Its a pleasure to interact with you all again through this newsletter. As you maybe aware, this Easter break was very special for the “I for India” community as it marked our debut event to the sunny shores of Spain, an experience aptly named "A for Alicante"...
If you could not join the trip, this note will hopefully give you a flavour of the holiday experience our patrons had…and for those of you who did join, some of the anecdotes in here may rekindle the nostalgia and make you cherish the maiden journey with this budding community!
The holiday commenced in style and great fun with a coach trip to Stansted with our passengers all fired up and ready to go ! The road traffic was also luckily quite smooth and with holiday enthusiasts socialising and getting to know each other on the bus, the 2 hour ride seemed like a breeze!
What followed was a nice afternoon with our group nearly taking over the Weatherspoon’s in Stansted airport, a fairly comfortable flight to Alicante sat in the company of friends and continuing the chat and banter on the flight too.. On our arrival, the pre-arranged airport transfer was waiting for us and we reached the hotel with a quick check in and many retiring for the night to prepare for the days ahead!
Day 2 of the trip started in a typical lazy morning style (far from the busy London morning), which is what holidays are all about right??..a nice long night’s sleep, a late buffet breakfast, a hot shower and then lounging around the hotel, taking group pictures etc. The coach and tour guide arrived at noon to take us through a brief city tour of Benidorm enroute to Mundomar, mainly an aquatic zoo with a number of activities & attractions for entire family…especially the children on the trip loved it !
The rest of the day was spent here watching the animals and birds, watching the animal shows the most spectacular being the dolphin show, a late lunch stopover at the venue itself and ofcourse some shopping for the women at the exit. We then headed back to the hotel in the comfort of the private coach and resumed the evening after a freshen up break at the large bar and live music area at the hotel. The dance enthusiasts were treated to some live Spanish music and learning a few steps from the experienced Spanish dancers on the floor!
Day 3 was also a clear sunny day, you could never go wrong in Spain it seemed. This was Easter Sunday and the Group dress theme was colour blue… It was great to see everyone assembled in the lobby after breakfast in the theme dress code, from adults through to infants ! The customary coach and guide arrived as the previous day and the itinerary for the day was Guadalest Castle and Waterfalls. It was a beautiful scenic ride to the castle, passing through a lot of plantation areas… oranges, lemons, olive farms etc all of which the Spanish region is known for.
The Castle was up a hillock with the usual shopping and touristic attractions. However, the highlight which delighted the group was this mind-blowing view of the valley and azure lake from above the hilltop. You could easily spend a few hours here taking in the views, doing the photoshoots and shopping for memorabilia and souvenirs… exactly what the group did to their heart’s content..
We finished off with a sumptuous Paella lunch and headed back to the hotel for an evening surprise.. an Indian dinner and the discotheque in the hotel offered exclusively for “I for India” where we rocked the night dancing to some choicest Bollywood and Kollywood dance numbers.
To balance the sight-seeing and tours of the previous days, Day 4 was a very relaxed day with people getting to the nearby Lavante beach on their mode of choice… hop-on, hop-off bus, cycle or walk ! Much of the day was lazing around the beach and lots of shopping opportunity in the touristic area around the beach. The evening was also everyone to themselves in the hotel, visiting the viewing galley on it’s 43rd floor offering some stunning views of the beach on one side and hills on the other.
Day 5 began a sense of nostalgia for many about the trip and slightly mixed feelings about the return to London.. Nevertheless the chatter on the hotel transfer coach and on flight in their friends groups kept the groups busy. The coach journey from Stansted back to London was also well spent with constructive and very valuable feedback and reflections from the group on I for India’s maiden voyage. The Group disbanded gradually at the different drop off points, with some very fond memories of the trip and a lot of new friends and acquaintances.
I For India proudly presents an evening of sailing, music, dance and masti…Dance to your favourite Kollywood and Bollywood numbers on a lovely cruise along the Thames ! The normal cost of this cruise is atleast £30. I For India has negotiated good deals with various suppliers to offer this cruise at an unimaginable price of just £10 per person. What’s more, if you wanted to join for the Indian dinner spread on board it is just £1 extra... food for a quid! Remember, drinks maybe purchased on-board although it’s a cash only bar.
B for Boat Cruise important details below:
Date : 3rd May 2015 Boarding Time : 5:00 PM - (ferry departs at 5:00 pm and will not wait, please be on time) Boarding Pier : Westminster Pier Nearest Tube : Westminster, Waterloo Nearest National Rail : Waterloo
As luck would have it, our first 3 events have started on 3rd of the month … We are pleased to bring you “C for Career Connexions”, an event with a more professional twist, on 3rd June 2015. The networking evening for working professionals would cover a broad range of topics covering professional and investment opportunities, such as presentation by leading recruitment agencies, advice on accounting & taxation for contractors, advice on life style essentials such as pension, insurance, mortgage, investment options to manage and broaden your income streams and sources.
Please note event details below and block your diaries right away:
Date & time: 3rd June 2015 Venue: Henry's Café Bar, 16 Hertsmere Road, West India Quay, Canary Wharf, London E14 4AX
Free Entry and Free Welcome Drink!
On behalf of the entire team, partners and volunteers at "I for India", we take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks and gratitude for the trust and confidence you have bestowed upon us. We remain confident that we can make this collective a very special forum for us all to come together in a variety of formats which will add a lot of value, joy and enrichment to our lives!
We would most welcome any input, suggestions or ideas from you including any events you would like to see in the future. Please email us your thoughts at team@iforindia.uk.
We look forward to meeting you at the Boat Cruise on 3rd May 2015!