This newly refurbished elegantly appointed hotel has 60 rooms and is located right at Miramar Beach. A cluster of neatly laid out cottages and one elegant building, set in a pretty garden with smooth lawns and lush plants, this is a favourite haunt with tourists. GTDC has stepped up and made a part of its premises barrier-free with an apartment especially designed for the physically disabled. There are more such apartments being designed.

You would do well to book your rooms or cottages well in advance. The Residency restaurant Foodland is popular with the locals as well, who come here to relax with friends and drink in the spectacular sunset. Foodland is set in beautiful surroundings and offers superb cuisine to suit every palate. The Residency also has an air-conditioned multi-purpose Hall which can accommodate 400 people. Another air-conditioned mini-hall is used for press conferences and board meetings.

Around Miramar Residency

You have a pick of interesting places to visit and things to do. Want to take in a movie? Head for the multiplex INOX or Samrat theatre, there are restaurants offering both vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare. There are specialty eating places like Zen the Thai food place on 18 June Road, local cuisine at several small eateries, and gaddos or mobile foodcarts that serve chaat, sausage rolls, burgers, chops, cutlets, croquettes, chicken shawarmar.

The public transport is pretty good, though not very comfortable, but if you have good walking shoes, you can cover large areas of Goa’s capital city Panaji on foot. It’s a picturesque city, worth exploring.

You can walk along the Miramar-Caranzalem road or step on to the beach and walk up to Donapaula. Check out the Goa Science Museum (three minutes’ walk from the Miramar Residency) which is fascinating for all ages. Or you can catch a bus to the Donapaula jetty and experience the spectacular vista of the Mormugao Harbour with the great cargo vessels neatly arranged on the horizon. The Governor’s residence Cabo Raj Bhavan is worth seeing if you apply for permission. The British cemetery lies quietly outside the Raj Bhavan walls. Talking of cemeteries, the St Inez cemetery is a thing of great beauty and tranquility, with sculptures almost a hundred years old, stately tribute to fallen soldiers.

The Panjim Market is a very colourful and interesting place withGoan fisherwomen sitting solidly like royalty while humble subjects timorously bargain for fish which is an essential in every self-respecting Goan’s diet.

The Old Goa Medical College which has now been restored and changed into the IFFI head office is another must-see. A walk along the boulevard takes you to Kala Academy a structure of great beauty, designed by the world famous Mumbai based architect of Goan origin, Charles Correa. Kala Academy is generally a hive of cultural activity offering music, drama and art. The grounds are also beautiful and if one moves towards the river the comfortable steel benches allow you to soak in a soul-stirring sunset.

Further down the road is the Adil Shah Palace which used to house the Goa Assembly. Now there are plans to turn it into a cultural centre. Turn into the city and the Church of the Immaculate Conception dominates the square, the road to the right takes you up Altinho with some beautiful old mansions, including the official residence of the Chief Minister of the state. The High Court on Altinho is another beautiful structure steeped in history. From the High Court one can take the stepped street (stepped streets are unique to Panjim city) down to Fontainhas the Latin quarter of Panjim. Neat houses line neat roads all held together by the pretty St Sebastian Chapel which houses the crucifix from the Hall of the Inquisition. The crucifix is special since it is a rare representation of Jesus Christ with his eyes wide open.

The Kadamba bus terminus lies just off the commercial centre at Patto Plaza. Here buses connect you all over the state and outside the state too.

The city centre has interesting shopping offering anything from sports goods, to apparel, to accessories, to cashewnuts, feni, wines, cars, books, you want it, it’s all there in Panjim, all you have to do is ask anyone for directions.