Have a Cool Summer: 5 Amazing Water Sports in Goa

Visiting Goa at least once in a lifetime always finds a place in the bucket list of any adventure enthusiast, especially those who love water sports. In 2014, 40,58,226 domestic and international visitors managed to fulfil their wish, says data released by the Department of Tourism, Government of Goa. This represents a 30 percent rise from the previous year. The craze for Goa is such that in 2015, the city managed to cross the five million mark in terms of visitors, playing host to 5.30 million tourists. 

The thrilling water sports in Goa attract tourists from all over the world. Here are the 5 best sports that could compel you to check domestic flights to Goa, especially the frequent ones from Mumbai.

5 Amazing Water Sports You Should Enjoy in Goa

 

1.      Banana Ride: Sitting on an unpowered, inflatable recreational banana boat meant to be towed, is an experience in itself, which no one should miss. Baga and Candolim beaches are the perfect destinations to enjoy banana boat ridesm in which you can be joined by your family and friends as well. Prefer summers for these rides, while equipping yourself with safety handles and life jackets.

2.      Windsurfing: A great surface water sport, windsurfing is a combination of sailing and surfing. For this, you need to balance yourself on a surfboard, while cruising through the heart pumping waves. If you are new to windsurfing, visit Dona Paula Bay, where you can learn the craft from scratch.

3.      Jet Skiing: Did you know that Jet Ski is the brand name of a personal watercraft manufactured by Kawasaki? You can sit on a Jet Ski alone or with a partner and guide yourself through the water at high speeds. Visit Candolim, Vagator and Baga beaches to find a buffet of Jet Skis for you to choose from for an enthralling ride.

4.      Surf boarding: Don't be surprised if standing individually on a surf board while riding on water and surfing the waves can make you feel like a bird. Quite a popular sport in Goa, surf boarding is a skilful water sport that requires the use of body balance and heart to tackle the high waves.

5.      Kayaking: Now it’s time for a narrow watercraft that is propelled by a double-bladed paddle. The boat we are talking about is called Kayak, and rowing this boat through the water is known as Kayaking. This water sport is highly popular in Goa and interests both locals and tourists alike.

Don't waste any more time thinking of how to have a memorable holiday. Book your tickets on one of the numerous Mumbai to Goa flights now!

This summer, Travel to the Coolest Places in India

During the grueling summer season, many families in India start planning for their annual vacations to beat the heat. In fact, the top summer travel search trends released by Google India in May 2017 reveal that overall travel related queries witnessed 53% year on year growth in February-April 2017. There has also been 70% year on year growth in queries originating from non-metro cities.

With some incredible flight offers on domestic flights to choose from, this is the right time for you to plan a quick getaway to a summer destination with friends or family. Here are some choices for you to consider.

Top 5 Places to Visit This Summer

1. Leh, Ladakh – With plenty of wildlife and picturesque locations, Leh and Ladakh are two dream destinations for any nature lover. You can also feed your desire for some adventure by indulging in river rafting, mountaineering, mountain biking and trekking. 
2. Goa – The beautiful beaches in North and South Goa are just what you need to escape the scorching heat of the Indian summer. The state will also offer you some of the best destinations from a historical significance, such as the famous Se Cathedral at Old Goa, which is considered to be a marvelous example of Portuguese architecture, and the Mahadeva Temple that traces its origins to the Kadamba period. 
3. Bagdogra – In the state of West Bengal lies the beautiful hill station of Darjeeling. Known for its extremely pleasant climate, this is an ideal travel destination for anyone looking to beat the summer heat. 
4. Srinagar – Srinagar is the heart of Jammu and Kashmir, a place once described so beautifully by the ancient Sufi poet, Amir Khusro, who remarked, “Agar Firdaus bar ru-ye zamin ast, Hamin ast o hamin ast o hamin ast,” which when translated to English means, “If there is a Paradise on Earth, it is this, it is this, it is this.” 
5. Port Blair – An absolute favourite town for a lot of foreign and domestic visitors round the year, Port Blair is located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. You will be amazed to explore the unending beauty of this place, from its beautiful parks to cultural museums, beaches, the infamous cellular jail and a lot more.

