Hotel Review: Club Mahindra Associate Resort, Poovar

I visited the Club Mahindra Associate Resort in Poovar in September, 2007. I think it is called the floating palms resort as the cottages are floating on water, but you do not realize it and this fact at least does not add much to the beauty of the resort.

This Poovar Resort is about a 45 minute drive from the Trivandrum Airport. It is advisable that you call a cab from the resort to avoid getting fleeced by the local taximen and also the taxiwallahs from the resort know the way as you need to negotiate your way through some long winding roads and go to a ferry terminal which all taxi drivers will not be able to find unless they know the place well. You can access the resort by a short ferry ride of about 20 minutes which is complimentary.
On arriving at the resort you are given a welcome drink which I did not like much at all – but I think it is a local specialty. I think at the time I visited this resort the relations between the Poovar Resort and Club Mahindra were pretty strained as the reception staff kept deprecating the Club Mahindra brand for various reasons.

However, the room was great with good amenities – not as good as a Club Mahindra Goa Resort or the Coorg Resort but almost 80% there. The resort has antique furnishing and a comfy reclining chair (which could give the lazy boy good competition) and a bed which I found very cushy comfortable. You can venture out straight from the room to the beach and the back waters are just about 20 metres away. I suggest you choose these resort for a simple relaxing weekend – where you want to spend all the time t the resort.

There are water-sports near by and you can try the ringo ride where they make you sit in an inflated rubber hoop and pull you around in a motor boat. It is worth a try but at Rs.600 I found it a bit expensive. You can try going kayaking as well …. that thing Kareena Kapoor and Vivek Oberoi did in Yuva (at least I think it was that). I found the spa on the resort very good and the full body relaxation massage was much better than the usual ones that I get done in Mumbai. The food buffet was average – nothing to write home about.

If you need to move out of the resort to the city or to any other place you will need to take the ferry ride again. I do not think the city has anything much to offer other than some temples and a few jewellery shops if you are really interested in shopping.

One thing I did not like much about the resort was the staff, they were not as friendly as the usual Club Mahindra staff. They were bordering on rude. They refused to accept my Club Mahindra Food vouchers and I got into an ugly spat with them on the issue. While there are some good things about this resort, I would rate it far below the regular Club Mahindra standards.

Attraction Review: Ladies Market, Mong Kok, Hong Kong

This market reminded me of Fashion Street in Mumbai where you can get good stuff for amazing discounts. You can reach the Ladies Market by MTR. This is at the Mong Kok station on the Tsuen Wan line. When you get off at the Mong Kok station then the Ladies Market is 2 blocks away. This market is also a stop on the Hop-On Hop-Off Big Bus Tour of Hong Kong.

Things you can get at good bargains in the market are souvenir T-Shirts and other cheap apparel, necklaces, bracelets, trinkets, purses and bags. All the items in the shops have a price tag on them however you can negotiate to 50% of that price and to even lower if you are buying in bulk. However, I would sincerely advise that you just take a look at every shop and start talking to the shopkeeper only if you have a genuine interest to buy, else things can get very ugly.

My wife decided to get friendly and started bargaining for purchasing 6 necklaces and then the shop keeper would not let us leave the shop as we had wasted a lot of her time haggling. She actually physically prevented us from leaving the shop and we had to shout for help. So please do not try the Indian Style bargaining in Mong Kok.
It takes about 2 hours to navigate the entire market and 3 hours if you are a woman, so you can plan accordingly. I found the shopkeepers in this market extremely aggressive and unfriendly and I did not enjoy the shopping experience much, so unless you want to buy any cheap stuff in bulk – you can skip a visit to this market as well. You will not miss anything much.

There are no good places to eat around this market and you will need to take the metro to Tsim Sha Tsui if you want to get something non Chinese to eat. You have a solitary KFC in Mong Kok, but that too is very crowded and I found the staff there very unfriendly as well.

This market – counted as a must do by most travel websites, turned out to be pretty disappointing for me.

