23 years since Dil Chahta Hai, a Millennial Goa trip that actually happened

It was the year 2001.

Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ had just been released.

The film accomplished three important things: it cemented Farhan’s career as a filmmaker, gave Millennials a film they could connect with, and most importantly, it presented Goa with a new lease on life by boosting tourism.

Close to 24 years have passed now, and there's been no looking back. Goa became the party capital of India, where people, not just from different states of India, thronged to drive away their work and personal life blues, but it also became a haven for foreign visitors.

Regardless of age, you'd be hard-pressed to find a friend group in your vicinity that hasn't made a Goa plan, inspired by the cult classic. While some lived to tell the tale of their first Goa trip (all fun, booze, and pub hopping), for others, their numerous failed attempts at visiting Goa are so painful that it's now a meme.

But my first trip to Goa came with a learning lesson, which might seem a little too far-fetched (before you frown, I have had my share of failed Goa plans too, duh!)

Goa is what you make of it. While it is a paradise for party lovers, there’s a quaint side to this place which most do not come seeking.

While the bling of the casinos and the late-night parties have their fandom, there’s something about sitting on the beach on a full moon night, watching the moonlight reflect on the calm sea.

After my several failed attempts on an all-girls trip to Goa, an opportunity arrived, many moons later, and there was no budging.

On a balmy Saturday evening in March, we boarded a flight from Delhi to Goa. The sad part, it was delayed by several hours, but interestingly and quite absurdly, passengers had already queued up at the boarding gate even before the announcement. That’s the kind of effect the place has on you; you just can’t wait to get there.

The wait finally came to a stop with us hopping on to a late evening flight.

Believe me, the enthusiasm of passengers despite a four-hour-long flight delay was not surprising (my josh was high too, ngl).

We touched down at the Dabolim airport after 11 pm where the chauffeur was all set to drive us to our hotel in North Goa’s Candolim. The excitement was over the roof because, let’s face it, you could have been to the best beaches in the world, but there’s a certain charm about living your teenage dream.

After a 40-minute drive, we were finally at our destination: The Astor Goa, which was our home for the next two days.

We stepped out of the car to a warm welcome from the hotel staffers and a soul-satiating kokum drink that just hit the right spot.

Tbh, the property kind of set the tone for our Goa trip because it was exactly what we wanted. A luxury all-suite boutique hotel which had its trademark contemporary charm with a dash of casual energy and the beach was just a few minutes’ walk away.

On Saturdays, the hotel hosts an interactive salsa session where dancers don’t just perform, they also teach you how to swing.

While missing the session was a bit of a downer, we knew that the trip was just getting started, so we needed to ready ourselves for what was to come.

Therefore, after the pleasant welcome, we stepped out of the lobby and decided to retreat to our bedroom, but not before a scrumptious dinner and, oh boy were we surprised!

We wanted to cut the “what to eat” part short and asked the staff to recommend something that wasn’t too heavy on the palette and yet filling. First, they asked about our cuisine preferences and then what they whisked in the kitchen corner blew our minds (my mouth still watered as I wrote this).

The food was served at Deck 88, the property’s Moroccan-style in-house restaurant. It is there that I met the dynamic Divyanshi Patel, executive chef, The Astor Goa.

You know what happens when two girls meet and have a shared love for food; of course, we had a long, long conversation and besides food recommendations, what I also picked was a Goan word called sussegad, which translates to calm or quiet. She explained, “Goans love their sussegad time. If they don’t feel like working an afternoon, they will just pull down the shop's shutter, go back and rest.” Now, that seemed too Bengali to be true, but I liked the thought!

Pet puja done, we went back to our room, chalked out the plan for the next day and in no time slipped into a deep slumber.

On Day 2, the first thing that we did was wake up at the struck of dawn and visit Candolim beach, which was just a few meters away.

The morning walk was breathtaking for ample reasons. It was a Saturday the night before, so after a hard night of partying and drinks, very few people turned up at the beach on a Sunday morning, which meant there weren't too many people.

While it was already March, mornings (at least till 10) were still pleasant.

As we walked by, we saw families bathing on the shore, children playing football and some elderly locals were on their morning walk routine. Oh, we also spotted a fisherman with his net fishing on the shore.

