The mention of Goa conjures up different images of golden sand beaches, gorgeous sunsets, swaying palms, nightlife, historic portugese villages and beautiful churches  but to us it means sheer hospitality in a serene and canny holiday destination at the Planet Hollywood, a newly opened luxury hotel where charm meets out and out warmth extended by each and every staff including Mr. Anand Chatterjee,the GM, the Food and Beverage Mgr, Mr. Saurabh Bhatnagar and unquestionably the most fabulous personality, the Executive Chef, Mr. Sundar Rajan Sudharsan.

Our holiday was made all the more special and indelible by the wonderful Exec Chef who cooked up an exquisite meal along with a birthday cake not only on my special day but during each and every day of our stay there.

The rooms and every corner was adorned in a classy hollywood style with pics of hollywood celebs. Housekeeping could have been slightly better and it would have been great if there was complimentary wifi in the room or atleast the lobby.

Buffet spread at the planet dailies consisted of a fusion of both Indian and western along with a  live counter for dosa and omelet and had a good choice for both breakfast and dinner. Al la Carte options are less but we were privileged to enjoy out of the menu options prepared by the Exec Chef every day which was totally customized to suit our taste buds. And each staff personally ensured we were comfortable and had everything at our table.

The beach which is hardly a min walk from the hotel was very clean though there were a few stray dogs and cows too. The swimming pools are great along with jacuzzi and a paid paddle boat for kids which could be rented at INR 350 for 15 mins.

However the place lacks any kind of activity for kids. The Pink Spa services are excellent but the ambience would have been better.

Reception staffs were also very polite and made sure to greet you everytime they came in contact They were kind enough to pack the breakfast for us as our flight back home was early morning.

Would definitely like to recommend it to anyone who pays more value to service.

In other words, it was a splendid and awesome holiday packed with utmost warmth and hospitality which makes it a nostalgic one.

Check this link for pics and do not forget to leave a comment about your holiday:-)

http://www.photosnack.com/MoonmeeDasChakrabarty/planethollywoodgoa.html

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My LO was turning two and this time I decided to do all the decoration myself. It is not only economical but also gives a fair chance to keep your child engrossed in the craft activities.

The theme for this year was Apple and I chose red, green and pink colours to go with the theme...very apt for my DD as her favourite fruit or rather flavour was Apple and she relates to everything round and soft to an apple:-) Also her favourite colours are pink and red:-)

Here are some flamboyant yet easy ways to pep up the birthday place. I started with an apple tree cut out. All you need is two shades of green craft paper, one red and one brown craft paper.

Start by cutting out the two sheets of the green paper into cloud shapes which can be done free hand.

Then you can either use apple templates or use a cut out creator application ( Cutout Creator from reallusion.inc at a minimum fee of INR 60),to cut a few apple shapes with your red craft paper. Next, I cut out the trunk of the tree with the brown construction paper. Now glue the back side of the green cut outs and stick them to one another in a overlapping way to resemble the tree and attach the brown cutout to make it look like the trunk. Glue the apple cut outs and stick them over the green portion and one or two near the trunk below.

It was now turn to make some wall hangings....apple shapes again. The cut creator will come in handy again. Cut out lots of apple shapes with red and pink construction paper. Now attach them at a gap of around 15 cm each and attach them with a green string. You could use hot glue to string them.

I bought a few red, pink and green paper lanterns and hung them from the ceiling along with lots of balloons in the same colour.

If you have a big plain portion in the room it could be adorned with apple shaped picture frames with photos of your LO.

I also used some red, pink and green crepe paper ribbons to decorate all the walls, a basket of apples placed in one corner of the room and one red round paper ball to which I attached a green leaf cut out to make it look like an apple.

Now the last but the most important task was to create the bunting banner. I chose a triangle shape with apple designs placed in each triangle shape but you could also opt for an apple shaped banner.

The apple cut outs come in handy again:-) or you could even check out for free printable's on Pinterest.

In case you want to go with the triangular design all you have to do is create the triangle design in MS-Word, fill your favourite colours, insert some apple picture, readily available on the Internet and insert your desirable font onto it to write Happy Birthday. Repeat the process so you have a nice pile of the triangular shapes. Now take printouts, cut, punch holes and hang them with a string at an interval of 3-4cms.

I kept the cake simple two tier one with apple fondants placed here and there but you could also bake an apple shaped one.

To add a zing to the party, I welcomed all guests with an Apple-Cinnamon flavored freshener and packed apple cinnamon flavoured oats and tea bags with apple enriched mouth fresheners and candies  sealed in a pack that was tied with an red apple cut out and green ribbons to send guests home with a party favor along with a thank you card.

For entertainment, a fabulous selection of party games is mandatory. But since my LO was just 2 and did not start school yet my selection of games mainly centered around adult players. I arranged for a skittles game where instead of the ball I used an apple. Next was a blindfold game where players had to spot the hidden basket of apples. And last but the most awesome game that tested the balance skill of the players was to move from on point to another with an apple balanced on one's head. And to cheer up the spirit do not forget to arrange the gifts for the winning players.

The menu was a grand selection of all apple flavoured delicacies like apple tarts, caramel apple pops, zesty apple salad, apple juice, apple and cherry strudel,maple syrup roasted apples with pumpkins, grilled apple cheese and chicken sandwich,etc.

I am sure these apple themed party decorating ideas with definitely help steer you in the right party planning direction at home at an affordable cost making your party a significant and wonderful occasion to hold a lifetime of memories.

To make LO's party the sweetest celebration, do not forget to take lots of pictures. I am posting a few pictures of my party to be followed by the party craft activities in my upcoming posts. So, do not forget to come back and check that with more party themes and ideas. Till then happy crafting!!!

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