Since the original intention was not to run Siolim House as a hotel, Mr. Sood was generous in his use of space, with just seven rooms – 3 suites, 4 standard, all named after Portuguese trading posts – spread out across the entire property.

Suites:

The Family Suite, aka the Malabar Suite, on the ground floor, has two rooms both with double beds, and is perfect for families. The Superior Suites (Macau and Macassar) share the first floor and are more private spaces, perfect for couples. Macau, is the largest and grandest, with its central room partitioned by antique wooden screens into seating and sleeping areas, a gorgeous 4-poster bed dominating the latter.

Oyster shell windows look out from all the suites over the gardens and the village, the sounds of which – church bells, pao (bread) vendors on bicycles, birdsong – drift through during the day and into the night. High ceilings and dark wood floors accentuate the old, romantic feeling.

Because of the sensitive nature of the restoration, the 3 suites as well as the standard room Bahia – which is at the front of the property on the ground floor – are without A/C.

Standard rooms/suites:

Damao, Cambay and Surat – are built around the courtyard at the rear of the property. Furnished with 4-poster beds, writing tables, planters’ chairs and dressers, these rooms have lower ceilings and so are all air-conditioned to deal with the balmy summer months, but lack the grandeur of the suites.

Bahia, the standard room at the front of the property, close to the entrance, has antique patterned tile floors and a wonderfully spacious bathroom but is not as refined as the suites and can get quite noisy due to its location.