Nilaya Hermitage

A melting pot of glamour and Gaudi mosaics, an uber-cool hilltop retreat set in tropical forest, a few miles from Goa’s golden beaches

In Sanskrit, nilaya means ‘abode in the blue’, or simply heaven, and the name couldn’t be more apt. You’re up in the gods, looking down on Goa’s coastal plains from a hillside eyrie; a tropical Shangri-la dreamed up, we think, by artists and eccentrics for emperors and escapists.

Fashion stylist Claudia Derain, and her Indian husband engineer Hari Ajwani, created this hip resort in collaboration with celebrated local architect Dean d’Cruz. It’s built mostly from rough-cut laterite stone – a Goan speciality – but the style is an exotic mosaic of Mogul domes and Moorish arches, echoes of Arabian Nights, mixed with bit of Hindu temple, a dash of Barcelona (think Gaudi-esque pillars and crazy-paved ceramics) and a palette of dazzling Rajasthani colours (saffron, emerald, bronze, and, yes, lots of heavenly blues).

Lounge on silk daybeds in the mosque-like music room; dine under the stars by the lavish pool; sip a cocktail at sunset, peeping through a jungle of coconut palms, mango and papaya, laced with bougainvillea. You can see the sea glittering in the distance – so near, yet a world away.

Highs

• The fabulous pool – at the heart of the resort, it gushes waterfalls into a lagoon of lapis and aquamarine mosaic tiles
• Gorgeous rooms – each a romantic fantasy with a cosmic theme (Moon, Star, Water, Air…)
• The hotel owns a 65ft wooden sailing dhow for day cruises or parties with on-board catering
• Set in 20 acres of lush gardens surrounded by tropical forest, 6km from Goa’s Arabian Sea beaches
• The service: staff are efficient and discreet – on hand just when you need them (most of the time)
• A dedicated treatment centre offering relaxation therapies, including Ayurvedic massage

Lows

• Rates are high (though they include dinner and airport transfers) plus there are little extras on the bill, eg eggs with breakfast
• You will need a car or taxi to get to and from the beach – or to more or less anywhere. Even Arpora, the nearest village, is too far to walk on a hot day