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.
Hideaway
No restaurant
Local markets
Other Activities
Sights nearby
Full of character
Sit-out Terrace
Romantic
Family Suites
Secluded setting
Wellbeing
Spa
Boutique
Antiques
Child friendly
Free wifi
Traditional
Charming
Luxury
Four poster beds
Intimate
Rooms
9 rooms in this hotelNo restaurant
Breakfast is served and other meals are on requestSwimming Pool
Outdoor poolAirport transfer
SurchargeSit-out Terrace
No pets
Massage
Outdoor dining
Family Suites
Parking
Safe
Spa
Garden
Child friendly
Sitting Room
Room service
Suites
Free wifi
Private villas
Four poster beds
Wifi
Air conditioning
Local markets
Other Activities
Sights nearby
Ahilya by the Sea is thetalked-about property of the moment in India, spread across two converted Portuguese-colonial mansions at the southernmost edge of Coco Beach in Goa. Formerly the private estate of the prominent local Trinidades family, it functioned briefly as a basic guesthouse before being closed last year and reimagined as a full-service boutique hotel, its seven suites awash in the owners’ art collection and provincial hardwood antiques. (Its private chef, who is supremely well versed in the famously piquant local curries, is also in residence.)
Originally published by Condé Nast Traveller
In Goa, Richard Holkar, owner of the brilliant 18th-century Ahilya Fort in Madhya Pradesh, has partnered with a local family to remake their stunning beach house as a counterpoint to the fort’s bucolic inland setting. Right on Coco Beach, Ahilya by the Sea has eight suites spread across two Portuguese-colonial villas, awash with hand-painted tiles, hand‑laid stones and heirloom textiles; crowds are replaced by quiet villages to explore and fisherman to watch in tranquillity from the elegant lap pools abutting the beach wall.
Originally published by How To Spend It
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