Goa With Gen-Zs: Great Stays, Questionable Food & Unexpected Celebrity Encounters 😂🌴

Shivani Singh

Oct 7

4 min read

Updated: Oct 9

Every trip has a story.

Some begin with excitement, some with a little chaos…

Ours began with a swollen lip. :(

Travelnari in Goa

This Goa trip was a little different from our usual trips.

This time, it wasn’t just my husband, my baby and me. We had my sister and one of our very close friends with us too.

And there was one more important detail…

We were travelling with Gen-Zs. 😄

Goa Trip Begins With a Little Scare

Just before boarding our flight to Goa, my baby had a fall and unfortunately got his lip cut.

Thankfully, the air hostess immediately gave us an ice pack, which helped quite a bit.

But when we landed in Goa, we realised his mouth had become completely swollen.

We approached the airport authorities, who directed us to the medical emergency facility. They cleaned his mouth properly, gave him another ice pack and advised us to see a doctor immediately.

So, before even heading to our beautiful stay, we went straight to a government hospital in Goa.

They immediately attended to our baby, gave him the required medicines and reassured us that the swelling would take around two to three days to come down.

That was exactly the reassurance we needed.

And thankfully, by the end of the trip, our little one was completely fine and back to his cheerful self. ❤️

Only then could our actual Goa holiday begin!

And Then Came the Gen-Zs… 😂

Travelling with Gen-Zs comes with certain advantages.

They know the coolest places.

They know the most Instagrammable cafés.

They know exactly where you’ll get that aesthetic picture.

What they apparently don’t know is…

whether the food actually tastes good. 😂

The Aesthetic Restaurant Hunt 🍝📸

We trusted their restaurant choices.

And honestly, the places looked AMAZING.

Beautiful interiors.

Pretty plating.

Great ambience.

Perfect corners for pictures.

Everything was aesthetic.

But then came the food.

We took one bite…

…and looked at each other like,

“Bas? Itna hi?” 😂

The restaurants were winning at aesthetics, but the food was struggling to make an appearance.

Still, the company was great, so we laughed about it and moved on.

Fairfield by Marriott Benaulim 🏨

Our first stay was at Fairfield by Marriott Goa Benaulim, and we absolutely enjoyed it.

It was comfortable, lively and had plenty to keep everyone entertained — especially with a baby in the group.

After the slightly dramatic beginning to our trip, it felt good to finally slow down and enjoy ourselves.

And then came the second part of our stay…

Taj Exotica — Where Goa Really Spoiled Us 🌊✨

Next, we stayed at Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Goa in Benaulim.

And this is where the trip became even more special.

The resort had a beautiful private beach.

Clean. Peaceful. Gorgeous.

And, unexpectedly…

we went paragliding! 🪂

It was one of those completely unplanned experiences that suddenly becomes one of the memories you talk about long after the trip.

But that wasn’t the only unexpected thing waiting for us at Taj.

Wait… Is That Bipasha Basu? 😳

While we were enjoying our stay, we found out that Bipasha Basu and her family were also staying at the Taj for their 10th anniversary.

And the funny part?

We weren’t just staying in the same hotel.

We were literally sharing the same property and beach. 😂

If we were playing in the waves, they were just a few steps away playing in the same sea.

If we were swimming, we’d spot them there too.

It was one of those moments where you suddenly think,

“Wait… are we actually sharing the same beach with Bipasha Basu?” 😄

Of course, we went about enjoying our own holiday, but it was such a fun and unexpected coincidence.

Our Goa trip had started with a baby emergency, and now here we were…

paragliding at a private beach and casually sharing the same property with a Bollywood celebrity family.

Goa clearly had plans for us!

And Then… We Left Our Private Beach. 🤦‍♀️😂

Now, after having access to this beautiful

private beach, you would think we would simply stay there.

Right?

Wrong.

We listened to our Gen-Zs again.

And somehow decided to visit a public beach.

I still don’t understand this decision.

Who leaves a beautiful private beach to go to a public beach?

Apparently… us. 🤣

And the moment we reached, we knew.

Big mistake.

The beach was quite dirty, there was a lot more crowd, and the peaceful resort-beach feeling was nowhere to be found.

And then came the funniest part.

People were literally staring at us.

And I’m thinking…

“Guys… we are not even wearing bikinis. What exactly are you staring at?” 🤣

At that moment, all of us collectively realised that perhaps…

the Gen-Z beach recommendation wasn’t our best decision.

We couldn’t wait to get back to our peaceful resort.

And once we were back at that private beach, we looked at each other and said—

“Why did we ever leave this place?” 😂

But That’s What Makes a Trip Memorable ❤️

Despite the stressful beginning, questionable restaurant recommendations and our one very questionable beach decision, this trip was genuinely special.

Our little one started the trip with a swollen lip and ended it completely fine and happy.

We stayed at two beautiful properties, discovered some great experiences, went paragliding, enjoyed a private beach, had an unexpected celebrity encounter…

…and, of course, learned an important lesson:

Never underestimate the value of a private beach. 😂

Because travelling isn’t always about having a perfectly planned itinerary.

Sometimes it’s about dealing with unexpected situations together, laughing over bad decisions, discovering something completely unplanned and creating stories that you’ll keep talking about long after the trip.