Ahilya by the Sea

First things first: Ahilya by the Sea is run to feel like a home, not a hotel. Every room is filled to the brim with objets d'art, trophies from around the globe, and personal touches. Its three villas and nine bedrooms are spread across a patch of luscious green, directly overlooking the working fisherman's beach: Coco Beach. The ocean if not seen can be heard from every spot in the property and watching the fisherman drag home their haul is an evocative site. A Goa not for the tourists. This is, however, a working beach, and therefore not good for sunbathing - save that for your sunlounger. The downside of this homestyle living means no room service, but there are always plenty of staff happy to help a short distance away. The food is superb and a daily changing menu means that the food is fresh and never repetitive. So much effort goes into each of the meals (you only need to ask what it is in them). Rucola cheese with yoghurt and herbs, wrapped in grilled courgette for starters, fresh king fish with quinoa salad, chocolate tarts with roasted almond ice-cream. I could go on. The Arjun Treehouse, is the smallest of the nine rooms and fulfils that childhood dream of sleeping amongst the trees. Watch chipmunks scurrying and birds hopping between the branches as you sip your morning coffee. It is bijoux, suited for solo travellers or cosy couples. The Leela, Sunrise and Sunset Villas offer a lot more space, and are perfect for taking over the whole place as a family. There are two pools, with the sunrise (the larger of the pair) getting the sun in the morning and the sunset, a smaller lap pool (you guessed it) in the evening. Witness the most spectacular sunset along the neighbouring beaches.