Club Mahindra Resort - Emerald Palms, Goa — Hotel in Goa

Feels Like a Portuguese Dream!

Nestled in the peaceful alleys of Varca, Emerald Palms teleports you to Portuguese architecture at first glance. You are welcomed to a grand lobby by a seasoned local musician wearing a shirt as vivid as his smile playing ol’ Goan medlies on his guitar. The reception desk gives you a rush of local culture with a traditional Kokam sherbet. My check-in was processed by Pooja who even offered a choice of ground floor BR on knowing my mother was accompaning me.

The lobby connects to the Happy Hub gaming zone, Goan specialty La Terrazza restaurant, barbeque-themed Barbeque Bay, and full-service Sol Bar. La Terrazza offers buffet and a la carte Goan dishes and my personal picks were the Vegetable Xacutti with Goan rice, and the LIVE dosa counter.

The lobby takes you to a decently-sized swimming pool, archer’s shooting zone, temporary tattoo counter, hippie-themed stall of colourful necklaces, and a souvenir shop that houses swimming pool, archer’s shooting zone, temporary tattoo counter, hippie-themed stall of colourful necklaces, and a souvenir shop that houses swimming wear, lamps, dresses, and more.

On walking past further, you are surrounded by pinkish buildings on all sides with a European-styled white stoned mermaid fountain at the centre. My room was a BR which was clean and comforting. The bedroom in particular opened doors to panaromic views of lush green meadows.

The bedroom as well as the living room are equipped with individual temperature control screens. Equipped with TV and clean bathrooms, the stay couldn't get any better. The tea/coffee maker panted heavy sighs on being plugged and had to be replaced twice by the ever-helpful housekeeping staff.

The in-room dining was decently budgeted and had limited but few culinary options. I had ordered a plate of Idli & Vada (total eight pieces) and was priced at 485 INR after membership discount. A better idea would be to go to their in-house La Terrazza restaurant and choose one of the dishes from their wide-ranged menu for in-room dining.

The staff also arranges a buggy to traverse from the lobby to your room. Wi-Fi is available throughout the property and has the bandwidth to send emails and do Zoom calls. As I was visiting in November, rain huffed and puffed at odd times and complemented the setting beautifully.

There are only two restaurants outside Emerald Palms- Olive Garden and Meet You There. The bill will be 500 INR lesser than the in-house restaurants. There are no shops or tourist attractions near the hotel and the best option to explore South Goa from Emerald Palms is via a vehicle. Remember, nothing is walkable from the resort. I had taken a bike rental from Pais Rental Bike & Taxi which is right outside the resort’s gates.

Overall, my three night and four day stay at Emerald Palms was pleasant and memorable.

Special mention to the housekeeping team namely Rahul B, Rakesh, and Francisco who cleaned with remarkable skill, swiftness, and came in daily at 09.30...

A fantastic Holiday spot with loads of family events, engaging and entertainment. We stayed on a 4 days & 3 nights famiky package. We were welcomed with a welcome drink and let to check in early. Our every call was answered so quickly with a great response. I appreciate the team - 1) The housekeeping for their quick cleaning and fantastic response. 2) The Chefs and their team were top notch. The executives were so active and their behavior with kids, elders was amazing! Their extra mile smile and handling the elderly parents were awesome. The guy Nirmal was so active and quick in responding so many tables at the dining! The foods served on all days were awesome and different. So many varieties of foods both in veg and Non veg and different deserts. Kids loved it! 3) Play hub: varieties of indoor and outdoor games for the kids. Some are included in the package and some are paid. Beware of those games before playing else will be sudden surprise of payment. I was not even aware of a virtual sky diving, I thought he is just testing and Sat just like another game. I was not briefed out that it’s a paid game. 4) WiFi: 3 days I had called do many times of the WiFi password and complaints for it not working properly. I ended up using Mobile Network. On the last day the issue was sorted. Life without WiFi is really difficult especially when you are in a remote resort. I would appreciate if the front desk team briefs out all the facilities in the resort during checkin, which I felt was missing in our case. 5) Amenities: As I mentioned, we should have been briefed about Amenities. Nevertheless had a good time in the pool, bar and restaurants. Never knew a gym room was there. Kids play area is good. Safe and secured within the premises. 6) Certain hand made Indian sales were displayed, which was good!

The Most important point I would like to inform is please be careful with the package tours. Some of the things in the package is canceled due to monsoon. We had a tough time with the driver given to us: His name is Sandeep, impolite with the guests, fights on the way and stops and threatens to get down. Before boarding the cab, we told him to cover the places and drop us in the Station at the end. Later he said I cannot cover certain places because it’s is closed due to monsoon and you have to pay extra though within the package it is after 8 pm. He literally fought with us on the road and asked us to get down and find our way. We had children in the car and new to the place. We had a train to catch. He was very unprofessional and impolite. Drivers like these are not customer friendly and a black spot...

Our recent stay at Mahindra Emerald Palm in Goa was a mixed bag of delightful experiences and areas ripe for improvement. The resort's staff, especially Mr. Somnath in the restaurant, were commendable for their courteous and customer-friendly approach. His prompt service and attention to our needs significantly enhanced our dining experience.

The room we stayed in was spacious, neat, and clean, which we appreciated. However, the décor and furniture showed signs of age and could definitely use an upgrade. A notable mention is the outdated television set, which unfortunately did not support our Firestick, slightly dampening our in-room entertainment experience. The balcony, although potentially a charming feature, was poorly maintained and covered in bird droppings.

When it comes to food and dining, the breakfast options like pancakes and dosa were enjoyable, and the gajar halwa was particularly delicious. The Indian food overall was good, although the Kathi Roll didn't quite hit the mark for us. The room service and housekeeping staff were efficient, ensuring our room was always clean and well-stocked with fresh towels.

The resort's facilities were adequate; the pool was standard and the game room, while offering free board games and table tennis, charged for Playstation and VR games, which we found slightly bothersome. A suggestion for the resort would be to provide a shuttle service to Varca beach, which is about 600 meters away. The absence of this service and the high taxi charges made beach visits less convenient.

The lobby and reception area presented a posh and well-maintained look, contributing to the overall good condition of the property. In terms of value for money, our booking through the RCI bonus week program felt well worth the amount paid. However, if one were to consider the regular rate of around 10,000 INR per night, it might prompt a comparison with other 4-star resorts in Goa.

For improvements, we suggest an upgrade to the room furniture and décor. Additionally, equipping rooms with at least a 50-inch television would greatly enhance the guest experience. While our stay was enjoyable, these enhancements would elevate the resort to a higher standard of...