Not another Review!!

Not another review! What makes this different? Well, for starters, the person(s) reviewing stuff here are people who grew up in a world thats far removed from "the Reviews on Gruyere cheese and Asparagus..." In other words,
1. We love Amul butter - the salted yummy thing better than all the 'sophisticated' imported butter in the world!
2. We love the gooey, drippy sweetness of Indian sweets
3. We have, at some point in our lives, ate spoonfulls of Milkmaid conensed milk - right out of the can
4. We understand food and wine pairing (Courtesy the persistent lecturers in Hotel mgmt college), but would rather have chilled beer or the exotic looking potent cocktail with our spicy chicken tikkas or fish fries
5. Prefer to use words like 'delicate' for silks and 'sharp' for tools... NOT food!
6 Are dying find product which make lives easier for working mothers, wives, girlfriends or considerate (also read that as hen pecked) husbands and boyfriends!

So go on... pour your heart out about stuff you liked or hated!



Thursday, September 27, 2012

Ronil Beach Resort Goa - A review

The organization I work with has presence in over 150 locations in the country, which means there are often sudden SOS travel plans that are required to be done. The presence of an uber-efficient admin department ensures that the tickets miraculously get booked, accommodation and cabs are waiting to receive you, and much of the heartburn associated with official travel is taken care of.

One such split second travel plan was made to Goa. (consider my plight - I reach Goa after a murderous 3 hour flight from Delhi, rush in and out of meetings, and virtually drag myself into bed - only to rush out of Goa the next day - its GOA we're talking about people - and I didn't even seen the damn beaches!!).

Anyway, the closest hotel to the unit I was supposed to visit was a place misleadingly called 'Ronil Beach Resort' - I say misleading, because the beach is nowhere to be seen, and it was hardly a 'resort'. As I have said many times over, the product is important; but much more important is what you do with the product - the service.

In my usual style - the review, ladies and gents:

  • Location : Ummm....er.... this is Goa we're talking about. Throw a pebble into the air and it will land on a hotel or a home stay. So I would much rather go to a place that has a beach within walking distance. And a place that has access to many other food joints - especially seafood! This resort is located a little away from the beach, and is also a tad difficult to locate if your driver is not a local guy. Also, if you do not have a car, going to any other food joint is impossible, and you are pretty much at the mercy of the hotel chefs (more on that later).

  • Rooms : Well, lets just say that the first room that was given to me, I was aghast, and after a few screaming friendly threats, I was shown another room, in a similarly sad state, but cleaner. The place looked like the owner was just milking the resort without actually investing anything back. Once upon a time the resort would have been a pretty place, with rooms and balconies that overlooked the pool. But today, it needs renovation, and prayers.

  • Service : After 11 pm and before 7.30 am, don't expect your phone calls to the reception to be picked up. And God forbid if you need an early breakfast - in the words of the service staff, "The breakfast starts at 7.30 am. And 7.30 means 7.30." (complete with crossed arms and grumpy face). A sucker for trouble, I decide to see if "7.30 means 7.30..." And guess what - 7.45 am and the chef walks in whistling a tune, hands in his pocket, unaware of the smoke coming out of my ears. I grabbed a knife and stabbed him on his paunch spread some marmalde on a slice of bread (I had a long day ahead, you know! And one shouldn't take out anger on the food....) and then stomped out of the restaurant, and checked out immediately! At the reception, I thought I'd pour my woes out to the grandfatherly Front Office Executive, and he simply said, "Whatever you want to say, you can write in this remarks book." Yeah right! As if the report would reach the right person! In fact, as if the 'right person' cared!!

  • Facilities : The pool was clean. The washroom was clean. (in need for maintenance, but clean). Don't expect fluffy towels and feather soft beds - these are worn out too. Clean, yes. No toiletries to boast of. Luckily I carry my own.... the ones kept in the washroom were not in any sense of the word, appealing.
Verdict : For a rack rate of over Rs. 3500 for a standard room, which can go up to Rs 7000 in season time (October to Feb), this is a place I'd not be venturing into if someone held a gun to my head!

10 comments:

  1. put up the reviews in tripadvisor.in and makemytrip.com .. will give others fair warning. I always check there while deciding

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    1. I know I should be doing that - its just that the effort of writing all this again is killing!!! :-)

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  2. I've stayed at Ronil Resort twice and though I find it pretty much okay-ish (until they ridiculously increased their tariff) my main grouse with the place was their rude and off handish staff, who on the other hand were very polite to foreign guests!

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    1. Thanks Maryann - so that means I am not over-reacting, huh? Service is really terrible; and come to think of it, I too now think the foreign guests were probably better treated!

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  3. Well that was a nice review, could help me if I plan out to have a trip there...

    Do land in my world some time... :)

    http://apparitionofmine.blogspot.in/
    http://creativeworldofnoopur.blogspot.in/

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    1. Thanks Noopur - make sure your expectations are suitably set if you plan to visit this place. Will certainly visit your blogs soon! Thanks for coming by.

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  4. India has many beautiful country with attractive tourist places, like beaches in goa. Goa is a very famous place for spend time, holiday and enjoy honeymoon. So find a suitable cheap flight to goa and delhi to goa flights with affordable price.

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    1. hmmmmm........ Aaryan.... that was a cheap marketing gimmick - try being a genuine blogger !

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  5. Brilliant review Nirvana.. actually reviews like these are the need of the hour.. I remember going to Goa some three years back.. we just picked up some 'resort' on the net and my friend in Dubai paid money by netbanking and when we reached there, they said they didn't even get any money or did they make any bookings under his name!!! We later got a great place by Baga beach for a good price on our own but after that experience, I've been very wary of netbanking through hotels' own sites.

    But reviews like these really help.. at least people dont have to get cheated by a website.. like Roshan sez, do try uploading the same on tripadvisor.. can save a lotta people a lotta money n a lotta headaches :)

    As always, sooper insightful review Nirvana :)

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    1. Thank you RAJ .... yes, tripadvisor needs to be updated (especially because these guys advertize the resort as a Tripadvisor Recommended one!!! Sheeesh!!

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