Amarya Shamiyana

Four huge, luxurious Moghul ceremonial tents in a palm-screened sand-garden, 50m behind north Goa’s chilled Ashvem beach

Peaceful, chic and super-comfortable, these vast tent-suites will make you feel like a modern-day Maharajah/Maharani on safari - though with the bonuses of beach parties or empty shores, sports or cultural attractions all within easy reach.

Erected in December 2009, each shamiyana (Urdu for tent) has its own private veranda and dining area, funky yet elegant co-ordinated colour scheme, and an artful mix of bright modern and antique Indian decorative touches. An open-sided, funkily furnished pavilion tent shades the reception and lounge area, with its dining tables, sofas, chandelier and Goan objets d’art. It also has lots of coffee-table books on India, magazines and daily newspapers to browse and a TV. Just behind is another pavilion tent filled with ‘Nana Ki’ ladies designer clothes and bags, and 2 private massage rooms offering holistic treatments.

Ideal for romantic couples, the design-conscious, and small families in search of quiet privacy, this is another Indian oasis by the French owners behind Amarya Haveli. Ashvem beach, trendy but still uncrowded, is a 3-minute sandy walk away, as are restaurants La Plage (famed for serving up the best food in the region) and local, family run Gopal, which both also offer their full menu as room service for the tents.

Highs

• The romance, beauty and spaciousness of the cream-canvas and silver-threaded-gauze tents
• The on-site French co-owner Mathieu - deeply handsome and charming, though, sadly for all you single girls, happily married!
• The comforts of a hotel: each tent has an iPod dock, air con, waffle robes and a sofa area
• Delicious cordon bleu and traditional Indian as in-house room service
• The smiling, helpful staff - including one whose sole job is to find and fetch whatever you have forgotten to bring/might need from the local shops

Lows

• No views or swimming pool (though one is planned)
• The phut-phut of many a happy holiday biker and faint, nightly bass thump from a nearby bar
• The frustratingly-intermittent village internet reception
• The ugly rear ends of air con units attached to each tent - which slightly detract from their romance!