Goa's Luxury Retreats
" Goa’s old hands, the people who knew the state before mining, unmindful tourism and its unsavoury reputation as India’s “most liberated beach state” took a toll, will remember the beach as a peaceful haven. Today, Calangute packs in the hordes in all seasons. So it is difficult for me to believe that there is something pristine left in this part of Goa, until I turn into a quiet lane with two or three villas and a long stretch of shrubs and greenery. Even then, I am not prepared for what I see when I drove in through the unassuming gates, across a wooded track.And there it stood on a remote hilltop, a Balinese-style villa, dappled in mellow winter sun, its glass walls reflecting light. Summertime, sheltered within verdant gardens and with views of paddy fields, is Sucheta Potnis and Hans Tuinman’s love child. The two, for years, have run Odyssey Tours and Travels that offers tailor-made experiences in India. Summertime, says Potnis, has been a dream and “my retirement plan” whose time had come. “We were seeing rampant development in the area. We have a house here and also owned another patch of land. So we decided to build a villa on that land to protect Calangute’s last green lung…
