owners tongue in cheek sense of humour is unmistakable throughout. The bar/reception is the hub of all activity and its here where you can book yourself in for a massage (done by the most amazing couple) or order yourself an evening cocktail (they do a great Gin and Tonic and Dry Martini).

If you are a bit of a romantic, a dreamer and have a quirky sense of humour, then Vivenda Dos Palhacos is for you. It's a place to go and forget about the hustle and bustle of city life and get a feel of life in a Goan Village, although quite a luxurious one. If you are however expecting 5 star luxury, sparkling clean floors and instant service, then its most definitely not. This is a sort of home away from home, and in true Goan fashion, things happen at a different pace. I absolutely loved my stay here. It's quite kid friendly too and is perfect for a group of friends holidaying together. A must visit in my books. 

[All images by Shalini Pereira, please do not use without prior written permission]

Faith, Flowers and the Market

Just outside Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy, there are rows and rows of vendors selling beautiful fresh flowers for the faithful to take in as offering to Lord Buddha. I was absolutely captivated by the flowers,the different colors of lotus flowers and the sweet, intoxicating scent of jasmine and frangipani.

It's strange when you visit a place, you go with a goal to see certain specific sights and to tick them off your list. But its often the mundane,the simple things that you encounter on the journey that end up leaving lasting memories. A taste, a smell, a conversation... it's these tiny things that you treasure the most.

I guess that quote, "Its not about the destination, it's about the journey to get there" is true, unless of course you are stuck on a plane of course :) Have a great weekend everyone!

[All Images- Shalini Pereira. Please do not use without prior written permission]

A Spiritual Afternoon Among Monkeys, Men and Lotus Flowers- Damulla Caves, Sri Lanka

One of the day trips we made from Kandy was a visit to Sigiriya and Dambulla. I had heard that Sigriya was an awesome sight and Dambulla was a bit over rated. But to be really honest I much preferred my visit to the Dambulla Caves. 

I'm not exactly a spiritual person and, as I grow older, I find myself leaning more and more towards atheism, but the visit to Dambulla struck a chord in me for some reason. The caves had a quality about them... a sort of stillness and sense of peace that I found comforting. I can understand why it is a place of pilgrimage for so many. 

Dating back to the 1st century BC, and now a World Heritage Site, the complex consists of five caves carved from the base of a 150m high rock. We visited in the afternoon and luckily there wasn't too much of a crowd. I used the chance to click as many pictures as I could... here are a few of my favourites. 

[All Images- Shalini Pereira. Please do not use without prior written permission]

Our Sri Lankan Food Odyssey

Aside from the fact that we had an amazing time in Sri Lanka, our stomachs had an equally amazing time! While there we made it a point to try all kinds of things... street food, bakery food, joints where the locals eat, places highly recommended on tripadvisor and some lesser known, but equally amazing places. 

Food in Sri Lanka is quite similar to the food you would find in Kerala and Goa even, but it's a little spicer... something the hubby really enjoyed. I enjoyed it equally, but was popping antacids after every meal :) Lots of vegetarian options and amazing seafood.  Here is our food journey documented through pictures I clicked along the way...

Curry Rice

You can't visit Sri Lanka and not enjoy some curry rice! It comes with some vegetable side dishes, a meat or fish curry, coconut sambal, popadoms and dal. I loved devilled chicken and devilled potatoes, but i wasn't a fan of the dried fish dishes I tried in Sri Lanka... true to my Goan roots, I think the Goan style dried fish is much much better :)

The best curry rice I had was at a CHC (Ceylon Hotels Corporation) Rest 

House, Sigiriya, just before the Sigiriya site

The second best rice curry I had was at Rockview Restaurant, just outside of Kandy, in pahala Kadugannawa. This restaurant offers amazing views and at around noon you can see the train chugging up the hill... its a great place for lunch.

The incredible view from Rockview Restaurant

EGB

No EGB, No Food! That's the catch line for this delicious ginger beer drink that is EGB. It is a VERY popular soft drink in Sri Lanka and the most refreshing drink I've ever had! The perfect pick me up in the afternoons, when it's hot and energy levels are dropping :) The hubby and I drank so much of it and even had it on the flight back... I wish the Elephant Company, which manufactures EGB would start selling it in India. (hope someone high up in Elephant Co. is reading this)

Paratha Roti 

This one is really bad for you... but like all things that are bad for you, it tastes amazing :) the parata roti is like a cross between a malabar paratha and a maida batura. It's light and fluffy, flakey and greasy and so good with curry.

