This restored Portuguese villa in the village of Assagao epitomises the new Goa – a stylish mix of contemporary and colonial, with an Ayurvedic centre and great restaurants nearby
• This blogpost first appeared on The India Tube website
Casa Tota is a 150-year-old Portuguese villa that's been lovingly restored and refurbished into a bright, Bollywood-dusted retreat, complete with a central courtyard and an outdoor bar that's just begging residents to throw a party. The owners rent it out in its entirety, so you've got to take all three rooms, each kitted out with four-poster beds and adjoining bathrooms. The villa gets its name from the parrots in the surrounding trees, but it gets its design leanings from slightly further afield: Antonia Graham, of British furniture and design store Graham & Green, owns the property, and G&G's touch is everywhere.
Ideally situated to sample all of Assagao's charms, Casa Tota is nicely tucked away so that the crowds headed to the beaches of Anjuna and Vagator miss it. Of course, it doesn't have the glorious sea-facing vistas of Ashvem and Arambol beaches, but complete quiet and emerald gardens more than compensate.
Housekeeper Shyam is super-friendly and will prepare breakfast as well as help with local directions and transport. This place is about utter relaxation, so don't go expecting the shacks and bars of places such as Baga or Calangute. But there are still plenty of wonderful restaurants just down the road. The excellent Villa Blanche (villablanche-goa.com, open only in season) serves light, fresh, French bistro-style food. A short drive away is Ciao Bella, where you'll find Italian all year round. And also within shouting distance is Ayurma, an excellent Ayurvedic centre where I had the best four-handed abhyanga massage of my life, and Purple Valley Yoga Centre (yogagoa.com), Goa's most popular yoga destination.
Brave the winding roads uphill because you'll be rewarded with an incredible view that's lost none of its magic to rampant construction and development … just yet. We hear [Bollywood actor] Abhay Deol is building a mega mansion in the neighbourhood, so the time to go is now.
• Sleeps six. See grahamandgreen.co.uk/goa-villa for further details. Rates vary from around £270 per week in low season (June-August) to £665 over Christmas and New Year
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