Planning a trip to Goa? This hotel is worth trying for a pleasant stay

RelaxingTour amp TasteAdventureEducationalAncient amp HistoricalThere is a steady patter of rain on a roof embellished with coconut palms and paddy grass Occasionally the monsoon wind howls showing us who is the boss in July Bamboo and local Chira stone dominate the architectural framework at KAIA kaiagoa Ashvemrsquos new hospitality outpost The 14room resort in north Goa neatly sliced into twothe Village with 10 rooms and the Villa with four roomsmdashis readying to welcome its first visitor Founderpartner Dhaval Udeshi is joined by Nikita Harisinghani who leads concept design and marketing Pawan Shahri who handles business strategy and actor Bhumi Pednekar who is investor at Chrome Asia Hospitalityrsquos debut hotel projectPointing to the trees on the property Udeshi says they have worked around them ldquoWhy cut them their roots run so deeprdquoEnglish ProjectThe roots of Ashvemkars go deep too we realise when we meet locals Lawrence F Nazareth DrsquoSouza Peter Fernandes and Oswald Britto The quartet living in the vicinity say that Goa is better connected with the Mopa airport The fact that the hotel is having a monsoon launch during a season where the Goan spirit of Susegad laidback is so pronounced that one could not only be reclining on a hammock strung between two coconut trees but even fall off it and still not bother getting back up ldquois proof Goa is changing Here the community has employment during what was traditionally considered downtimerdquo say the residents More guests mean that many more residents can rent out their houses for home stays or connect with Airbnb through the year A young Goan we meet says that for the youth the hospitality ventures offer fruitful gap employment until they bag a job on a cruise ship Then there are those like Britto and Fernandes who swear ldquowe will never leave AshwemrdquoA room with a viewThe hotel too does not want its guests to leave in a hurry Theyrsquod be happy to have visitors book a long stay treat it like home write a book and be inspired by the sunset A walk with locals fishing with the community and beach cleanups are part of the leisure itinerary for those who wish to connect with the community outside The other plan is to invite resident experts for a cooking workshop Simmer and serve is chef Mohit Savargaonkarrsquos job and he whips up small plates that tease and big plates that appease We tried and liked the rancheros fried eggs refried beans salsa roja pico de gallo sliced avocado and the quick healthy Mexican bowl Inspired by regional cooking techniques and ingredients available around he serves a beetroot dip with poee or leavened bread traditionally made by Goan bakers or poders The chef who replaces the usual hat with a trendy headband tells us ldquoWe procure cheese from a Swiss resident who runs a fromagerie 5 kms away from hererdquoThe towering hourglassshaped bar was created by a team of eight artisans over 400 hoursPostmeal coffees can be savoured at a roastery within the property where you inhale Pranayam style and take in the aroma of freshly roasted beans Goa is tripping big on coffee right now with hip bars dotting the green Has the land of feni switched to frappuccinoThose in the mood for something stronger can trudge to the towering hourglassshaped bar created by a team of eight artisans over 400 hours The mixologists will encourage you to make your own cocktail so donrsquot be daunted You can lean against a tree in the interiors put on some of your James Bond swag and say to the experts 007 fashion Irsquoll have mine shaken not stirredWe suggest that you sign off with a sound healing experience with local musicians the outrageously talented Sina Siav and Ulyana Astania the artistes behind Navakuna Academy amp Records They hold sessions on the property to demonstrate the healing power of sound Siav plays the didgeridoo an Australian aboriginal wind instrument and hand pan with aplomb while the sound of the waves complements Astaniarsquos arresting voice And just like that we are at the crux again which was lsquogo vocal for localrsquo But the sound workshop showed us that it is pretty good when locals go vocal tooWant to hear from youWe are looking to visit and write about interesting places of stay and travel near and far If you wish to host us for a fair engaging experience review write to us at smdmailmiddaycom