We kept walking when we suddenly realised that we were at the fag end of the beach and in front of us was the Sinquerim Fort. Of course, what followed next was a mandatory photo session.

As the sun’s rays pierced through our skin, we knew, it was time to head back.

We reached the hotel at about 10.30 am and to our surprise, the property had an extended breakfast hour, which meant that after a night of hard partying, you could sleep to your heart’s content and not miss out on it.

Now, we are aware that the best months to visit Goa is between October to February because it starts to get warmer thereafter. Post 4 pm seemed a pretty good time to start our Goa tour because we weren't willing to take the heat head on. Since we had time constraints, we agreed on staying in the northern part of Goa and exploring places in and around the area.

We decided to visit Fontainhas, a colourful neighbourhood in Panaji, Immaculate Conception Church (famous for the shooting of films like ‘Simba’, ‘Dilwale’ and ‘Malang’), Joseph Bar (close to a century-old bar in Goa built in 1930), and a flea market in Candolim.

Now, what we had to do next was optimise our time in between. So, we planned on visiting the hotel's in-house spa and indulge ourselves. The session felt nothing less than a warm and calming hug to the soul.

After satisfying my fatigued body, it was time to cater to what my stomach was saying. It needed food. So, for lunch, we had a scrumptious meal of fried calamari, chicken xacuti and rice. Following this, it was sussegad time because when in Goa, function like the Goans do, simple!

The evening was spent strolling around the beautiful and colourful streets of Panaji, visiting old churches, gulping down bottles of flavoured feni (local Goan drink made of cashew) and soaking in the laidback vibe of the city, just the perfect sundowner it was.

While our body signalled us to retreat for the day, our soul wasn’t content. We had two options: we could either go partying, visit a casino or sit in a beach shack and enjoy the moonlit sky.

Ngl, when we were planning this trip, partying all night at the most famous pubs was on the checklist. But there I was, missing what I always dreamed of doing in Goa for a night at the shack. Was it wise? Well, I can just say, I am glad I chose the latter.

A night at the beach with the moon’s reflection on the sea accompanied by the cool breeze, could it get any better? Yes, a glass of kokum-infused urak added to the much-needed magic.

Day 3 was our last day in Goa and my enthusiasm and energy were sky-high, like I was jittery. We had so much to cover in just half a day and, since it was my first, I made sure I had beautiful stories to tell.

We were really enamoured by the hotel's concept of the Chef’s Table, which was scheduled for the last day.

At The Astor Goa, I was bowled over by how they tweaked this concept and created something which is nothing short of a gastronomic delight.

The interaction between the guest and the chef is important before the Chef’s Table to get into the nitty-gritty of their choice, taste and preference. What the chef presents to you in return is a personalised six-course (8-course on request) meal, keeping in mind what you like the best.

Remember my first conversation with Chef Divyanshi upon my arrival at the property?

Well, she clearly observed my love for Asian food and she curated a menu to suit my palette.

This was my best culinary experience so far and there is no exaggeration. The personalisation does strike a chord. The flavours, and the presentation were just top-notch. The menu included the chef’s innovative approach to basic and traditional dishes like chaat, kebabs and xacuti.

Now to business.

We were yet to cover some iconic spots in Goa (which I wasn’t going to miss for the world).

You can’t come to Goa and not visit the iconic Chapora Fort. Why iconic, you ask? Well, this is exactly the same spot where Akash, Sameer (Saif Ali Khan) and Siddharth (Akshaye Khanna) made their Goa pact. Does that ring a bell?

As I looked at the Vagator beach from the ruins of the fort, I too made a pact with myself, to come back again. Maybe not every year, but come back for sure.

After a pit stop at the Artjuna Cafe in Anjuna with a friend we made in Goa (where we guzzled down a few more glasses of feni), it was time for us to get back to Delhi and the daily grind.

We went back to the hotel, grabbed our luggage and headed to the newly built Manohar International Airport in Mopa, North Goa for our flight.

It was a late night flight to Delhi and as I sat there looking outside my window staring at the pitch-dark vast sky, I realised that while I craved to see the nightlife and the casino craze in Goa, my city-fatigued soul needed the calm and peace desperately. Maybe I didn’t ask for it, but that's what I needed.