Do you know what the recipe of a perfect vacation? I’ll tell you! It’s a beach city, some new friends, new places, wrong turns in an unknown, scrumptious food and good times. But what makes everything worthwhile is your accommodation. If you hotel or resort is not good, it’s not a perfect vacation.
Ibis Styles, GoaIbis Styles, Goa
If you follow me on instagram and other social channels, you must have seen my updates from Goa. Goa is December has it’s own charm. With all the Christmas & new year vibes in the air, December is indeed the best time to visit Goa. This time I experienced Ibis Styles hotel which is India’s first ibis styles from Accor group. This is a 4 star hotel with almost every amenity that is needed to make your vacation a perfect one.
Situated in north Goa, just about 5 minutes from Calangute beach, Ibis styles is a perfect place for a family vacation, leisure trip and a solo trip. I mentioned solo trip specifically because this was my solo trip and I never had so much fun before, in any one my solo trips. Frankly, I was sulking to think that it’s December, it’s Goa and I am travelling solo, how will I be able to enjoy. But all thanks to the staff of Ibis styles, they made my stay a truly memorable one.
Ibis styles is approx 37 kms from the Goa airport. It takes around 40 mins to reach. The hotel depicts a true Goan character with fine Portuguese aspects, colourful elements, inspiring decor and warm designs, every corner of Ibis styles switches on the holiday mood.
I’ll tell you a funny incident. When I checked-in, I told them that I want a pool-facing room and the reply that I got impressed me to the core. ‘Ma’am, all of our rooms are pool-facing!’ I was like, ‘what? Really? And how many rooms you have here?’ ‘197’. Woah!
Yes, they have 197 contemporary rooms and all are pool facing. There are 2 swimming pools and 1 kids pool in this property.
My room:
This was my room!
It’s a comfortable room with a good view. Every room has a balcony, just in case you wish to sit and chill for a while. I really liked the colour combination and interior of the room. It is just what is required for comfortable stay, no more no less.
Art of chilling with Ibis styles:
I just told you about the pools but apart from this, there is a children recreational area with toys and swings. There is also a cricket lane, play play station, go for cycling and more. They also offer their guests with GoPro cameras to capture underwater moments and while you play pool volleyball, pool basketball and Frisbee.
They also offer complimentary ride (pick and drop, obviously) in Thar Jeep to Tivai beach which shares a common shoreline as of Calangute beach.
There is a fully equipped gym too, for fitness freaks.
And just in case you feel tired, you can experience foot massage with their amazing foot massager machine.
Food:
There are two dining options in Ibis styles- Spice it, which is an all-day dining restaurant and The hub, which is a bar. Both are located right next to each other at the lobby level.
I tried veg version of local Goan dishes. Poi Pizza was the highlight of all food items I tried. It’s made of Poi bread which is a local bread you just get in Goa.
I also tried other intercontinental and regional food items too, like cheese poppers with green sauce, crispy veg, peru chilli, mushroom xacuti, pasta etc.
It’s Goa and you don’t really feel like getting up early in the morning because obviously you are on a vacation. Keeping this in mind, breakfast buffet at Spice it runs till 12pm from 7am, which is perfect for late-risers.
Special thanks to Executive Chef, Rahul Bhale and his team for the amazing scrumptious food and lovely Pavitra, the coolest bartender I’ve ever met, for fabulous cocktails.
What else?
If you are travelling for work and it’s your office outing trip, there is a conference room which is just perfect for meetings and conferences.
There is also an artifacts shop called Marcou, from where you can buy souvenirs, artifacts, jewellery and decor items to take back with you.
Hospitality:
I always talk about hospitality as I believe it is very important when you travel. The staff at Ibis styles was truly amazing. In first paragraph of this post, I mentioned that I didn’t sulk and had the best time so far, it was all because of the super cool staff. Everyone was friendly and ready to light up the moment with their smiles and hellos, right from the security guard to room service, waiters and everyone there. Special thanks to Vishal, Vaibhav and Love for keeping me company. You people rock! Also, this post wouldn’t be complete it I didn’t mention Raju bhaiya and Budhadeo. They were the sweetest.
All in all, if you are looking for a budget accommodation in North Goa, I would recommend you Ibis Styles.
For bookings and more details, check out Ibis Styles, Goa official website.
And oh, heads up.. Vlog coming up soon! Meanwhile subscribe to my Youtube channel here.
amazing!
a live presentation of a trip to Goa. 😍