The monsoon is lush, we know this. But we also know (from experience) that it’s sometimes a real pain when you don’t have the right place to stay. Rooms and hotels that are glorious in the sunshine can often be musty, dingy and miserable, with a skeleton staff that doesn’t want to serve you.
And when it’s pouring with rain, most of the good restaurants are shut, and the ocean is raging, you need to make the right accommodation decisions.
The following are the best monsoon stays that Goa has to offer (and you can check out our full collection here):
Sundays Forever – For a slightly different, fully immersive monsoon experience, in which the desire to become a luxury hermit is preferable, you can do a lot worse than rent Sundays Forever, on the small island of Calvim, far inland from the crashing waves.
The house, looking out over rainswept fields, marshland and river, and fully equipped to deal with the monsoon, offers the chance to really, truly get away from the world.
Authentic, incredible Goan food can be provided by neighbour Elsa, but otherwise make you sure you come with all your own goodies and supplies because once you’re here there’s not much 3 perfect stays for the monsoon in Goa.
Vivenda dos Palhaços – So close to the airport (and yet thankfully so far away!) it makes a perfect weekend getaway from the big smoke (aka India).
Vivenda doesn’t “do” much, but then why would you want to do anything when you can eat, drink and sleep in this impossibly charming boutique hotel, which matches a wry English humour with classic Goan ‘susegad’, and has one of the best bars in India. Also a hell of a lot of books lying around.
Siolim House – With owner Varun and his partner Lucie on site most of the time there’s no sense that monsoon guests will be neglected. In fact, Siolim House may well be one of those rare places that gets even better with the rains, which help bring out the old-fashioned Portuguese romance of this restored 350 year old villa.
With their four poster beds and antique furniture, the rooms are the kind you’ll happily spend plenty of time in, while the great home-cooked food and excellent day-room full of books, games and a large TV and DVD library mean you’ll never get hungry or bored.
Coco Shambhala – These stunning villas are worth visiting any time of the year, but what makes a monsoon visit really worthwhile is the incredible range of discounts on offer.
Add these to the personalised service Coco offers, its excellent food, gorgeous pool and a location that puts guests close to all the places that are still very much alive in the off-season and you’ve got a real winner.
For more hotels in Goa open over the monsoon period, check out our curated collection by clicking here.