You can pick from any of these travel destinations since these places are known for their cooler weather conditions throughout the year. To ensure you end up saving on travel and accommodation-related expenses, you must ideally do the travel planning quite early, before the onset of the summer season. This will help you get great summer offers on domestic flights and hotel bookings.

Here's How you Explore Pune and Delhi

Separated by an aerial distance of 1173 km and road distance of 1533 km, life in Delhi is completely different from that in Pune. Pune is surrounded by hills, experiencing semi-arid and tropically wet and dry climate. On the other hand, Delhi has a subtropical humid climate with extreme weather conditions.

Both these places are home to countless tourist attractions, ideal for individuals who wish to feed their wanderlust with something unexplored. There are several flights from Pune to New Delhi and vice versa that can let you cover the distance in a mere two hours.

Unexplored Places in Pune

• Bhuleshwar Temple: Made with black rocks and boasting marvelous rock carvings of the 14^th century, Bhuleshwar Temple is a Shiva temple on top of a hill.
• Aga Khan Palace: One of the biggest landmarks in Indian history, the Aga Khan Palace was built by Sultan Muhammed Shah Aga Khan III in Pune in 1892. The palace is today the Gandhi National Museum.
• Yashwantrao Chavan Udyan: Popularly known as 'Aba Bagul Udyan', Yashwantrao Chavan Udyan houses the miniatures of the 7 wonders of the world. Don’t forget to watch the 4D shows scheduled in the evenings.
• Ramdara: A mandir located by a small lake with mountains behind it, Ramdara is an ancient temple to Lord Ram that exists on the Solapur Highway, at Loni Kalbhor. The greenery, coconut trees, ducks and birds can easily make you fall in love with this place and tempt you come again.

Unexplored Places in Delhi

• Delhi War Cemetery: This tall monument in the Delhi Cantonment area is home to the graves of soldiers who fought for the British Commonwealth, especially on the Eastern Front, during World War II. The Delhi war cemetery is a delight for the eyes, as it is beautifully landscaped and the lawns are well manicured.
• Jahaz Mahal: All set to visit a place that can soothe your soul? Located in Mehrauli, the palace was named Jahaz Mahal as its reflection in the surrounding reservoir creates an illusion of a ship floating on a lake.
• Bhardwaj Lake of Asola: A lake in South Delhi, located within the Asola Wildlife Sanctuary area, Bhardwaj Lake of Asola is spectacular and glorious. In this area, you can see various sanctuary birds and animals.
• Bhool Bhulaiya: Another delight in Mehrauli, the Bhool Bhulaiya is located at the back of the well-known Qutub Minar. The Bhool Bhulaiya is actually the tomb of Adham Khan.

So, check out the flights from New Delhi to Pune and vice versa and explore these offbeat locations.

Things You Need to do Before You Take Off

According to a May 2016 article on The Huffington Post, research shows that taking regular vacations can have various health benefits, including reducing stress, helping with heart health, improving mental health and also improving relationships. So, if you haven’t gone on a vacation, away from your everyday responsibilities, in some time, the time to start planning is now. You don’t need to go to an exotic destination or splurge till it hurts to have an unforgettable vacation. Actually, the key to a memorable holiday is to plan meticulously, from booking domestic flight tickets to chalking out the itinerary, so that every step of the journey and back is smooth and hassle-free. Here’s a look at some key things you need to do before going away on vacation.

Steps to Planning a Memorable Vacation

1. Pick Your Destination
   Well, without this step, there won’t be a holiday, right? There are some excellent holiday destinations in India, so don’t worry about having to spend a packet. The key to choosing a destination is to decide on what kind of vacation you want and who all will be traveling with you. For instance, if you are traveling with young children, you might look for destinations that have a lot to offer children. On the other hand, you might want to spend a beach holiday with the family, just relaxing, enjoying the water and eating loads of sea food. This is also a good time to decide on how long you wish to stay at your destination.