Travel Tips: Metro Travel in Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Metro Travel in Hong Kong is perhaps the most convenient Metro Travel anywhere in the world (at least from what I have seen, even better than the MRT in Singapore). There are 5 or 6 lines which cover the entire city of Hong Kong. While you can pay for every journey by cash, it is not economical at all and it is highly recommended that you buy an Octopus Card as soon as you arrive in Hong Kong.

This Octopus Card works in all metros as well as in McDonalds and at some other merchants as well and if you use the Octopus Card you get decent discounts as well. At the time of taking the Octopus Card you need to pay a refundable deposit of HKD 50 and also load money onto the Card. For a stay in Hong Kong in excess of 4 days it is recommended that you load the card with at least HKD 500 per person. The loading machine is there at every MTR station and you can get the card refunded / unloaded at the MTR Station or at the airport as well.

You need to tap the card before starting any journey and again at the time of getting out of the destination station. At the time of tapping at the time of exit you get the amount deducted for the trip as well as the balance available.

On every line in the Hong Kong MTR you have trains in either direction every 4 minutes, and you will not find them crowded at all other than at peak hours (even at that time they are not very crowded if you go by Mumbai local standards). Above every door there is a map of that line which gives you how that line is connected to every other line and there are flickering lights which indicate which MTR station you are at. From this board above every door, you also get to know which side the next station is going to come on. There is continuous voice commentary in Chinese and English as well on the approaching station. This I found very convenient for disabled people and I could not help thinking how unfriendly India is for travelling for people at large and for disabled people in particular.

Almost every MTR station has an elevator and escalators and convenience stores which accept the Octopus Card. The only problem you may face is that the MTR Service Desk executives are usually not fluent with English and I had to use sign language to get my point across. When you reach your destination MTR station there are different exists to the station such as Exit A,B, C …… and a suitable labeled board as to where this exits take you.

The main MTR Stations where most of the tourist attractions are located are Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon Side and Central on the Hong Kong Island side. The Airport would be the main MTR station on Lantau island.

Hotel Review: Club La Cost at Marina Del Sol, Malaga, Spain

We travelled to Spain for our Honeymoon in December, 2007 and we visited Malaga and Barcelona. In Malaga we stayed at the wonderful Club La Costa Resort at Marina Del Sol. This is a Silver Crown Resort of RCI, however based on my Personal experience I would rate it as a Gold Crown resort or above.

It is a 20 km drive from Malaga airport and it is advised you take a cab which will cost you about 35 Euros. Train is also an option but it is a long winded route which takes you to a station named Fenguroila from where you anyways have to take a cab and hence not advisable. Taxis are metered and the Taxi drivers are friendly, usually speak English and can be trusted. The resort is located on the outskirts of Malaga towards Marbella and is bang on the beach overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The staff is warm and friendly and the check in process is smooth, they have buggies and a train to ferry you and your luggage all around the resort which makes the luggage transfer process non tiring and efficient.

The rooms are simply awesome. Both the 1 Bedroom apartments and the 2 bedroom apartments are great. We got a 2BR overlooking the beach. It had a fully equipped kitchenette and a hall and a bathroom on the ground floor and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the top floor. I was very impressed with the amenities such as a Microwave, dishwasher, Washing machine, Toaster, Blender, abundant crockery and cutlery, DVD player, heaters, sit out chairs, adequate cupboards etc. There is a super market in the resort where you can buy groceries, news papers, books etc. Cooking in the apartment is a more economical option as the restaurants are expensive. This is also more fun if you usually do not get the time to cook at home. I would strongly recommend this resort for honeymooning couples.

As soon as you enter the room you are handed a timetable of the activities on the resort for the entire week. There are flamenco dance classes, lessons in basic Spanish, swimming coaching, theme dinners, wine tasting and the works. There is a daily tour from to the nearby locations which are arranged by the resort and this feature differentiates this resort from the other RCI resorts which I have been to. If you have a multiple entry Span VISA then the tour to Tangiers and to Gibraltar is highly recommended, else you can go to Seville which is the capital of the Andalucía province and there are interesting sights to see out there as well. If you are staying on this resort for a week, it is recommended that you take at least 2 tours to look at the surrounding areas.