It's also quite an art form to make it- very difficult and you need to be quite 

skilled... a real theatrical performance 

Roti

Roti is like a stuffed paratha, but its much thicker and in the shape of a triangle. Its a very popular breakfast snack or anytime snack. You get rotis stuffed with chicken, keema, vegetables and egg. I heard that you also get rotis stuffed with banana and nutella, but sadly i never came across any :( The best roti we had was in Kandy Muslim Restaurant in Kandy... it was really spicy and the hubby loved it. The staff there were mostly Tamilian and assumed the hubby was one too... luckily the hubby knows Tamil, so they were happily chatting with him throughout our meal.

Kuttu Roti

Another popular meal is kuttu roti. Like a Sri Lankan hakka noodle except the noodles are replaced with chopped up strips of roti. You get different versions with vegetables, chicken or egg and all are delicious. Kuttu roti is served with two gravy accompaniments - a spicy gravy and a bland gravy. The hubby and I disagree when it comes to the place for the best kuttu roti... the hubby liked the kuttu at Kandy Muslim Restaurant, while I liked the kuttu at Ella Roti Hut in Ella. 

Seafood

Food is quite cheap in Sri Lanka, especially when you compare it to Gurgaon or Delhi, especially when it comes to seafood. So if you love your seafood, eat as much of it as you can while you are in Sri Lanka. The seafood is so fresh! We really enjoyed our seafood once we got to the coast of Sri Lanka. In Tangalle, Galle and Colombo. I ate a lot of crab! I think I shocked the hubby when he saw me eat a whole crab :)

Some nice grilled prawns that we really delicious. We had this at our hotel 

in Tangalle, Serein Beach Hotel

Crab I devoured at Reef Edge Restaurant on polhena Beach Road, polhena, 

Matara... amazing seafood... not so great vegetarian options... 

so the hubby was not impressed

And food always tastes better in a setting like this... you can taste the salt in 

the air, smell the sea and it felt we were floating on the ocean... one of the 

most stunning settings to enjoy a meal.

On our last day in Colombo, we made a pilgrimage to the very Famous Beach Wadiya... This is a totally unpretentious restaurant that has some really famous clientele. The food here is awesome for both vegetarians as well as seafood lovers. Sit outside and look out at the beach and the waves, but you will have to beware of the crows that swoop down and attempt to steal food off your plate :) 

We ate baked chilli crab (this place is famous for it), devilled potatoes, stir fry spinach and egg fried rice. We washed all this down with some beer and we paid around Rs 1500/-!!! Can you imagine! 

Drink lots of Lion Beer!

I know as a proud Indian I shouldn't say this... but I love Lion Beer... I think it puts Kingfisher to shame... go ahead and hate me now :)

Enjoy Sri Lankan Tea

The tea in Sri Lanka is really good. And we had a lot of it and brought a lot of it back as well :) One of the nicest places where we really enjoyed afternoon tea was Mlesna Tea Center. Its a small, quaint little shop in Kandy, on Dalada Vidiya Street. Downstairs you can buy different varieties of tea and if you go up to the first floor, they offer tea and cakes.  We went there twice while we were in Kandy.

The best eclair I have ever tasted was here

Avocado Juice

Avocado juice is another popular juice here. I've not really seen avocado juice anywhere before... smoothies yes, but not juice. We finally got a chance to try some in Galle. Word of advice...if you have a craving for avocado juice in Galle, keep in mind that everything inside Galle Fort is very, very expensive. Take a short walk to the city centre, outside the fort and enjoy juices at unbelievable prices!

This was a place near the fruit market in Galle. Cost of juice inside the fort is 

SLR 250-300... SLR 40 outside :)

Have a meal at The Gallery Cafe, Colombo

If you are in Colombo for a day stop of here for a meal or tea or even a cocktail. The Gallery Cafe is located in what used to be Geoffrey Bawa's office. It's a beautiful setting and a must visit if you a designer, architect or if you love courtyard architecture. The Gallery Cafe is located in quite a posh, up-market area so be on the look out for celebrities... we ran into Arvinda DeSilva here:) The food and cocktails here are really good too. Unfortunately we visited for dinner and the lighting was too low to take any decent pictures. Whatever you eat here, make sure you leave room for dessert. I recommend the vanilla panna cotta and if you are a chocolate lover like me... the chocolate nemesis, which is a baked chocolate mousse, is a thing of beauty!  

[All Images- Shalini Pereira. Please do not reproduce without prior written permission]