Winds of change are blowing in Goa. The picture postcard, happy-go-lucky state has a spanking new resort. The Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa, a trail-blazing hotel, according to its general manager, Patrick McNally. It is, too. A dream property, little bit Goan, little bit Portuguese, and a lot Mediterranean. Especially the food.

The location is a bonus. The Park Hyatt Goa is in South Goa, which is fast developing to be as exciting and happening as the North, and a cool and easy 15-minute drive from the Dabolim Airport. Time it, 15 kilometres in 15 minutes. Its proper and correct address is the Arossim Beach in Cansaulim, which you have not seen, it is pristine and white and the waters here are bluer than anywhere in the North.

Forget roughing it out and biking it in Calangute and Baga with the back-packing hippies and their October to May eateries. Plan your holiday in the cheerful and relaxed atmosphere of the Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa, determine not to step out once you are there, and you will not regret it. I spent four days in this fashion, indulging in food and massage, and people are still hearing about it from me.

If you are going from Bombay, there is an excellent early morning flight now by Jet Airways. You land in Goa in time for breakfast. On your drive to the hotel, you will see bakers cycling through sleeping villages with baskets of steaming Goan pao. Check in and immediately have your breakfast at the Park Hyatt Goa�s Village Plaza. It is the heart of the resort, with a collection of boutique restaurants and bars.

I understand the plaza will later on have stylish and inventive shops and leisure outlets, including a cinema and library, thereby offering entertainment, dining and shopping. When I was there, the concept had yet to take off. Even the picturesque little chappel there had its doors shut. But the restaurants were all operational and running in full swing. They are set around a courtyard, all have lively and open kitchens, and the seating is indoors and outdoors. Very Mediterranean. Take your table according to the weather conditions.

I will describe the restaurants before I do the resort and spa. There are I think eight, offering some amazing Goan, Indian, Italian, Mediterranean and vegetarian food. My favourite was the Masala, opened for the Park Hyatt Goa by one of Goa�s top restaurateurs and caterers, Fernando Aluisio Ribeiro da Costa. And his food: Prawn Balchao and Chicken Caffreal flambed in Cashew Feni; fiery Pork Sorpatel made with the Goan red chilli, coconut and palm vinegar; and Prawns with green coriander, garlic, red pimento and olive oil.

Then there is Da Luigi, a contemporary Italian restaurant with wood-fired pizzas, delicious organic pastas, and a daily changing menu of traditional Trattoria dishes. The Market Grill offers charcoal-grilled prime cuts and fresh local seafood paired with new world wines. There is another Indian restaurant, a vegetarian one called Sambar, and the Bakery, serving fresh pastries, sandwiches, ice-creams and sherbets. It is run by my friend Nitin Upadhaya, a most gifted pastry chef indeed.

There are other dining options. Like Praia de Luz, a bar which serves Portuguese and Spanish wines and snacks; a Juice Bar for the health-conscious; and the Miranda, named after Goa�s patron saint, Mario Miranda. It is a venue for premium whiskies, ports and cigars. Mario has a favourite corner where he is said to entertain guests. And the bar has his works strew all over the place, some of his coffee-table books, murals on the wall. But no Mario Miranda. When I was there, he was in Cuba!

Dieter Lengauer of Austria, is the executive chef of the resort and spa, a Hyatt man specialising in opening properties for the international hotel chain. This is the fifth one he opened for Hyatt, after Jakarta, Bali, Israel and Oman. He spent time in Muscat, was offered openings in India or China, and picked India. In India, he was given the choice to work in Hyatt hotels at Delhi, Bombay or Goa. Two weeks in Goa, and Dieter does not even want to go back to Austria now! The property has 251 beautifully appointed rooms, including 13 suites, in elegantly-styled Indo-Portuguese pousadas reflecting Goa�s rich cultural heritage. Some rooms have secret gardens with brilliantly hued flowering plants, others have outdoor verandahs, outdoor shower areas or high-vaulted ceilings. But perhaps the most outstanding feature of all rooms is the spacious, open, spa-style bathroom with its plunge pool and rain shower.

And now I will tell you about the Sereno Spa, a contemporary place run by a superbly fit medicine man by the name of Dr. Sanjay Khanzode. What the spa promises is a transformational experience integrating ayurveda and yoga with thalassotherapy, aromatherapy and energy healing to help achieve emotional, physical and spiritual wellness. The treatment rooms and suites are arranged around a �courtyard of tranquillity� and lush gardens. Inside, soothing scents and lush interiors soothe and nurture the mind, spirit and body.

Dr. Khanzode, who studied medicine in Nagpur and beauty and spa therapy in England, comes with a Raj Vilas and Ananda background. He is assisted by a Dr. Jayachandran Thampi of Kottayam who specialises in yoga, nature cure and ayurveda. Dr. Thampi comes from the Jindal Health Farm. Together, and with a team of medically trained therapists, the doctors revive guests� jaded spirits and refresh their tired bodies. I did not have the time for their complete wellness programme, which includes detox packages, weight loss, and health and fitness advice. So I stuck to the massage therapies.

�What we teach guests to do is live their lives in balance,� said Dr. Khanzode. �This is not about yoga, beauty or ayurveda. We take the best out of them and help you to find the golden middle path so that you experience and enjoy a healthy, vibrant life. Continue our practices for six, eight months, they will become second nature and your lifestyle.� Spa cuisine is part of this lifestyle, but it is not a ritual, the effects of a vegetarian diet with fruits and exercise is a balanced way of nutrition.

And the massage therapies. Ayurvedic massage, gentle strokes and deep relaxation, with medicated oils. It corrects disorders, induces sleep, reduces high blood pressure and detoxifies the system. And the revitalising deep tissue massage that restores vitality, releases stress, increases flexibility, and improves blood circulation. Plus all kinds of skin treatments like sea-salt scrub, sandalwood body polish, aloe vera and lavender body mask etc.

Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa
Arossim Beach, Cansaulim,
South Goa 403712.
Tel: (91)(832) 272 1234