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Casa Retreats allows you a trial holiday before you decide whether you want to subscribe to its packages and allow it to plan your holidays for you
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IT'S EASY enough to dream up the perfect holiday. Sun-soaked Seychelles. Colourful Brazil. Exotic Sun City. But, turning out your pockets, you may only find enough money for a hasty weekend in Munnar. Catering to the needs of those who want an economical holiday, Casa Retreat Pvt. Ltd. allows you to take an initial "one-unit" holiday, costing Rs. 3,625, to any of their 40 destinations, and avail yourself of all its facilities.
The price doesn't include transport to and from the destination, but Casa Retreat does help with bookings. It drops and picks you up at both ends of the journey, pays for accommodation in one of the three-star hotels it has tied up with, gives you discounts on food and, if you hop on the hotel sight-seeing tours, give you discounts on that as well. This "one-unit" package costs the same whether you avail of it to go to Munnar or to Guwahati.
Rohit Chauhan, Director, emphasises that this is not a time share. "People offering time shares are unable to suit them to middle-class people here in India," he says. "But we have customised packages — unlike the high costs of time shares. Our designs vary according to people's needs."
Casa Retreats offers membership for three years in a package costing between Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 18,000. There's also a five-year package costing between Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 34,000. The prices cater to a family of four and vary depending on season.
Each of the packages entitles the buyer to four days and three nights a year at any of the listed destinations. These include traditional favourites like Agra, Shimla, Kodaikanal and Udaipur as well as more recent choices like Guwahati and the backwaters of Kerala.
"We work on the bargaining power principle," says Rohit, "since we buy commitments with hotels. The more the number of room nights we take, the higher the discount we get. In Bangalore alone, we have crossed the 5,000-member mark and given people over 6,000 holidays." This is how being a member with Casa Retreats makes it cheaper than another three-star holiday, says Rohit. Most three-stars would cost between Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 3,000 a day, he explains. A four-day holiday would then work out to Rs. 8,000 at the minimum. Over three years, that's approximately Rs. 24,000, says Rohit, who offer holidays at Rs. 6,000 less.
Casa Retreat has been around since 1999, but already Rohit is trend-spotting. "Interest in Kerala is growing," he says, pointing out Casa Retreat has three destinations located in the backwaters. "There's also a lot of interest in North Karnataka," he says. Places like Om Beach and Karwar are becoming popular although the tourism industry hasn't yet caught on to the boom. In such cases, when you're looking for a holiday not listed with them, say an adventure holiday on the Kali river, Casa Retreat says it can help you tie up with local lodges and help with bookings.
Another plus point with being a member of Casa Retreat is that even in peak season, you can plan your holiday just two days in advance and be ensured of hotel bookings. Casa Retreat has an office on Castle Street and one in Richmond Town. Contact Rohit for details on 25565861/25360832.
HEMANGINI GUPTA
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