2. Set Your Budget
   It is easy to overspend when you are having fun. However, one vacation shouldn’t put you in a financial crisis. So, decide on the total budget beforehand, keeping in mind the cost of flight tickets, accommodation, food, travel at the destination, shopping for souvenirs, etc. Once you know how much you can comfortably afford to spend on the holiday, you can plan your itinerary based on that.


3. Book Air Tickets
   The first step to booking domestic flight tickets is to look for the best prices. You might also come across deals with air and accommodation bookings and discounts. The best way to ensure that you get the best flight deals & offers is to book your travel online. For this, you can either visit the website of the airline itself and check out their offers or try aggregator sites. Staying with the same airline and winning loyalty and travel points is a good idea, since this will open up many offers and discounts for you.

What you need to do is go to the airline’s website, pick the dates for travel and the destination and choose the airport of departure and that for arrival. You will also need to fill in the number of adults and children travelling. It is advisable to book return tickets because these tend to be cheaper than buying one way tickets at a time, when you know you have to come back home. You can also check for flights with stop overs rather than direct flights for cheaper air fare.

Once you’ve filled in all these details, you can proceed to pay for the tickets through the website’s secure online payment gateway. You will need a credit or debit card or use net banking for this. Payment providers, such as PayTM or RuPay, might also be accepted. So, choose the mode you are comfortable with. Once the payment is received, you will receive the confirmation of the ticket booking on the email address you have provided. You can either save this on your smartphone or print it out and use at the airport at the time of travel.

Don’t forget to book your accommodation in advance too, especially if you are travelling during the peak holiday season.

Bangalore – India’s latest fine dining hub

The country’s exciting culinary scene has a new entrant – IT city Bangalore now teems with fine dining restaurants that add panache to a city used to fast food joints.

This has been part of India’s growth story all over the country. Wherever offices for IT and MNCs spring up, small food joints follow. The demographic working here normally comprises younger persons who are used to fast food that arrives within minutes of ordering it. This is a class of people that likes to eat at its desk, so it prefers simple, no-fuss meals. This has been the prevailing trend in Bangalore – the city’s IT centres teem with casual eating joints, where one may nip for a quick bite with colleagues before heading back to work. 

But every kind of work culture is subject to change over time. Bangalore is no different in this regard. Home to ‘darshinis’ and dhabas across such areas as Indira Nagar and Whitefield Road for years now, techies love the array of dosas, pizzas, sandwiches, parathas and milk shakes that many restaurants here regularly dish out. But these places are fine for a quick bite in the middle of a work day – what happens when one wants to go out with their families and friends?

And so, fine dining restaurants in Bangalore slowly gained in importance over the last few years. Today, fine dining restaurants have become an essential part of the dining experience in the IT city. 

The change did not happen overnight. Normally, fine dining restaurants are more expensive to run, and they also hire experienced talent in the food and beverage industry. A certain amount of regular clientele, or bookings, are required daily to keep operations afloat. Bangalore did not previously have what is known as the ‘food mass’ required to anchor fine dining restaurants in most places. The trend started changing when, spurred by job opportunities offered by MNCs setting up base in the city, techies moved bag and baggage to Bangalore. 

This influx of tech talent needed supportive infrastructure like housing and transport to grow further. Capitalising on the growing demands for the kind of lifestyle that the prominent metros enjoy, restaurants started flying in renowned chefs from other locations to create Bangalore-specific menus and add international cuisines for world travellers.

Bangalore is also a prominent hotspot for international conferences and business meetings. Bangalore Palace Hotels and their convention rooms are also booked for these. The Leela Palace Bangalore is a prime example – it has a range of 284 royal, deluxe and conservatory rooms, apart from 29 well-appointed suites. The national and international delegates attending business events love to unwind at the hotel’s spa and tuck into delectable delicacies at its many restaurants. 

For delegates wishing to explore Bangalore city and its thriving fine dining scene, we recommend such restaurants as the High Ultra Lounge, Shiro, Grasshopper and Rim Naam (at The Oberoi).