Live the Villa Life in Goa

This tiny Indian state has been done to death in the tourist circuit. But moving away from the hustle and bustle of party spots are idyllic home stays that redefine one's idea of a perfect getaway

To us, Goa, at times, seems to have been overtaken by its own legend - as the ultimate sun, fun and beach destination. Just when we thought that the former Portuguese colony was on the verge of becoming a tourism cliché, we discovered that Goa still hugs to itself a secret, an inner core, pure and inviolate, which she refuses to share with the casual tourist. Only the genuine wayfarer, who wants to burrow into its leafy interior, will discover that in this tiny state, bright with Indian sunshine, life still goes on at the pace of a softly flowing river every day.
And Goa offers the traveller a unique gift: the ability to find fresh wonder in doing nothing.This is why a cross-section of India's so-called wealthy and titled has chosen to periodically escape to their own lavish villas in Goa or permanently settle in this tiny sliver of a state to live the good life amidst the lush, generous landscape.
Today, some Goans and new settlers have gone a step further and opened up their luxurious villas to guests to discover the other side of Goa like a local rather than a guest. We stayed at the award-winning Summertime, secluded on a hill, with easy access to Calangute and Candolim beaches. Here, the flavours of the real Goa unfolded like an unscripted play. The three-bedroomed, one-storeyed villa - with a deep, pillared verandah - is ensconced in its own private wilderness and enveloped in a silence so deep that the mere crunch of dry leaves underfoot made trilling birds pause.
In the distance, lush paddy fields, groves of mango and coconut unfurled; and a short drive away from the estate were vintage Goan homes daubed in Mediterranean colours, a white-washed church where elderly ladies conferred with a cassocked priest; a bakery that churned out fresh poee or bread with insides as soft as a sigh. And, best of all, we got a glimpse of how it takes just a glass of feni at his favourite tavern followed by a sizzling plate of fish curry for dinner to make a typical Goan happy!
But it's the hedonistic escape that Summertime provides, "a put-your-feet-up-style luxury," as owner Sucheta Potnis describes it that is so alluring. Sucheta and her husband Hans Tuinman created a utopia for themselves and with typical generosity of spirit decided that they needed to share it with the world at large.
Indeed, Summertime embraces the concept of space and peace as the ultimate luxuries - there are no hunkering reception desks nor a battery of staff who sport synthetic smiles. It is a villa steeped in the freshness of a new dawn with silent, unobtrusive staff who seemed to anticipate our needs before we voiced them. The three bedrooms with en suite facilities and dressing area are large enough to accommodate three Mumbai apartments. The light-filled, quirky décor includes lamps made with corn ears from Bali; tikri work wall panel from Jaipur; eclectic wall hangings, bespoke lamps crafted by underprivileged women in Pondicherry; recycled teak wood chairs from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu and even a bookshelf chair to relax in and read a different book each day!
We would sit on our private wood deck, gazing at the koi pond where Japanese carp swam around in circles and snapped up an occasional colourful butterfly while a tinkling waterfall filled the void with its musical notes. Stands of bamboo, palms, mango trees and lilac bougainvillea filled the two-acre grounds with a teeming jungle of scents. Up in the blue sky, a Brahminy kite rode the thermals; a paradise flycatcher trailed its white tail over green bushes; and at dusk, a solemn owl would sit on a projecting branch with the air of having come home.
Meals at Summertime can be private and intimate on the wraparound verandah overlooking the infinity pool or convivial, in the company of your hosts, who add zing to the conversation with tales about their travels around the country for their tour company and about their private yacht, Solita, ideal for guests who want to sail down the Mandovi in style.
Champakali, another villa that we stayed at, a mere 15 minute-walk away from historic Old Goa, embodies the virtues of the new buzzword - "hinterland tourism". Embedded in the tranquillity that lovers and nature-loving tourists seek, Champakali seemed to be a planet away from Goa's all-night raves and trance nights.
"This," we exulted to ourselves "is the Goa that the flower children of the 60s fell in love with." Two red-tiled roof villas (with three bedrooms each) seem to exist in a charmed space of their own.
Originally meant to be a second home for Bindu Sethi and Bunti Bakshi and their two kids, Champakali metamorphosed into a delightful getaway. This is why the couple decided to throw open their doors to discerning travellers, and you can sense the deep personal involvement of the owners.
Billing their labour of love as "two homes on a hill by a river," Champakali is studded with furniture and objets d'art garnered by the couple in the course of their travels. Yet the villas and the interiors capture and distil the warmth and colours of Goa. private balconies for every room where you can have your morning cuppa listening to bird song; multiple nooks in the villas and verdant outdoors for a snooze. A huge banyan tree spreads its multiple arms and is nature's hammock; and in open-sided gazebos, eyes-only-for-each-other couples can indulge in a romantic table-for-two dining experience. Everywhere, soaring teak, bamboo, guava and papaya trees impart the feeling of an invasive jungle kept at bay.
At Champakali, you can make your own cup of tea in the open kitchen or, if you prefer, the indefatigable Bijou will pad up to your room and serve you. Fresh juices, bespoke teas, invigorating cups of coffee, wafer-thin crepes or a sizzling masala omelette, warm poee or Goan bread delivered by the local baker. Breakfasts heralded simple pleasures while
candlelit dinners would ring down the curtain on a fun-filled but relaxed day of sightseeing where time goes in reverse. Old Goa, Divar Island, Chorao Island and the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Chapel of our Lady of the Mount, are virtually on this villa's doorstep. For dinner, we would tuck into an honest-to-goodness Goan meal or a fusion repast; strum a guitar and serenade each other. And later go for a midnight swim - undisturbed. The villa life in Goa is the way to go!
wknd@khaleejtimes.com