Responding to calls for a luxury accommodation small enough to be booked in its entirety (ideally though not necessarily), the Neemrana Group — those of the ‘non-hotel hotels’— now offers the ‘Noble Home’. The maiden venture of this project is Ishavilas, situated in Siolim, Goa, with the next one planned using dramatic Rishikesh as a backdrop.
Occupying a relatively modern house built in the Portuguese colonial style, Ishavilasis approximately an hour’s drive from any sign or, more importantly, sound of civilisation. Alongside the astonishing silence, the décor is its most striking feature. Marking a departure from the customarily understated Neemrana style, Ishavilas is intended to evoke the ‘romanticism of the great Orientalist painters’; no expense has been spared in doing this. Four blissfully quiet living spaces are arranged about a large open-air mosaic-bottomed swimming pool featuring a vast mirrored Ganesh at one end and two trumpeting elephants at the other, the entrance to the dining room flanked by two scantily clad, sinewy iron figures in loincloth and sarong; light-fittings are elegant, disembodied hands reaching through walls to grasp torches and lanterns. The grounds are littered with an assortment of stone frogs joyously blowing horns, a huge, serene Buddha and some carved wooden monkeys peering out from the lavish vegetation.
The interior heaves with jewelled, gilt-edged mirrors, jewelled peacocks, deities, splashes of animal print, gold cherubs, a sculpted cheetah with a startled expression staring down from a cornice, plush, richly coloured chaise-longues, lashings of naqqashi and many, many carved wooden tables, bureaus and chairs (including one in the shape of a hand, its palm awaiting one’s rump). The result is that of vast, playful fantasy; a holiday from the ordinary. It is the other end of the spectrum to the minimalist chrome footsteps trodden by so many modern hotels since the mid-90s. Frankly, if you’re too rigid and joyless to glean some enjoyment from a pair of iron Egyptian temple cats standing guard in a powder room then you’re a terrible stick in the mud and oughtn’t to leave home.
The four private rooms each come with their own distinct personality. The Kailash Room and Peacock Room share the ground floor; the former cream-coloured and filled with light, the latter appropriately peacock blue with a jewelled peacock occupying centre stage. The larger Terrace Suite takes up a floor to itself above and, as the name suggests, comes with its own private terrace, while the largest is the Oriental Cottage, entirely detached from the rest of the home, and which opens directly onto the swimming pool, and is self-sufficient with its own pantry. The windows look out into dense, unbroken verdure.
The friendly staff, who greet one on entry with a flower garland and vermilion, provide a gratifyingly unobtrusive service. They do not mistake hovering for helpfulness, do not call and pester one with queries about the service and only reappear when asked to at mealtimes. One is asked to use the intercom or ring a bell if requiring assistance otherwise.
Served at a large communal dining table, meals are a personalised affair, with the chef receptive to preferences. Mine featured one or two more exotic seafood dishes such as prawn vindaloo or mussel curry, alongside staples such as dal and vegetables as one might get them in one’s own home. While the bar isn’t up and running yet, guests are able to bring their own liquor should they choose.
The en suite bathroom in the Kailash Room connects to a vast dressing room, filled with antique tables, mirrors and cupboards, and opening poolside, which could not have been more convenient as regards dipping in for a swim. In the starring role is a large commodious bathtub, and enough coursing hot water to run it for the duration of a long paperback, which put paid to any plans I had of leaving the hotel and making my way into town for a jaunt. I have a small quibble about the lack of toiletries and the fact that a plump, dead millipede spent the entire weekend in my bathroom, a memento mori on the bathroom floor, in spite of regular visits from the cleaning staff. On the plus side, there was at least plenty of space for us to co-habit.
The densely green grounds, with stone slab pathways, are enough to make one forget the travails of urban life entirely. One of the paths leads to a peaceful, open yoga-shala and another to a wellness spa, essentially a massage room and steam room. The experienced masseuse hails from the tough love school of deep tissue therapy. The accommodation’s most pleasing attribute is the rich, dense silence, the complete absence of car sounds and street sounds, birdsong instead of human voices, the opportunity to be entirely alone with one’s thoughts. Thankfully there’s cable television and a cracking Wi-Fi connection if one can’t bear one’s thoughts after a while.
The Information
Where: House No. 103, Vaddy, Siolim, Goa
Accommodation: 2 bedrooms (Kailash and Peacock) and 2 suites (Terrace Suite and Oriental Cottage), each of which can be rented out independently. The villa can also be rented out as one unit.
Tariff: Rs 5,000 (Kailash and Peacock); Rs 6,000 (Terrace suite and Oriental Cottage); and Rs 22,000 (full villa). Valid till Sept 30.
Contact: 9765394121, ishavilasgoa.com