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*Lesley Gillilan -
Imperial bedrooms.
Among treasured souvenirs of my first visit to India in
1989, i have a battered guide to Goa, complete
with blotting-paper map and quaint descriptions of the former Portuguese colony
("a picture of verdant fertility ... the bounteous natural scenary [sic] and
pleasant cli-mate infuse the tourist with a sense of peace and quietitude").
I took it with me when I made my fourth trip there in September, but although
the map was useful, the guide proved hopelessly out of date. Indeed, it listed
only four guesthouses in Candolim and three in Baga, but both places - once
small fishing villages - are now swamped by new developments. Calangute,
nearby, which was always relatively crowded (10 hotels are listed in my old I
guide), now has a high street with traffic jams plus Boo Boo's Pub and internet
cafes. Parts of Goa have certainly be-come more mainstream.
Independent travellers pre-pared to pay a little more for luxuries (not just
air-condi-tioning, but empty beaches, unspoilt countryside, solitude, real Goan
culture), should head for one of the boutique or "heritage" hotels, the
majority of which are in the more popu-lated areas of northern Goa
At any price, it is hard to get away from rock-hard coir mattresses (a south
Indian spe-ciality), car horns, two-stroke engines and barking dogs. And after
staying in seven hotels on the trot, it was difficult not to grimace when the
house special-ity turned out to be yet another Goan fish curry. But the quality
and variety of the accommoda-tion restored my faith in the old Goan magic.
Siolim House Wadi Siolim, Bardes
The 300-year-old manor house (home to the governor of Macau during Portuguese
rule) is owned by businessman [Blank], who bought it in 1996 as a roofless
ruin. Three years on, his painstaking restoration won a Unesco award for
conservation. The rooms: There are seven, which range from spacious to vast,
with lofty ceilings, bath-rooms larger than most hotel bedrooms, polished,
tiled and wooden floors, antique furni-ture and tall windows, some glazed with
Goan oyster shell. There is also a pool, pretty gardens, and a shady pillared
courtyard, a TV-room-cum-library and a superb team of staff (nothing is too
much trouble). There is no restau-rant, but home-cooked meals are served to
order. What's nearby? Non-touristy
Siolim village is on the door-step. Other attractions include the
cathedral-like St Anthony's church and country walks through quiet lanes to the
fishing quays of the Chapora river. The beaches at Morjim and Arambol are 10
minutes' drive away.
How much? B&B from £35pp per night. Seven-day BB&D
packages including taxes and airport transfers from £335pp. To book: +9822
584560 or 07951021027, siolimhouse.com.
Nilaya Hermitage, Arpcsra BShatii Arriving at the Nilaya (mean-ing "blue
heaven" in Sanskrit) is like entering some exotic fantasy. Everything from the
steps up to the circular recep-tion room to the dazzling waterfall pool, is a
work of art - all gilded pillars, twiddly ironwork and mosaics in rich
Rajastani colours. Nilaya is a teeny bit posey in a cool Notting Hill kind of
way (one of Herbert Ypma's hip hotels, it attracts the likes of Richard Gere,
Giorgio Armani and Kate Moss), but it is relaxing, almost to the point of
deca-dence. A real treat.
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