A stay on the resort is not complete without visiting Malaga city, there is a city coach from the resort at economical rates and the resort advertises the street markets which are there in Malaga city, so do go ahead and visit one. The spa at this resort is also very good though a bit expensive but definitely worth the money you are paying. You can have beautiful romantic walks on the beach and within the resort at sunset or have a dinner arranged for you in the room as well. Internet is a problem and only 2 computers have internet access at the reception – however other than this the resort is great and highly recommended.

Airport Review: Hong Kong international Airport, Hong Kong

The Hong Kong International Airport is the only other International Airport which in my view gives close competition to Changi Airport of Singapore. It is a very beautiful as well as efficient airport. You can get to the airport by Metro or by Taxi (about 40 mins drive from the heart of the city) both of which are equally efficient.

There are 4 departure terminals and as you approach the airport you will see huge billboards stating which airline departs from which terminal. Even if you make a mistake no worries, you can easily walk it up from one terminal to the other and there are signboards indicating the direction. Due to the design of the departure terminal the sheer number of counters allotted to each airline there is no crowding in a ay particular area which adds to the visual experience and the relaxed atmosphere (unlike Mumbai airport which is a case study on creating chaos at airports J). Everybody seems to be going about their work with ease which is reassuring and calming.

There are huge screens which show the status of all the departures from the airport and these screens are there every 30 metres, so all you need to do is check these screens for departure times and gates. There is a may I Help You desk in every terminal where you can seek help if you have any special requirements. Everybody I came across on this airport spoke in English – so the problem you face in Hong Kong city with the cab drivers you will not face in the Airport.

There are duty free shops for books, apparel, food and foreign exchange kiosks before the check in counters which you may want to visit if your wait in the check-in queue is going to be long. After check in you can approach the boarding gates which are common for all terminals (some of them are in a different area which are mainly for domestic departures to China so if you are not taking these flights you need not worry). To reach the boarding gates you may need to take the monorail trains from some terminals.

When you arrive at main boarding gates area, there are variety of things to do while you wait for your flight. If you have a long wait, I suggest you check into the main lounge near Boarding Gate 35. You can pay HKD 500 for 6 hour package which includes a shower, a back massage, unlimited food and non alcoholic drinks, free Internet access, complimentary access to a variety of books and magazines. It is definitely worth the cost (even though Rs.3000 for 6 hours may be a bit difficult on your wallet) and if you are the high flyer types who would like to open your laptop, get some peace and quiet and start working then this is the place to be. Other lounges on the airport do not compare to this one. There are huge boards in different parts of the airport advertising this so you cannot miss the location of this lounge.

If you do not enter this lounge then you can complete all the shopping that you may have missed out in the city, the chocolates on the airport are only marginally cheaper than the ones that you get in the city. You may land some good combo deals if you are lucky. I found the alcohol (especially Bailey’s Irish Cream) much more expensive compared to the Duty Free Rates in India – so do not waste your money on this. The apparel is very expensive and unless you are desperate or really like something a lot I would refrain you from entering these shops.

Between alternate gates there are about 3 plug points where you can recharge your laptop. I think this is the most important tip in this review as if you do not enter the lounges, there is absolutely no other place where you can charge your laptop, mobile phones, so please carry a suitable adaptor and try to get to these points as soon as possible, these charge points are in high demand. This was the only irritant in an otherwise extremely efficient airport. There are some good restaurants towards some of the gates one near ate 54 where I boarded (I forgot the name). The deal was that if you buy anything more than HKD 5 you get free Internet access for half hour. I found this very useful and a great marketing technique – especially if you have a laptop with restrictions (I do as I work in a Bank) and cannot connect to WiFi.

Overall I would rate this Airport second best in the world after Changi in Singapore, at least out of the ones I have visited.